Review: Addison Rae — Addison

Addison Rae
Addison
Columbia Records
Street: 06.06.2025
Addison Rae = Caroline Polachek + Sky Ferreira / Chloë Sevigny judging on RuPaul’s Drag Race

Picture this: It’s December 2019 and you’re scrolling on the booming short-form content site called TikTok. It’s the new lawless landscape filled with sourdough and iced coffee recipes, political commentary and dances that must remain in the frame of a standard iPhone. You come across a collab house account called the “Hype House.” Inhabiting the videos are the new online personalities overtaking the airtime of previous Instagram influencers and vloggers: rising stars Charli D’Amelio, Lil Huddy and most importantly, Addison Rae. The renegade performing, woah-hitting bad bleep created videos dancing with her parents and friends, boosting her platform to unimaginable heights. She ends up making a drastic decision to end her education at Louisiana State University and move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. Everything is slowly becoming digital, the world is on the brink of a pandemic, rent is due. What’s a girl to do? Somehow, Addison knew the exact answer. 

Addison Rae has completed the seemingly simple task of transforming a moment in the spotlight into a prismatic, shining place in the pop star ecosystem. It seems obvious that one would take the chance; however, it does require quite a bit of talent, timing and luck to pull off. In comparison to the unsuccessful Dixie D’Amelio, who had a similar trajectory of leveraging social media fame into musiciandom, it’s not as easy as it looks. Without the proper interest and commitment, an individual can come across as disingenuous and inauthentic — which Gen Z loathes. So when singles started popping up by Miss Rae, the world quickly and confusingly fell head over heels. The whisper pop mixed with bubblegum bass took audiences by storm, the sound unmistakably fresh and innovative. It was (with all due respect) hard to believe that Addison Rae was the vision behind such distinctive and varied tracks like “Diet Pepsi,” “Aquamarine” and “High Fashion,” all of which succeeded her feverishly hot feature on Charli xcx’s Brat remix album. Her previous reputation was marked by memed viral clips of her making fans wait for a picture while she films a TikTok video and thinking a fan name “Drated” is trying to say hi. However, with a massively deep interest in music and the celebrity-creating A-team at Columbia Records, Addison was able to flip that image right on its head and ignite it like a firework. 

The self-titled debut album, Addison, features 12 playfully insightful songs and a hazily graphic visual hearkening to a Y2K-era airbrushed T-shirt. The project is entirely produced by Swedish women Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjärd. The project acts as a paragon of a contemporary artist bringing nostalgic themes, like McBling and webcore, into the present and making them into something entirely new. The aural outcome is like a head of shining hair with fairy tinsel braided into it, awe-inspiringly beautiful and mesmerising. It’s a hidden treasure chest of heart-shaped lollipops and Barbie dolls with their heads torn off. It’s bedazzled with multi-colored rhinestones and gems of wisdom. It sounds like FKA Twigs, Imogen Heap and Kesha schemed together to alchemize a new synth-pop princess by mixing sugar, spice and everything paradise. This is the “grab your polka dot flip-flops and oversized sunglasses, we’re going to turn down the windows and blast the stereo” album. 

We begin with “New York,” which I was expecting to dislike because I often find songs about New York a little cliche, à la “Welcome to New York” by Taylor Swift. But it ended up being more “New York City Boy” by the Pet Shop Boys. With a call to action from Addison to “take a bite out of the big apple,” we’re greeted with soft dance rhythms, which build over time until an expanding rich techno beat. This is followed by the carbonated, ambient effervescence of “Diet Pepsi.” Tasting of aspartame and hot summer afternoons, the song could be a direct call out to Britney Spears‘ favorite soda. Afterward there’s an orchestral intro leading into industrial instrumentals and the lyrics, “But money’s not coming with me to heaven / And I have a lot of it / So can’t a girl just have fun?” The ultimate hot girl theme, “Money Is Everything,” is pure glitter and sparkles. The words speak for themselves: “And when I’m up dancing, please DJ, play Madonna / Wanna roll one with Lana, get high with Gaga.” Like cracking open a clam to reveal a pearl, “Aquamarine” calls out like a siren and adorns the listener with sequins and seashells. 

We’re brought back into the reality of Hollywood with “High Fashion,” a ballad from Addison’s heart to the glitz and glamour of designer clothing, shoes and bags. Slowing down like a heat wave with “Summer Forever,” a shimmery love letter to sunny days that seem to never end. Turning the tempo back up, “Fame is a Gun,” gives more of a gritty, in-depth look into Addison’s life in the limelight. She states, “There’s no mystery / I’m gonna make it / Gonna go down in history / Don’t ask too many questions / God gave me the permission,” proclaiming her act of manifesting her own destiny. The next track, “Times Like These,” maintains Addison’s transparency and vulnerability, the tone laced with the melancholia associated with accepting truth. Finally we finish with the smash hit “Headphones On,” arguably the most evocative of the pop sounds we’re blessed with in the album. The culmination of all previously stated concepts, the song pulls together the experience of undergoing strife while still feeling graced by the magic of a cryptic, mystical universe. “Every good thing comes my way / So I still get dolled up,” reveals the heart of every feminine being who knows their beauty can never be taken from them. 

In the words of Jojo Siwa, “No one has made this dramatic of a change yet. No one has made, in my generation, this extreme of a switch…” She was of course speaking of herself, but I believe it to be entirely applicable here to Addison Rae. Of course performers like Conan Gray and Troye Sivan have had comparable arcs of evolving from social media stars to respected musical artists. However, the distinction is that they started out showcasing their musicianship at the start of their careers, while Addison faced the hurdle of a vastly contrasting reputation. What they have in common is a tireless hunger and strong work ethic, which is what audiences are looking for. We want to see more creatives devote themselves to their chosen craft, much like Chappell Roan or Doechii. Both of them took years to perfect their artistry before blowing up seemingly overnight. Addison Rae’s career has been a slow burn, quietly revealing her adoration and strong desire for excellence. On its own, Addison is a remarkable album and impressive feat of technical and melodic mastery– with or without her image metamorphosis. The truth is she is just so damn charming and delightful so listeners welcome the new superstar with open, loving arms. The world is her oyster and she is the only girl. —Marzia Thomas

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