Addison Rae isn’t “the only girl” — as she sings in her hit song “Aquamarine” — to break out from the TikTok universe with a career shift. But with her new self-titled debut album, Addison, she may have secured something that other former TikTok it-girls haven’t: a stable spot in the future of Gen Z pop. JoJo Siwa, take notes.
Rae got her sea legs with her 2021 debut single “Obsessed,” which landed her a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. From there, she went on to release an EP and have a feature on now-friend Charli xcx’s “Von dutch a.g cook remix featuring addison rae”. Singles “Diet Pepsi,” “Aquamarine,” “High Fashion,” “Headphones On,” and “Fame is a Gun” were put out in gradual anticipation of Addison’s release June 6 through Columbia Records.
Now, Rae has built a pop persona that’s perfectly unique and beautifully nostalgic. She’s bubbly and girly – she’s also gritty, sexy, and unapologetic. Since she has shared the stage with both Charli xcx and Troye Sivan during their “Sweat Tour” at Madison Square Garden, it’s not surprising that her first album strategically resembles the electronically catchy qualities of BRAT and Something To Give Each Other. Rae has often spoke about her inspiring friendship with the “party 4 u” singer.
Watch How Charli XCX and Addison Rae Became Friends | Vogue
Opening track “New York” is a shocking introduction between its robotic vibrato and statement that “L.A. is home but [she’s] ready to go.” Whether or not Rae is truly foreshadowing a change in coast, she is setting her intentions that she’s not the same as she was in 2019 when she left her Louisiana roots for Los Angeles — now, more than ever.
Addison not only showcases satisfyingly predictable production patterns that house and techno pop fans can cling to, it also features songs with genuinely powerful messages, and honestly just iconic lyricism. In “High Fashion,” Rae sings about appreciating a good shoe more than any “cheap love” or drugs. To have a debut album from a once-TikTok influencer — with three Billboard Hot100 hits prior to her album debut — say “With a cigarette pressed between my tits / You know I’m not an easy f*ck” is something that can’t be glossed over.
Slower ballad tracks give variety and add depth to the 12-song debut. While both “Summer Forever” and “In The Rain” rely on an echoey production effect and a pretty repetitive lyric progression, the latter touches on more serious themes of battling public perceptions and moving on from the past. For Rae, this likely means navigating the transition from her choreographed claim-to-fame to her current place in Hollywood and beyond, from Kourtney Kardashian’s friend group to the Billboard Hot 100 to Spotify’s The Box.
“Fame is a Gun” and “Money is Everything” are the ultimate cool-girl anthems, emphasizing the aesthetic Rae is cultivating through her social media presence and fashion statements, which have been compared to Madonna and Britney Spears. Speaking of iconic, Rae shouts out unforgettable female performers across different decades, as “Money is Everything” alone also name drops Norma Jeane aka Marilyln Monroe, Lana Del Rey, and Lady Gaga alongside Madonna. I would say Rae’s trying to make her music accessible to all ages of pop lovers, but since she sings “Wanna roll one with Lana, get high with Gaga,” I think what she’s really trying to say is, “Hey, music industry, make room for me! I’m next.”
Like most albums, there are a few tracks that just fall short of being anything worth remembering. “Lost & Found” exists in a fatigue-inducing dead space of the listening experience. The first four tracks — two of which rank as her most-streamed tracks on Spotify — are hard acts to follow. “Times Like These” shares the same nothing-special sound, but serves as a good wind down to start closing out the album before the undoubtedly superior closer, “Headphones On,” which debuted at No. 87 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The past two years have been remarkable for pop music, and Rae has crafted her entrance into the scene seamlessly, and with some mystique. On the artist’s website, the description of her debut album reads: “The first & last album by Addison Rae,” hinting at her actual name change. It will be exciting to wait and see if the 24-year-old will be able to maintain her refreshing, promising intrigue longer than she already has.