Addison Rae Sheds Her TikTok Persona, and Her Last Name, with Debut Album
Written by Zoë McCormick , edited by Cormac Nugent
Released to mixed reviews in 2021, Addison Rae’s single ‘Obsessed’ was praised by some but regarded by most as dull and uninspired. As an artist she was viewed as just another influencer exploiting the utilities at their disposal brought on by the privileges of fame. With such an overwhelming outpouring of negativity, it was back to the drawing board for Rae. Leaks of an original scrapped album that was led by ‘Obsessed’ went viral, and were later released- in 2023, leading some to re-evaluate opinions on her music, although some were still left sceptical. Either way, fans and critics alike have been anxiously anticipating an album from Addison Rae for quite some time now.
On her former releases, Rae said in an interview with Vogue, “I wanted this EP to be the end note to the past few years, and a stepping stone forward in my career”, and with that came a sharp change in pace - sonically and visually. Adorning aesthetics reminiscent of a ‘Born to Die’ era Lana Del Rey, a catchy melody on ‘Diet Pepsi’ presented with airy vocals- elements which, upon release, began to reframe Addison Rae as an artist to be taken seriously.
Addison opens with the vibrant and danceable ‘New York’, a love letter to the city, which already had me falling in love with the album. While there are countless songs about New York, with moody synths and a pulsating electronic beat reminiscent of Rae’s collaborator and friend Charli xcx, this one is set apart. A perfect introduction, this track sets the tone for the rest of the album, as well as Addison as an artist; her influences are clear but she is not simply borrowing, she is making room for herself.
The world created on Addison is glitzy and rose-tinted while still remaining personal and expressive, we see this particularly with instant ‘It girl’ classic ‘Fame is a Gun’. Underneath the bouncy pop beat and muffled voice effects lies a reflection on the complexities of a relationship with fame - the good and the bad. Whereas earlier track ‘Money Is Everything’ poses a more mindless and hedonistic perspective on fame. The album charts a progression between these two mindsets, with the ‘rose-coloured’ first half of the album more focused on pleasure and escapism, while the final stretch is more personal and introspective. This shift culminates in the penultimate track, a reflective interlude that quietly delivers one of the album’s most poignant lines, the eponymous “Life’s No Fun Through Clear Waters.”
While Addison’s rebrand was appealing and relatable to many, there are those who still remain critical, questioning the authenticity of this career shift.
Considering that this is something we have seen time and time again, with influencers releasing music just because they can, the initial skepticism was arguably justified. After all, the contrast in being a teenage influencer on TikTok and a credible musician is quite stark. However, when passion is clearly present through not just public statements and an effort towardsstardom, but in the quality and dedication evident in her work, criticisms highlighting a perceived disingenuity become increasingly unfair.
Moreover, these criticisms often come off as hypocritical. There are many that claim “Addison’s rebrand feels forced!”, yet that shift was, in part, a response to not being taken seriously in her so-called “authentic” TikTok persona with the backlash to 2022’s ‘Obsessed’. While she is faced with a catch-22, as the internet often poses, and particularly for women in the public eye, Addison herself seems unphased. Alluding to this discussion, the 8th track ‘In The Rain’ features the lyrics ‘Misunderstood but I’m not gonna sweat it’.
Varied but cohesive, genres are seamlessly blended taking the best parts of early 2000s pop as well as electroclash. Addison is something you think you’ve seen done before but fresh and distinctive, cementing Addison Rae’s place as an emerging pop princess.
