Addison Rae. Period.
Addison Rae. Period.
The TikTok star returns as a pop star
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Last week, I mentioned I was listening to Addison Rae’s new single, “Aquamarine.” And boy did I listen to it.
It reminded me of a conversation I had about her previous single, “Diet Pepsi,” as I played it for one of my friends. We agreed: “Wow, that’s actually good.”
The most pivotal part of this song comes at the 2 minute, 14 second mark when I thought the song was about to end, but it didn’t – and I realize I didn’t want it to.
Channeling Lana del Rey’s “Did you know there’s a tunnel under ocean boulevard,” Addison’s recent singles invoke feelings of youthfulness, discovery, and wonder. They’re mischievous, but not crude, and committed to a certain airy aesthetic.
From listening to “Aquamarine,” I regarded Addison as a coquettish Aphrodite, smooth and seductive. The music video, on the other hand, leans more into messy woman of the night territory.
One commenter on YouTube said, “not sure how to explain it, her presence here is sexy but it’s not sexualized and doesnt feel cheap. it feels natural and human.” Another said, “If you'd tell me that I would actively listen to Addison Rae music back in 2020, i wouldn’t believe you.”
But you might be asking one thing – Isn’t Addison Rae that TikTok star?
Yes. Yes she was.
“Over the last couple of years we've slowly seen something changing with Addison Rae,” @ViDEOGiRLX2 said in a YouTube video. “Her dancing TikToker persona has transitioned into a style icon It Girl that's hanging out with and endorsed by celebrities, with the potential to be a huge name in the music industry.”
Addison’s rebrand is marked by an Instagram picture announcing her collaboration with Charli xcx.
As I was scrolling her feed to present day, I saw comments like “went from being a basic tik toker to a cool girl. the rebrand is very iconic” and “the pressed ppl in the comments that cant handle a confident hot woman is laughable,” because wherever there is art, there are haters.
“Addison Rae was one of the bright-faced teenagers in 2019 who found overnight fame amongst pre-teens on TikTok doing dances and trends,” Substacker Coco Mocoe wrote. “Around 2022, Addison Rae slowed down her brand collabs and posting online. This felt counter-intuitive, as the TikTok gold rush was underway.”
And stepping back from jam-packed online presence worked. Natural hype built up for her music. Addison felt more authentic and three-dimensional to audiences.
Her pivot to “It Girl” has been described as a mix of Britney Spears and Lana del Rey as well as “recontextualized as campy,” according to @ViDEOGiRLX2. What was once cringe has become cool.
I think Charli xcx was a huge factor in this shift – and more importantly in the shift around how we think about female-identifying artists. There’s an innate sexism and competitiveness that drives society to belittle girls and woman in the entertainment industry.
Just think back to Charli’s “Girl, so confusing” remix where Lorde sings, “Girl, you walk like a bitch. When I was ten, someone said that, and it's just self defense until you're building a weapon.”
In the “360” music video, Charli brought in internet “It Girls,” making quirky sexy. I keep returning to the word “reclamation,” but that’s how I feel about a lot of the music being produced lately, whether it’s Charli, Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan or any other women who has been scorned by the industry.
“The backtrack goes hard and the girlish shrieks are addictive,” I wrote about “Von dutch a.g. cook remix featuring addison rae” in a former newsletter. “Addison Rae flourishes throughout the song, infusing her lived experience to lyrics like ‘got a lot to say about my debut and my constant revenue’ as well as ‘all these girls are like “Ah, can I get a picture?” and then they go online like “Just kidding, I hate you.”’
Regardless of how Addison’s shift happened, it’s happening.
“‘Diet Pepsi’ shows the nuance and potential Addison has going forward and is a taste of the future,” @ViDEOGiRLX2 said. “Addison’s ability to command a camera is something that hasn’t changed from her TikTok days and we really see her charisma and starpower in [the “Diet Pepsi”] video where she looks so in her element.”
As Addison Rae says in “Aquamarine,” she’s not hiding anymore.
My weekly roundup:
😇 What I’m Doing: I wrote a freelance article if you’re interested in reading it
🎶 What I’m Listening To: See above.
🎞️ What I’m Watching: “Woman of the Hour”
📱 What I’m Scrolling: Timothée Chalamet look alike competition? Yes please
⚠️ What’s On My Radar: Is this the future of Gen Alpha lingo? Plus, my predictions about Pop Crave’s role in breaking political news continues to ring true as we near the election