A Star is Born: Addison Rae
Written By Olivia Daly
Addison Rae rose to fame on TikTok in 2019 for her lip-syncing and dancing videos. At the time, simply a student at Louisiana State University, Rae was quick to monetize her newfound spotlight. Clips have resurfaced of young Raemaking deals at local college bars to post their location on her story for a fee. Capitalizing even further, in 2019 she moved to Los Angeles to join the viral content creation group the “Hype House”. Addison quickly established herself within Los Angeles, notably striking up a seemingly random friendship with Kourtney Kardashian-Barker. Addison wasn’t yet LA royalty though. She was still very much a girl from Louisiana, with her trademark waist-length hair and mascara-caked eyelashes.
In 2020, Rae released her first brand, Item Beauty, but it never gained significant traction or strong sales figures. In 2021, she tried her hand at music, releasing a critically panned single titled “Obsessed”. People rushed to social media to tear the song apart and make fun of it; it was an undeniable flop. Despite this, Rae was invited to the Met Gala in 2022 but failed to impress, wearing an outfit borrowed from Kardashian-Barker’s closet that was both off-theme and disconnected from Addison’s sassy, seductive image. She was relentlessly trolled online for her fashion faux-pas, with many wondering why she had even received an invitation to the event. It appeared Addison Rae was fading away as quickly as she had appeared. Her beauty brand and foray into the music scene had tanked, and Addison Rae’s fifteen minutes of fame were coming to a close.
Luckily for the world, she restarted the clock. In 2023, Addison Rae released her debut EP titled “AR”. The record had much more potential than “Obsessed”. Rae even managed to get her hands on an unreleased Lady Gaga song titled “Nothing On (But the Radio). It was given an updated electronic beat, and Rae’s dreamy version fit much better than Gaga’s pop-punk style. A feature on “2 Die 4” from Charli XCX instantly elevated Rae from a mere TikToker to a legitimate artist. Charli later featured Rae on the remix to her acclaimed track "Von Dutch” with DJ A.G. Cook.
Rae’s personality began to shine through, most notably in her ad-lib scream on the remix, which is arguably the best part of the song. Her friendship with the artist of the summer boosted Rae’s visibility. She was a Brat summer icon, often seen jumping around at Charli’s shows, even performing her trademark scream on stage at one of them. She emerged from her shell and began to cement her status as a modern cultural icon, breaking through the TikTok bubble forever.
In 2024, Rae released her most successful single to date, “Diet Pepsi”. The moody song evokes a Lana Del Rey-like angsty, all-American girl feeling. Diet Pepsi’s black-and-white video features a stars-and-stripes patterned towel, copious amounts of hairspray, melting ice cream, and, of course, Diet Pepsi, as suggested in the title. As she writhes around in the car, her confidence emanates through the screen. She’s found her voice. People are connecting with her music because it no longer feels soullessly manufactured, like “Obsessed” or Item Beauty. Rae has the “it factor”. While not yet on the level of Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, or Charli XCX, she’s finding success from a place of authenticity. Addison Rae no longer feels like just an influencer bobblehead promoting whatever her management hands her.
With her newfound success in music, Rae has finally found her signature look. She’s not afraid to dress outside the box, featuring one-of-a-kind eye-catching looks. She doesn’t follow the trends, she creates them. At the 2024 VMA’s, she wore white lingerie with an oddly shaped puffy white bra and tutu. Quirky outfits are a staple of the pop scene and more proof that Miss. Rae is the next big thing. Think Gaga’s meat dress, Bjork’s swan ensemble, and Britney’s live snake. A big part of the artist’s persona is their style. Looks become synonymous with songs, feelings, and moments in pop culture history that are remembered forever.
With her latest single “Aquamarine”, Addison is proving she’s no one-hit wonder. The song is a callback to girlhood, mermaids, and magic. The video furthers the aesthetic she’s working to cultivate, shot with a vintage camera that adds a nostalgic feeling through the grain. Throughout the video, Rae appears in various sequined looks, with glitter makeup as a staple, and features plenty of aquatic imagery that enhances the mermaid vibe. She’s not afraid to move, dance, and get a little weird with it. The choreography is spot on. The alley scene is reminiscent of Keisza’s 2014 hit “Hideaway” where she dances down a block in New York City. “Aquamarine” makes you want to run away and party at a mermaid-only club with the lead siren–Addison of course.
Her musical catalog is a nod to a more playful dance-beat pop industry– the one she and the rest of Gen Z grew up with. It captures the height of the hype, the over-the-top production, when we had Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry in their primes. I feel the pop industry has been stagnant for a while, losing the excitement and playfulness of the 2010s. But it’s finally coming back. For Rae, it’s not just about the music, what’s finally working is her aura. Her creative direction team recognizes how to infuse her releases with the grungy, sexy aesthetic they have worked tirelessly to curate. Rae is proving that she possesses the most important quality in show business–an element that simply can’t be taught: star power.
Edited by Hana Razvi, Marlo Pulliam, Katherine Rubinstein & Sophia Buckholtz
