At this year’s Coachella, Charli XCX announced the end of Brat Summer to make way for *gasp* Addison Rae summer. With a debut album on the way and two singles on the Billboard Hot 100, Addison Rae is gaining her fair share of internet buzz—and this time, it’s good. All the hype makes us wonder: Is Addison Rae really the next pop supernova?
TikTok Stardom
Addison Rae joined TikTok in 2019 and quickly became known for her viral dance videos. In 2020, The Kid Laroi released his trending single, “Addison Rae,” about the TikToker’s wow factor.
In the same year, she began to garner criticisms for her “cringeworthy” dances and rising fame. She was the internet’s cool girl—until she wasn’t.
Addison Rae’s acting debut in He’s All That was the metaphorical nail in the coffin. Her cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” in the movie went viral, but for all the wrong reasons. The film itself has a measly 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
It didn’t seem likely that Addison Rae could come back from such internet hate, but she currently has 88.3 million followers on TikTok.
Her mainstream rebrand started in 2021 when she hired Law Roach, who previously styled Zendaya, to curate her event wardrobe. She began making headlines again for her trendy style evolution and high-profile friendship with Kourtney Kardashian.
To top off her transformation, she began releasing music that had the internet forgetting all about her TikTok dancing days. Slowly but surely, Addison Rae has become a force to reckon with, and we’re here for it.
The Power of Friendship (and Charli XCX)
In August of last year, Addison Rae released her biggest hit yet: “Diet Pepsi.” The song’s popularity skyrocketed when Charli XCX invited Addison Rae to sing “Diet Pepsi” with her and Troye Sivan at Madison Square Garden during the “SWEAT” tour.
Suddenly, the song everyone was listening to ironically wasn’t so ironic anymore. “Diet Pepsi” perfectly encapsulates teenage escapades in the kind of catchy pop song that the repeat button was made for. Charli XCX’s icon status gave Addison Rae the Gen Z approval she needed to reach the charts.
“Diet Pepsi” spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and got its fair share of radio play. The song has been covered by big names like Camila Cabello, Joe Jonas, and Blondshell, which has only boosted its popularity.
Since the iconic MSG performance of “Diet Pepsi,” Addison Rae has joined Charli XCX on her remix of “Von dutch,” which has gone viral for what fans are calling her “Von dutch scream.” The song was also Grammy-nominated this year.
With Charli XCX by her side, nothing is stopping Addison Rae from becoming a tour de force of pop culture.
Sorry, the old Addison can’t come to the Phone Right now…
When fans preordered her upcoming record, they were shocked to see her website promote it as the “first and last album by Addison Rae.”
Did this really mean the start of her music career would also be the end?
The answer to that question comes from an interview with Elle Magazine. She told Elle, “I feel like I’ve surpassed Addison Rae. It’s just Addison now.”
Thus, the name change only signals a shift in Addison Rae’s persona from TikTok phenomenon to full-blown pop star. It would also explain why Addison will be the “first and last album by Addison Rae.”
The potential for more music is there for now—but it wasn’t always guaranteed. Poor reviews of Addison Rae’s 2021 single, “Obsessed,” had her questioning whether a music career was even right for her. As if that wasn’t enough, her debut EP, AR, was leaked before release.
She decided to put out the EP anyway, which featured “2 die 4,” her first collab with Charli XCX, and “Nothing on (but the Radio),” an unreleased Lady Gaga track. Reviews were mixed, but it didn’t stop Addison Rae then, and it certainly won’t stop her now.
New Era, New Music
On April 13th, Addison Rae joined Arca onstage at Coachella to perform “Aquamarine / Arcamarine”—but that’s not all. In true Addison Rae fashion, she also revealed the release date of her debut album (June 6th) on her underwear.
Her kitschy announcement falls in line with the early 2000s aesthetic she’s currently going for. Think Britney Spears, and you’re on the right track.
Addison Rae’s latest music video for “Headphones On” also capitalizes on the nostalgic factor for Gen Z. In the video, she wears wired earbuds and daydreams while strolling through the aisles of a convenience store. The grainy video quality and bright technicolor palette emphasize the dreaminess of her audience’s childhood.
The song itself is all soothing harmonies and breathy vocals. Lyrics like “jealousy’s a riptide, it pulls me under” are relatable and serve to highlight the message of letting go. While the single debuted at only number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100, the sound has 50k videos on TikTok, including one from Kylie Jenner.
Addison Rae has released four singles from her upcoming album—”Headphones On,” “Diet Pepsi,” “Aquamarine,” and “High Fashion”—to give fans a taste of where her music is headed.
On her Instagram album announcement post, she writes that her album is “a mirror. A deep desperation and desire to understand myself better. A true collection of my proudest work yet.” Comments on the post are mostly a variation of “hell yes” and “I’M SO READY.”
To get fans even more excited about the release, Addison Rae has been unveiling unknown song titles on billboards around the globe. She has since confirmed the tracklist on her Instagram:
- New York
- Diet Pepsi
- Money is Everything
- Aquamarine
- Lost & Found
- High Fashion
- Summer Forever
- In The Rain
- Fame is a Gun
- Times Like These
- Life’s No Fun Through Clear Waters
- Headphones On
Say what you will about Addison Rae, but her pop stardom is just getting started. You can pre-save Addison on Spotify and Apple Music, out on June 6th.
