I’m going to start off with a disclaimer: I’m not saying every tiktoker should start making music or that anyone can do it (Dixie, it’s time to stop). But Addison…this one hit…or maybe I’m just a leo.
Before I jump into the topic of this article, do y’all even know where Addison came from? Let me fill you in (all information comes from Addison’s very own podcast.)
Born in a small town in Louisiana, she was raised by a young, single mother (Sheri) in a two bedroom trailer. She didn’t grow up with a strong father figure as her parents had a strained on-and-off relationship. Nonetheless, by the time Addison was six, her mom became pregnant again by the same man (Addison’s dad— Monty Lopez.) Sheri continually struggled to generate a stable source of income, and eventually had to revert to having the family live in an RV they were able to snag through Monty’s job.
A short while later, Sheri abruptly decided she was going to move to Texas, not caring whether Addison’s father followed or not. He ended up going with them and they lived with Addison’s grandparents for about two years, during which time Sheri became pregnant with a third child. Money remained hard to come by, so when Monty got a job offer back in Louisiana, he accepted and they all moved back. The family then lived in an apartment without being able to afford real furniture (Sheri later confessed to using a plastic folding table as a dinner table.) Sheri and Monty finally remarried when Addison was in high school, and before long Addison was accepted into college. After getting into LSU, the entire family decided to move with Addison to Baton Rouge to avoid costs for a dorm and meal plan. Around the same time (2019), she started to be active on TikTok and gain followers. People began to recognize Addison in public, and it was decided that she would move to LA to fully pursue her influencer career.
Now that we got a sufficient Addison Rae history lesson, here’s why I think her song is an absolute banger.
The song itself radiates absolute girl boss energy. So why in this day and age of #girlpower and raging feminism, did we not appreciate it? If you’re claiming that Addison can’t sing, that’s valid, but who cares? Autotune did its JOB. There’s no denying that “Obsessed” is filled with confidence and “I don’t need no man” implications. I mean come on, just read the lyrics: “say you’d die for me, I’d die for me too, and if I lost you I’d still have me. I can’t lose.” If that doesn’t make you feel like a strong independent woman— you’re lying. It’s all about self love these days, and that’s exactly what her song is promoting. Yet Twitter still ripped into it with tweets like:
“Addison Rae new song be hitting different on mute.”
“I’d rather listen to Ed Sheeran than Addison Rae’s new song and I hate Ed Sheeran.”
“if u like addison rae’s song i hate u.”
Have these people even listened to it? Are they just hating because she got insanely famous doing hardly anything on TikTok? I mean fair enough, but look at where she came from. Pure AMERICAN DREAM. Anyone can make it here. Not to mention it was THE PEOPLE that made her famous. Our views, our follows— that’s people’s choice baby; so why hate democracy?
It’s catchy, it’s easy to sing along to at the top of your lungs in the car with the windows down on a summer night, it’s got a good beat, and it makes me feel powerful as hell when I listen to it. The song isn’t about narcissism; it’s about self love— everyone’s favorite thing these days. Addison even addresses the topic itself directly saying,
“One could take it as being vainly obsessed with yourself, but that’s not what I’m trying to communicate. It’s more I can love myself as much as you love me, and that’s important. There are days where I struggle, and it’s definitely a work in progress to accept who I am and give myself the love I deserve. But that message was so strong, and I wanted to communicate it [in the lyrics].”
So let’s just all agree to not place our self worth in others and start giving Addison the credit she deserves.