Art has always been a great indicator of the events of the time. There was the Renaissance, which coincided with numerous significant political, religious, and cultural transformations. The Vietnam Era and how music at the time became a method to spread messages. And as always, pop culture continually reflects our current social climate. Moreover, we find ourselves in an interesting position where our greatest artists also happen to be the biggest figures in pop culture.
With Charli XCX came a wave of brat summer, an era that is likely to be unforgettable for its trademark neon green and association with the presidential campaign run. Zara Larsson made a resurgence on the main pop artist stage; her launch being buoyed by a TikTok trend featuring a song of hers from seven years ago. Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, RAYE, etc. all made their marks on the ever-shifting pop culture while cementing themselves as some of the biggest artists in the industry.
But none of these pop girls’ emergences were as shocking as Addison Rae’s. Addison Rae was already a prevalent pop culture icon, with her presence being mostly associated with the pandemic and American society’s obsession with TikTok at the time. Like most influencers, her attempts to break out into the art industry were heavily mocked or not taken seriously.
However, Addison had defied odds and is beloved by niche pop music listeners. People have even begun to claim that the music she released this year was better than Taylor Swift’s. Which is both a compliment to Addison and an insult to Taylor, but I digress. But what is it about her now that helped her finally break through?
Why the Girls Love Addison.
The first time I listened to “New York” was a heavenly experience. It made me finally understand why so many people are eager to shove a camera in their face and record their initial reaction to music. It was the kind of song that made you want to throw back a drink before rushing onto a dance floor. And it was just the opening track.
I told one of my friends recently that Addison Rae was performing in a music hall in my city soon. She immediately laughed and said, “I would love to see you at an Addison Rae concert.” And I realized she assumed I was joking. She was under the impression that most people didn’t think Addison Rae to be a serious singer. So why would I, of all people, be the first person she’d encounter to think otherwise?Â
She wasn’t wrong. When the Louisiana-born singer released her self-titled EP three years ago, I remained firmly sat in my seat. I was unimpressed, but above all, as I was listening to her music, I was all too aware that it was Addison Rae. Admittedly, that turned me off. I didn’t really want to listen to someone I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes at and scrolling past. But then, she blew up with her single, “Diet Pepsi”. And I gave her music another listen. What I was surprised to find was that her music had always been good. Her following singles, “Aquamarine” and “High Fashion”, solidified my status as a regular listener of hers. Even if I didn’t particularly care for her previous public image, I started to adore her. Her style, the way she spoke of music in interviews, and her visual concepts all drew me and many others into this colorful world of hers.
Yet, there were a lot of naysayers. People claimed that the reinvention of herself wasn’t authentic and that it was all just a money grab.
What I’ve never understood about society is our obsession with labeling public figures. Especially artists. We like keeping others in these boxes that make sense to us, simply because we are accustomed to this version of themselves that they’ve presented to us. Addison Rae was the pretty, oversaturated influencer whose name was almost synonymous with the app she hailed her fame from. The “rebrand” that she had couldn’t be real because the 15-second dance clips we all had seen at one point were who she truly was. Never mind the fact that people grow and change, and the 19-year-old version of her is nothing like her at 25. It is difficult for people who rarely make the effort to change to comprehend how one person can evolve so drastically and under the public eye.
Her songs have something that a lot of modern pop music doesn’t: centering of self as a woman. Crazy concept, right? No, it literally is. In an environment where romance ballads and heartbreak anthems dominate charts, this woman was instead singing about accepting the things you cannot change. And I don’t give her sole credit. She studied musicians of all genres that she loved and poured the result into the studio mic. But she was a damn good student, and it’s obvious in her success. Her lyrics speak of just wanting to have fun and not needing another person to find contentment. Her saddest songs have nothing to do with passionate heartbreak, but rather her own struggles with vulnerability. In her songwriting lies feelings that most girls can relate to.
She embodies the movement, freedom, and allure of being a woman. Her album is raw and honest while also affirming herself. She has a way of allowing herself the space to feel her negative emotions without letting them consume her. “Addison” feels like a cohesive body of work, written by a woman who has no limits to her self-discovery. Her discography has often been described as hyper-feminine pop, a category that she finds herself in with Charli XCX. Both artists have shot to fame with mostly female audiences. In our current political climate, they are a breath of fresh air. An affirmation in a culture that is heavily shifting towards conservatism that womanhood can be anything you choose it to be.