From TikTok to Stardom: How Addison Rae Conquered the Internet!

For months now, the music industry has been witnessing one of its most perplexing phenomena in recent years: Addison Rae, originally known for her mediocre TikTok dances and her equally mediocre forays into film, has swiftly become a beacon of hope for mainstream pop, celebrated by both audiences and critics alike. So much so that her debut album, Addison, released on June 6, has been soaring through the charts and earning accolades from nearly all English-speaking media: 8/10 from Pitchfork and Clash Music, 4 stars from The Guardian, NME, and The Independent, and similarly high praise from Rolling Stone… In short, the record seems to have universally charmed critics, and is widely regarded as a breath of fresh air in pop music.

But how did a social media personality, initially known for embodying the antithesis of cool, find herself catapulted onto the world’s biggest stages alongside some of the hottest artists of the moment?

Reinventing Her Image

Born at the dawn of the millennium in Louisiana, Addison Rae later moved to Los Angeles. It was in 2019, at the age of 19, that her life took a peculiar turn: she started posting on TikTok, a platform that was essential yet still cryptic in terms of its career potential. With simple dance videos, she rocketed to fame, surpassing one million followers within months. Six years later, she boasts over 88 million followers, making her one of the most followed individuals on the app. However, this business model, based on very short videos that are quickly forgotten and constantly replicated by hundreds of thousands, did not satisfy her: how could she stand out in a crowd where conformity ruled?

In this new wave of influencers, where stars like Noah Beck and Charli D’Amelio also reside, she was quickly pegged as trying too hard. Despite her massive fame, Addison Rae was considered too cringe for the audience she was destined to entertain. This was compounded by several controversies. In 2016, at the age of 15, she shared a video on her social networks where a woman criticized the Black Lives Matter movement as a “cult” and stated that “all lives matter.” As the internet never forgets, in 2020, amid the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests, this video resurfaced. “Due to my privileges, I did not understand and was not sufficiently informed about the social injustices that the Black community faces. All lives do not matter until Black lives matter,” she wrote in an apology posted on Instagram.

In 2021, during a boxing match vlog with other influencers, she made a beeline for the front row to introduce herself to… Donald Trump, who was also present at the event: “Pleased to meet you,” she told him. This adolescent dare in search of buzz was later awkwardly justified by her: “It’s very rare to meet a former president, and I think most people would agree with me on that. I consider myself a friendly person, so introducing myself doesn’t mean I support anything.” Since then, she has repeatedly expressed her opposition to the conservative president (including during the TikTok ban in the United States), even urging her fans to vote for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

The Power of Effective Rebranding

Her growing unpopularity followed her into her music career: her very first single released in March 2021, Obsessed, a decent pop track, nevertheless received a very negative reception online. This was followed by the Netflix release of He’s All That, a remake of the 1999 teen movie classic She’s All That. The feedback was disastrous, and her attempt to reinvent herself through cinema started off on the wrong foot.

However, all was not lost. Two years later, with the release of her very first EP AR, the tide began to turn. The album marked a turning point in her career and effectively ended her previous life. First through her circle: she began to hang out and collaborate with the faces of trendy pop, at the pinnacle of cool. Gone were Noah Beck and Charli D’Amelio, now she was seen alongside Arca, Lorde, Troye Sivan, A.G. Cook, and Charli XCX, the latter of whom even featured on this first project.

And it worked: this latest release, consisting of four short tracks, sparked curiosity. It demonstrated a pronounced taste for conventional yet unapologetic pop, boldly following in the footsteps of Britney Spears. Subsequently, she appeared on the latest album by A.G. Cook and on the remixed Brat by Charli XCX. In the meantime, she also released Diet Pepsi, the first single heralding a step up to a full album: the track was a hit, blending the dreamy Americana of Lana Del Rey with a subtly juvenile tone, and gradually winning more and more people over. What if it were true? What if Addison Rae was really someone to take seriously?

Indeed, the track was irresistible and paved the way for a handful of singles that were just as compelling: Aquamarine, later to be remixed (disappointingly) by Arca, High Fashion, Headphones On, and Fame Is a Gun. Each was a brilliant success, accompanied by stunning music videos (two directed by Sean Price Williams), which solidified her new status as a pop hopeful.

So, What’s the Verdict?

After five promising singles spread over ten months, expectations were high for Addison (the name of her first album). Since its release, international music critics have not held back – and understandably so: the album is quite an exhilarating success, a sort of musical catharsis where the singer truly excels. It feels like listening to someone who deeply understands her pop, drawing inspirations from the greatest in the genre: we hear echoes of Britney Spears and Madonna’s Ray of Light era, early Lana Del Rey, and Kylie Minogue from her Fever period. All these influences are cleverly assimilated, mixed with a melancholic electro vibe (she wouldn’t be a friend of Charli’s for nothing), fitting perfectly into a work that is quintessentially of its time: a celebration of self, a praise of freedom, an exaltation through partying and the body, a nostalgic aesthetic, and a gently provocative unveiling. A checklist thoroughly completed by a student who has learned her lessons well.

This consistency sometimes gives the impression of a repetitive and predictable record – it might be a bit monotonous, lacking a real sense of abandon –, meeting expectations without necessarily exceeding them. It’s also regrettable that the tracks revealed on the day of the release struggle to match the level of the five singles: the experience, although enjoyable and far superior to what other mainstream pop albums have offered this year (Lady Gaga, Marina, Tate McRae, Miley Cyrus), is inevitably disappointing compared to the excitement generated by the initial extracts. But the project also has the merit of clarifying a doubt that lingered for months: this evident rebranding effort may be much more organic and authentic than one might have thought. There’s a desire to believe in it, and even to see it as a thought-out and deliberate approach. More than just reinventing herself, it feels like Addison Rae has completely crafted herself anew. She is both the creator and her own creation. The scientist and the creature. A product of herself that generates both fascination and repulsion. In short, a promising prospect.