Day 90: Addison Rae – Addison
I’m in the market of another girly-girl album for getting ready. This time, I’m off to dinner. The restaurant is probably a bit more hoity-toity than I’d normally go to, so the stakes are high in getting my hair and makeup right — I’m assuming someone at the door will scream “Halt, proletariat!” and they’ll refuse to let me in because they can tell I don’t belong. Or it could be nice and chilled, you never know.
Album cover courtesy of Columbia Records
Today, I thought I’d go for Addison Rae. I wrote about her a few months ago for a music newsletter and I was really into the singles that she released ahead of the album, but I still haven’t taken the time to listen to her full debut album.
Before pivoting to music, Addison Rae was an influencer who made TikTok videos of herself dancing. Then, she recorded an EP that ended up never coming out because her first single was widely derided online. The full EP leaked to YouTube a few years later and it ended up becoming a bit of a phenomenon on the internet, so she released it in 2023.
The thing about that EP is that it’s actually good. The EP is fun, early-2000s inspired bubblegum pop that no one is really doing at the moment. I don’t think anyone expected that from Addison Rae. If you would have told me a few years ago that Addison Rae is on her way to raising the bar of pop music, I personally wouldn’t have been very shocked because I’m a 30-something neo-Luddite who didn’t know about TikTok stars back then, but as far as I’m aware, many people would have been surprised.
Her debut LP Addison came out in June this year to critical acclaim, even landing her on lots of “best album of 2025”-lists. And with good reason. She’s doing her own thing, but she’s clearly a pop scholar, taking influence from lots of acts, like early Britney and Ray of Light-era Madonna. Listening to her makes me feel like I did when I listened to the pop girlies while I was growing up, and there aren’t too many acts that scratch that itch for me these days.
It’s just a solid album all around, the absolute kicker for me being the deep house inspired dance pop tune “Aquamarine”. And if she became one of the most followed people on TikTok just by dancing, she obviously has charisma and presence in troves. I know she’s not an underdog in the traditional sense, but I don’t think anyone thought she’d be this good, and I just like to see people like that succeed. They all made fun of her, but who’s laughing now. Addison is an 8.5/10 again. It’s such a strong debut that I genuinely think she’s one to watch in this arena.