Addison's Rae of Light

Addison Rae is a case study in how to leverage social media stardom into legitimate pop artistry.

If you’d told me in 2020 that, five years down the line, I’d be stanning Addison Rae… I would’ve laughed in your face. Seriously, I actually would have laughed out loud. I’d have probably rolled my eyes too. And yet, here we are in 2025, and I'm deeply impressed by the work she’s putting out. Because Addison Rae, once dismissed as a cringey TikTok dancer, has somehow become one of the most interesting new voices in pop. She’s not just shedding the “Rae” from her name, she’s shedding every ounce of doubt people had about her–myself included.

Hearing her talk about this evolution in a recent Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe only reinforced my respect. She’s curating a whole persona around her music, and setting the stage to be taken seriously—not as an influencer-turned-singer, but as a pop star, through and through.

What sets Addison apart, and what made me start paying attention, is the same thing that made Doechii catch my eye before she blew up: vision. It’s a rare quality you can’t fake or force. She’s not dropping throwaway singles or boring one-take videos of her lip-syncing in front of a plain backdrop. There’s intention behind every release. You can feel the hunger in the rollout, in the visuals, in the sound. Even when the budget was still lacking, the ideas were fully formed and the references were studied. Her ambition has been crystal clear throughout this entire album cycle.

And in this era of microwave hits and trends that expire overnight, intention matters more than ever.

Addison’s debut album is a vibrant declaration: “I’m here, and you will take me seriously.” And what I find surprising is how it doesn’t feel try-hard and inauthentic. This isn’t a Disney-star-turning-18 moment, trying to rebel and forcibly distance themselves from their previous successes via a dramatic 180 rebrand (sorry Miley, love you always). Her evolution feels organic. The parts of her TikTok persona that still serve her, she leans into. The parts she’s outgrown, she’s left behind with grace. No gimmicks, no hard pivots, just growth.

What really sold me, though, was the way she’s pulling from the pop canon—and doing it with taste. There’s a very clear nod to Madonna’s Ray of Light (yes, the column title was intentional), which seems to be having a quiet renaissance this year—see also: FKA twigs’ EUSEXUA. You can also hear traces of Britney, Charli, Janet, and even Lana. But what separates her from the over-samplification of the current music landscape is she’s not just sampling their work, she’s building on their legacy. She’s innovating–honoring pop’s past while pushing it forward.

Addison’s debut has been on a nonstop loop since it dropped, and it’s officially the soundtrack of my summer. She's earned her place on my permanent playlist, and I’m genuinely excited to see where she goes next.

P.S. I know you’re dying to ask—what are my favourite tracks? And while this is a no-skip album, New York and Aquamarine are my girls.