your honour, i fear she's iconic: in defence of addison rae
from all american tiktok dancer to a budding bubblegum pop princess whose auto-tuned scream flooded timelines, the culture need not sleep on addison rae—the pop world's next big thing
One way to tell if someone has joie de vivre is if they like Addison Rae – Broey Deschanel via Twitter
I have wanted to write about my intrigue and obsession with Addison Rae Easterling and the soft launch of her rebrand from an all-American TikTok dancer whose wardrobe staples consisted of white vans and too many oversized sweatshirts to a bubble-gum Britney-esque manic-pixie-pop-girl taking pink Tumblr-hazed mirror pics with her digital camera wearing leopard print and smoking Parliaments.
Rae always knew she was destined to be in the public eye, being raised in a conglomerate of small Southern towns, the twenty-three-year-old thought a career in broadcast journalism would be her token into the limelight—though after a three-month stint at Louisiana State University, Rae discovered TikTok, which became the social medium she immediately embraced that would end in luring an astronomical following of over 88 million. It wasn’t long before her lip-sync and dancing videos got her a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to further her newfound career as a full-time content creator, admitting that her social media fame has allowed her to do things she had only dreamed of doing while studying, though finishing her degree is one feat Rae sees completing in the future.
Slowly but surely, Rae has begun the challenging process of cementing herself as a gay icon in infancy—doing it with much authentic ease. Although one may think the process of being noted as an icon, in the true sense of the world, amongst particularly gay men requires nothing but a pop synth and a pair of stiletto heels, under the surface this process renders much difficulty evident in the missteps of Camila Cabello’s C,XOXO and Meghan Trainor’s compilation of TikTok hits. Rae’s success in gay stardom could somewhat be credited to her ties to Charli xcx, though the moment I had to do a double-take on my timeline was when Addison graced Charli’s Bushwick Boiler Room set with her presence photographed with the likes of New York City nightlife’s most notable party girls.
In her What You Missed Last Month in NYC Paper Magazine article, Linux stated that the doll linkup with the likes of Aquaria, Aurora of Fashion Faguette, and Blizzy McGuire was quickly crashed by the queen of knowing the vibe Addison Rae asking for a group photo.
Additionally, the hypnotizing video of Rae and Charli dancing atop a platform in front of a crowd of poppered-up twinks and enbys adorned with statement tees, messy eyeliner and blunt baby bangs seeing Rae toss her hair back in all her Britney-esque glory to the sound of their song 2 die 4—I thought to myself how I am never wrong when it comes to predicting true star quality.
Chapter One: Obsessed
Love her or hate her, TikTok’s second most followed creator plagued everyone and their mother’s For You pages during COVID-19, seeing choreographed 15-second dances gain much notoriety in the Charli Damelio era of the app. Rae’s very first venture into music was her two-minute 14-second debut Obsessed, a glossy, self-referential and highly stylised track produced by famed Benny Blanco, accompanied by a choreography-packed music video. Lyrically, this track is a simple, tongue-in-cheek salute to self-love, seeing Rae skillfully dance around an orange backdropped studio singing about how she too is obsessed with herself.
Embarrassing and leaving much to be desired – Pop Dust
Was it shallow trash, or tongue-in-cheek art? – Vogue
The music of Addison Rae is an exercise in exploring pop’s plasticity. As deliberately constructed and manufactured as her social media persona, the point appears to be the playful pursuit of sparkling artifice. – Rolling Stone
Dazed called the song deliberately vapid and sugary, celebrating the processed nature of pop, with it feeling like the next chapter in an ongoing meta-narrative of the self-aware celebrity, intentional artifice, and broad market appeal intertwined in the creation of pop itself. Just as social media stardom has become a critique of the performative nature of modern fame, her song deliberately evokes the mass-produced nature of pop music.
Critics may call Rae’s initial venture into the realm of pop music a mirror of the plastic processes of pop, I feel that Rae has studied her references of specifically pop icons’ debuts into the space—and is hyper-aware of the pipeline from initially being revered as vapid attempts at mass market appeal to later be categorised as true pioneers of their eras. Many could equate Obsessed with the likes of the lengthy list of short-lived musical careers of her TikTok peers, such as sisters Charli and Dixie D'Amelio.
In contrast, I regard this period in Rae’s musical journey as the first attempt at experimenting within the pop realm, finding her footing, which would eventually become the catalyst for future famed pop projects. Also—what happened to fun? Why is nobody fun anymore? Why are news outlets suddenly the fun police? If a pretty girl wants to make a song about being pretty, let her!
When considering her peer’s career moves, it is evident that internet fame does not always correlate to traditional stardom, but where the D’Amelios spent their resources producing reality shows and clothing companies during the initial inception of their internet fame, Rae spent the time being a sponge for references and crafting her long-time dream of being in the pop star realm—something that would eventually have a high pay off.
Chapter Two: The Shift/Rebrand
After Obsessed, the post-COVID era saw Addison’s Reputation-era-like disappearance from TikTok’s timeline—a space she regularly occupied. This ensued as an amalgamation of factors, from the incessant hate she had received throughout her career in the public eye and some questionable behaviour from her parents. Namely, her mother’s “relationship?” with American rapper Yung Gravy and her father’s questionable behaviour and relationship with a girl of Addison’s age. During this period of her parents’ names frequenting The Hollywood Fix, Addison pulled back, and the soft launch of her new persona transpired.
Some may equate it coming out of a two-hour boardroom brainstorming session with Addison’s team of office sirens and LA twinks tapping manicured nails on the soggy paper lid of their matcha lattes at the big TikTok skyscraper agency building (I don’t know how PR works), but Rae’s “rebrand”—if I can even call it that—is not only fun and entertaining, but more of an authentic shift to claiming what has been on her vision board since childhood.
The most underrated thing about me is my ability to evolve and transform. People like to say, “Her PR team is working overtime on the rebrand.” And I’m like, “Girl, nobody’s rebranding. This is me.” – Addison via Interview Magazine
My close friends know how much I whine about my nostalgia—or more accurately anemoia as I only joined the platform in late 2015 missing my shot to be considered a true veteran of the platform—for the early 2010s Tumblr era. Besides the unmoderated gay corn and pro-ana content, I truly miss the fun of shitposting (retrospectively) the most utterly cringy and clownish content—but “stop this was Coachella 2016 it was the vibe at the time okay” when life was fun and peak hotness was achieved through an aggressive side-part, red flannel tied around skinny jeans, and eyebrow-blindness.
The start of Rae’s so-called rebrand saw a shift from the usual TikTok influencer content of brand deals, videos of every single dance trend—a feat losing popularity by the year—and a perfectly edited and manicured snapshot into Los Angeles life to a complete 180, posting occasional mysterious and artsy photo dump and being papped sporting Madonna and Arca baby tees reading Britney’s The Woman in Me strolling around Beverly Hills. A vast difference from her previous TikTok peers.
The internet became obsessed with Rae’s style and some of the very rare fashion archives she was spotted wearing, from vintage Betsey Johnson to John Galliano—it became increasingly clear that Rae understood her references. Over on Spotify, users began to notice Rae’s listening activity including artists like FKA Twigs, Sophie, and Arca on rotation—with Rae listing Arca as one of her favourite artists of late in an MTV interview, which prompted TikTok and Twitter to go crazy for a bit.
It’s Addisoncore. I only post things when they have value to me. When I used to post a million videos a day, I was just always on my phone. I’ve learned to live a little bit more, not be afraid to be off of my phone, to just get up and experience life. – Addison via Interview Magazine
I think this was where Rae was most successful in shifting her public perception from a one-note TikTok dancer to the beginnings of a true artist, as pulling away from frequent posting and constantly being in the public eye and the forefront of timelines left her millions of followers purposely seeking out her presence. Along with sprinkling her personality through fashion, music, and genuinely iconic paparazzi pictures, she was intentional in revealing parts of herself to the public, and therefore shifting from overwhelming amounts of content to someone with a true air of mystery.
Another very organic motivator for Addison’s shift in public perception was the leaked songs from the same recording sessions that produced Obsessed circulating on social media. Specifically, gay Twitter & TikTok were absolutely flooded with users reacting, with much passion, to these leaked snippets—very quickly inserting her into the epicentre of the chronically online queer conversation. Initially, Rae feared these leaks would be her music career’s gravestone, but they instead became the catalyst for her debut EP.
I began to notice there was this group of people who were super-interested in them, and it restored a little bit of excitement about it all for me. I was just really surprised, after what felt like a long period of time, that people were so interested and wanted to see me continue. And so I began to realise that the only way I can fail is by not continuing. I think that’s the most important thing I’ve learned over the past two-and-a-half years. - Addison via Vogue
This was another pivotal moment which influenced the birth of the new Addison Rae, as although she has amassed well over 100 million followers across her platforms, her following was always comprised of a majority of straight people, specifically straight women. One thing we know about the hetero crowd is that when it comes to the creators they follow, it takes quite a lot for them to render any resemblance to a cult follower. However, gay men are well known to utterly devote their time, money, and work hours to placing women in pop culture on a god-like pedestal—seeing a great investment in having the queers riding behind your moves in the industry.
I can say wholeheartedly that I do not think that Addison directly and intentionally marketed herself to queer audiences. I think this is one of those very rare times when a heterosexual artist or creator genuinely resonates with queer audiences, as they are known to spot star quality—or at least the potential of it.
After the internet used Obsessed as the doormat to wipe their feet upon, the positive reception to these leaks instilled confidence in Rae that she was missing after the onslaught of hate—seeing an avalanche of twinks shitposting onto every social media platform begging Rae to release them. Where Obsessed was first viewed as another cash-grabby avenue that yet another TikTok creator has attempted to venture into, the aftermath of the leaks recontextualised it to be a campy debut single that referenced the Y2K and recession pop eras’ high production and bubblegum ego-centric lyricism.
Chapter Three: Her Lost Album, AR
The great reception of these leaks prompted Addison to release an extended play titled AR, comprised of five tracks, including 2021’s Obsessed. Although this EP is nothing groundbreaking, it’s a fun, pretty-in-pink bubblegum pop project that is not trying to be anything else, it’s Rae giving the internet what they have been begging for.
The EP’s opener I got it bad is my personal favourite song off the project, it’s a fun upbeat unapologetic pop track with lyrics surrounding an obsession with bad boys who look like they fell out of boyband posters who drive black Range Rovers who could easily ruin one’s life. It’s very Into You era Ariana with sprinkles of Gwen Stefani. Moreover, the lyrics solidify Lana Del Rey as one of Addison’s influences in many facets of her artistic voice, as well as Del Rey’s Tumblr veteran status, which Rae draws heavy inspiration from when considering the imagery splashed across her Instagram feed.
As Cape Town’s self-proclaimed number one little fucker—that’s the name for Lana Del Rey’s fanbase for locals or the short-lived ‘Lana Cult’—I feel AR is the multiverse manifestation of the love child born from the late 2000s beef between two up-and-coming New York club scene artists Stefani Germanotta and Lizzy Grant. The influence of early Lana, particularly Lana Del Ray aka Lizzy Grant, and early Lady Gaga’s The Fame, and even Katy Perry’s One of The Boys is evident in Rae’s debut extended play with both the production, lyricism, and imagery.
This influence is further solidified in the third track Nothing On (But The Radio), which sees a repurposed version of one of Gaga’s most prolific unreleased songs of the same name. This interpolation shows Addison has truly studied her references, being inspired by the tracks that precluded her favourite artists’ careers, referencing not only the aesthetics of Lizzy Grant with her coquettish pastel pink freckled fawn trailer park trinkets; Gaga with her electronic supersonic club rat persona, and even Perry’s Lolita-esque cover shoot for her debut—but also their early tinkerings with the sounds that are memorialised in pop’s hall of fame.
Additionally, Perry’s sonic and lyrical influences are sprinkled throughout AR’s second last track it could’ve been u—visiting the late noughties pop-rock sounds of One of the Boys. Rae’s track could easily have been one of the songs added to the 15th-anniversary edition of Perry’s record.
AR’s standout is no doubt 2 die 4, which features who else but Addison’s friend and mentor—Charli xcx. This track was the one that did numbers on TikTok and was the catalyst for Rae eventually releasing the project entirely. Pop perfection with its autotuned melodies, on-the-nose self-conceited lyrics, and infectiously mechanical instrumental, with the cherry-on-top addition of Charli’s harmonies. On a personal level, this was the track where my friends and I first noticed Rae’s musical talents, mirroring many sentiments from the TikTok comments of posts with the leaked audio that Rae was on her way to save pop in her pastel pink Tesla.
Chapter Four: Scream Queen
After the release of AR, Rae had somewhat solidified a queer-heavy audience, or at least kept them interested in her future projects. This led the groundwork for the scream of 2024. Continuing to dip her pedicured toe into the pools of pop stardom, Rae was featured alongside A. G. Cook on Charli xcx’s first-ever remix of her Brat era’s lead single Von dutch. Continuing her routine of using t-shirts to market upcoming content, Charli was spotted wearing one leading up to the release of the remix., sparking much hype about a second collaboration between the two.
Linked with Addison on Melrose/ Bought some cute clothes and wrote this in the studio - Charli on The von dutch remix with addison rae and ag cook
The first verse sees Rae referencing previous criticism placed upon Obsessed that had audiences noting it as another cash-grabby TikTok influencer track over-saturating the already busy influencer-to-artist pipeline, which was later promptly squashed following the release of AR.
At the 1:38 mark, Rae let out a high-pitched auto-tuned scream that changed lives—well, mine at least. Charli posted a behind-the-scenes TikTok showing the three collaborators in the studio filming the exact moment Rae decided to let out the scream, causing Charli to start jumping around and responding to Rae’s notes app lyrics.
The moment Addison did this during ad libs. One take. none of us knew it was coming. – Charli via TikTok
One of my friends said that the track made them feel bitchy in a good way. Snotty was the word she used. She continued to express that the song made her feel like it was cool to be ugly or revered by the male gaze, screaming in your face—I’m here, I’m a brat, and I don’t care what you think. The hype stemming from Addison’s scream was loud, seeing the audio snippet circle around TikTok-like strep throat in the smoking section.
Notably, an audio consisting of the scream accompanied by Charli’s good Judy Rachel Sennot’s lines from A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies trended heavily on the app—continuing the multiverse. The scream was so impactful that it drew in new listeners, who weren’t originally on the Rae train, to quickly grab their Parliament boxes and baguettes and hop aboard. At the LA stop for Charli’s Brat tour, she brought Rae out for them to perform the song for quite the ravenous crowd. There was something so powerfully iconic about hearing an entire room of (gay) people scream along with Addison, while she smiled and blushed while tossing her hair back in all that Britney-Madonna-esque glory, finally seeing the pop star dreams of her childhood become realised.
I grew up as a really big fan of MTV, watching all the music videos and recreating the music videos in my bedroom, and being like, I want to do that one day. So it was always a dream, but it felt like a very distant dream, you know? I feel like a lot of people have that dream, but it feels so far away. Growing up in Louisiana, too… it’s a very different world. It was crazy. But for me, it’s always come down to the joy of performing. – Addison via Vogue
This remix was the first of many collaborative reimagining of brat tracks from 360 featuring robyn and yung lean, the culture-shifting Girl, so confusing featuring lorde, Guess featuring Billie Eilish that’s debut is edging Billboard’s top 10, and the final remix which Charli has teased of late—which I am predicting is a remix of either Club classics or Spring breakers featuring Kesha and Chappell Roan from evidence (1) Kesha’s name appearing on the Brat marketing trucks and (2) Chappell posting a selfie posing with a Brat cd while tagging Charli. Charli, Rae and Cook may have accidentally created one of the biggest moments to invade 2024’s cultural calendar with their remix of Von dutch, seeing something even bigger than Brat—the Brat remixes.
Another moment when I accidentally realised Rae’s genius was on a spur-of-the-moment trip to the V&A Waterfront with two of my friends. I had come onto my university campus to hopefully get a few hours of grafting in, praying I didn’t fall into the yap-trap that plagues my Illustration major where instead of doing the heaps of work we have been assigned, we prefer to stare at empty Adobe Illustrator files while yapping at length about pointless subject matter. To no surprise, slightly motivated by my oh-so-susceptible nature to peer pressure, my classmate Hannah asked if I wanted to join her impromptu trip to enjoy the sun at the V&A Waterfront before my Adobe Creative Cloud had even begun booting up. Next, we idled around the designer stores, dissecting the store layout and graphic design of the posters. We found ourselves browsing through the racks of H&M, and a certain instrumental sounded through the store. Instantly recognising the opening beats of A.G. Cook’s Lucifer, my ears identified a familiar voice hidden in the second layer of the track’s production. Charli xcx’s vocals are obviously present throughout the majority of the track, but it was the muffled vocals at the beginning of the track that made my ears perk up in interest.
Dramatically, I stopped in the middle of the H&M to much of my friends’ surprise and mouthed the words ‘Addison Rae’. My friends looked around in confusion before I explained that I was certain Rae’s vocals were sounding through the store’s speakers, additionally applauding the staff’s newfound taste which strayed away from their usual Dua Lipa and Ava Max (derogatory). Without hesitation, I tapped my polishless nails on my iPhone screen to find the credits tab of the track on Spotify, guessing Rae would have performing credits. To my satisfaction, before Charlotte Aitchison’s credit in fact read ‘Addison Rae’ under the ‘Written by’ subheading—nodding my head impressed by Rae’s contribution.
Charli revealed during her appearance on Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast that although she has had a hand in ushering Rae into this new niche, she feels that she is doing it all on her own. She went on to state that Addison’s taste level is off the charts and is determined to execute her vision, surrounding herself with collaborators who understand her artistic expression—instead of an echo chamber of yes-people blindly thumbs-upping her work. In terms of her lyricism, Charli felt that since collaborating with Rae on her EP AR, her writing has grown tremendously, with Charli now noting her as an eloquent songwriter crafting amazing melodies and intricate lyrics, who knows exactly what she wants and doesn’t want to say.
Beyond her charisma and kindness, Charli also feels that Rae writes in the same manner that she does, feeling like working with Rae is working with an extension of herself. Anyone in the industry Charli spoke to regarding Rae was beyond impressed by her work ethic and determination to learn and thirst for knowledge, feeling like Rae is simply a one-of-a-kind artist.
That’s the ethos of Addisoncore: Dig deeper. – Addison via Vogue
I feel I hold the seemingly popular opinion of noting Charli as a huge influence on Addison both sonically and as a mentor figure—not only in her artistic journey but also in connecting her to the right people early on in her career. Above all, it is clear that she and Charli are peers who both tap into the sphere of the ‘relatable pop star’ that is in high demand during this period of the mid-2020s.
Chapter Five: I’m Sorry by Petra Collins
It has to be said that being featured in a Petra Collins photoshoot changes everything about the perception of the subject—seeing a totally rebranded image as a cool girl no matter the level of corny cringe present before, said Skyynico on TikTok. Petra Collins is one of the most influential artists in the realm of Gen Z, so her ties to Addison pose this essay’s repeated question of does Rae ooze star quality or is her creative team just impeccable. Spoiler: it’s Addison.
Artist, photographer and fashion world muse, Petra Collins stepped into the creative director’s seat with the launch of I’m Sorry, an SSENSE exclusive collaboration. Tumblr veteran Collins calls all Tumblr girls by capturing the interiority of girlhood with sincerity and wit, dropping a collection that celebrates pageant princesses, runaway brides, and everything Americana. This collection oozes cool girl that forever wins the IDGAF war, it’s an unashamed lo-fi Tumblr-indebted affair of a bratty protagonist capturing the sexy mischievous spirit of spring break—perfectly starring budding pop princess Addison Rae taking centre stage in kitschy silver bikinis, smudged eyeliner, bare skin, smoking cigs between her toes.
With the campaign I wanted to see skin, I wanted to keep Addison’s pimples and sunburn. Everything is so tightened up and cleaned up and filtered, it's fun to go back to my style that I did when I was 15 on Tumblr, which is very messy. It feels satisfying to do that. I want to see messiness in the world especially because the world is so messy and it's fucked right now. – Petra Collins for DAZED Magazine
Collins noted that Rae truly encapsulates the essence of the collection, and how easy she was to shoot with how genuinely captivating she is—bestowing her with a star title akin to Miss Britney Spears. High praise coming from Collins furthers the star power Rae holds not just in her artistry—but in a model role.
This collaboration memorialises the image of authenticity that’s been splashed across Rae’s social media and pap photos on a much more influential and professional scale—proving that her aura can lend itself to a greater spectrum rather than just her personal efforts.
Chapter Six: Diet Pepsi
All of these efforts, from early tinkerings with pop music to fashion collaborations, had led up to the release of Rae’s label debut under Colombia Records and her first single as a signed artist, Diet Pepsi.
Unexpectedly, Rae has steered in a direction away from her previous tinkering with pop to go in a route that feels far more stripped back, sensual, and mysteriously moody than the bubblegum world-building of AR. It still feels like summer, but it’s less of a highly saturated California Gurls summer and more of a late summery Born To Die: The Paradise Edition smoking Parliaments outside of Floridian gas stations painting your toenails wine-red in the passenger seat of your older boyfriend’s car.
The track was initially called Backseat, as the word is mentioned far more than that of Diet Pepsi, but upon playing the track for Charli after her Bushwick Boiler Room set, she declared the track be titled Diet Pepsi—and with Rae noting Charli as her best big sister in the music industry, she trusted her insight.
The lyrics are no hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but i have it Sylvia Plath-level confessional poetry, but it’s clear that isn’t Rae’s intention. They’re catchy, sexy, and stuck in my head 24/7.
My boy's a winner, he loves the game
My lips reflect off his cross gold chain
From the get-go the lyrics are sexy, throwing you into this well-known world of pretty boys wearing wifebeaters, and gold chains with some stupid toothpick perched between their lips. These first two lines feel similar to descriptions of men in Rae’s previous tracks from AR, but there’s something about the simplicity, while also not being as literal as the lyrical content of I got it bad that feels so effortless. It is also highly reminiscent of Del Rey’s early music, particularly pre-persona unreleased tracks and Born To Die demos. There’s this amateur seductive nature and stripped-back nostalgia about it—but I’m hyper-aware of how polished Rae’s craft is this early on in her career, making me fall in love with this track even more.
My ass looks good in these ripped blue jeans
My cheeks are red like cherries in the spring
Body's a work of art you'd die to see
I’m aware Del Rey does not own boys with cars, blue jeans, cherries, and diet soft drinks—but her influence both aesthetically and sonically are glittered throughout this track. Particularly, the stripped-back, dreamy production accompanied by distorted and echoey vocals sends this reference home—and it is such a large step away from Rae’s earlier tracks. I think it’s interesting that after Rae’s success in the perfectly plastic bubblegum-pop and hyper-pop spaces, she has decided to steer toward a more demure dream pop-leaning sound—which I feel proves her focus on staying true to her vision, aesthetic, and artistic voice instead of making music that would be much more commercially successful and gain mass-appeal faster.
When we drive in your car, I'm your baby (So sweet)
Losing all my innocence in the backseat
These two lines have been ringing in my head like church bells. There’s something about the way Rae whispers these lyrics over echoey synths that has made my Receiptify note the track as my most streamed song of the last two months only two days after its release—I would normally be embarrassed about having a two-minute pop song from an allegedly ‘basic’ artist, but I will never be demure about my cult-like adoration of miss Addison, even repeating to my friends every morning for the weeks leading up to the single’s release like Rae’s personal street team.
Interesting to note that the single was released on 9 August 2024—National Women’s Day in South Africa—with the entire credit list for the track being comprised of all women. I’m sure Rae is not aware of South Africa’s public holiday calendar, but it was great to wake up on the morning of the ninth to a single that sparked this 500+ word essay in celebration of how much my life revolves around women, specifically those in the pop industry.
Alongside Rae, the track was written and produced by Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjärd—with credits amidst the work of artists such as Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Conan Gray, Tove Lo, and Tate McRae, among others. Interesting to note that these producers also work under the publishing company of pop veteran Max Martin, which makes so much sense as to why they are beyond capable of banging out hits.
Addison noted that the process of writing this track had a very special energy, as the three girls hit it off immediately upon meeting—as she expressed having incredible all-female producers in a room was very rare.
The music video was directed by Sean Price Williams with creative direction by Interview Magazine Editor-in-Chief Mel Ottenberg—who was one to spot Rae’s star power well before this collaboration. A tremendous jump in quality from the perfectly choreographed studio backdrop music video for Obsessed, this track sees a much more intimate stage design, with Rae and her lover, played by Pretty Little Liars’ own Drew Van Acker, close-knit in a car for most of the video. Clearly, Addison’s ability to command a camera has remained true since her TikTok days, but I feel this time around she is not just commanding, but rather making love to the camera. It is so clear that she is in her element.
The black and white music video is filled to the brim with imagery of Tumblr-coded Americana, from the Marylin-esque shots of Rae in a vintage car that feels very classic Hollywood, small-town gas stations, and her wrapping herself in a large American flag. Although she is pulling from the side of Tumblr that is more classic all-American beauty—she is a splitting image of Brooke Shields I cannot lie. Moreover, I fear she tugged on Sky Ferreira’s wig just a little bit with this single that is sure to gain a similar cult-status that Ferreira has held.
Addison’s makeup in the music video is very simple and demure, showing off her natural features, a far cry from her TikTok days of promoting her makeup line. Additionally, she is pictured in a dusty-pink coned bra corset, an obvious reference to Madonna’s iconic Jean Paul Gaultier cone-bra corset, which she wore on her Blonde Ambition tour.
Both the music video’s choreography by Danielle Polanco and the behind-the-scenes footage, it is clear that Addison is having fun. In three years, she has come a long way from the flawless, choreographed dancing of Obsessed and her entire TikTok account—and it’s clear her authenticity is peeking its head into every facet of the world of Diet Pepsi. This video feels very mature, especially for Rae.
I mean, she is known for her youthful charisma and pearly-white smile that began every TikTok dance video, so this new black-and-white Addison Rae who is comfortable in tiny shorts and cone bras with little-to-no makeup is a welcomed scoop of sexy that is refreshing to see for her image—with her comfortability in her skin evident in her joking about being awarded legendary five-star status on wikiFeet on her Instagram story.
What I feel is most interesting and applaudable is the new sound Addison is venturing into for her debut album. It is far too soon to delve into all of her sonic, lyrical and artistic references—but there is a very clear diverging from her mentor’s extremely popular and commercially successful sound that Rae is directly associated with. Charli’s The von dutch featuring addison rae and a. g. cook saw Rae’s scream launch her directly into the hyper pop sphere, which Charli regularly dominates.
This gave Rae an apparent opportunity for her to centre her upcoming project within this space. However, much like her mentor, it is clear Rae will not skimp on her authenticity regarding her artistic voice. Instead of somewhat selling out by capitalising on her scream’s notoriety, it seems sticking to her guns is something Rae is much more content in accomplishing, hyper-fixating on her vision that she knows will garner flowers no matter how long it takes.
Many might view Rae’s ostracising of her primary audience which consists of a joint social media following of over 100 million deserving of the hate comments expressing Rae’s flop era has commenced—and even the direction of her debut album straying away from the hyper-pop hype of The von dutch remix with addison rae and a.g. cook may render much disappointment—I feel Rae’s vision is glaringly clear.
Looking at her references, it is clear that she has studied the pipeline of a greatly influential one-of-a-generation artist who may only get their flowers after a decade’s worth of discography. The 2010s saw Lana getting her blue flowers, the 2020s saw Charli receiving hers wrapped in sickly green packaging, and perhaps the future will regard Addison Rae as a true cult classic, gifting her with a much-deserved bouquet of hot-pink roses that are simply 2 die 4.
I cannot wait for Rae’s upcoming debut album, especially after the snippet which played during the intro of the Diet Pepsi music video which hears Rae singing ‘give me more’ over what sounds like samples ripped straight out of Madonna’s Ray of Light era. The 2020s relatable pop star in the post-curation era of shitposting messy Instagram dumps that showcase the references clouding her brain, creative voice and personality is much more fun to watch than the beige-washed minimalist clean girl routine posts of ‘the perfect Instagram dump formula’ that is still plaguing my For You pages. I hope Rae continues in her efforts to realise her dreams of being a pop star because there is an entire community of chronically online viewers, which I am a part of, that have been pining for the return of the fun careless era of Tumblr’s confessional format as the mode for social media.
So well-written Eth