ADDISON RAE RELEASES HIGHLY ANTICIPATED DEBUT ALBUM
Credit of Columbia Record. Protected under fair use.
Addison Rae has officially eliminated any misconception of simply being an ‘ex-TikTok star.’ On June 6, the Louisiana-born, 24-year-old officially dropped her debut album, “Addison,” a twelve-track project that manages to be both hyper-self-aware and completely unserious in the best way. Filled with sharp lyrics, and packed with references that feel reminiscent of the ‘Britney’ era, nostalgic, yet refreshing. After years of navigating fame, criticism, and early missteps, Addison is at a clean reset.
The rollout for Addison Rae as an artist has been slow but calculated. Rae’s 2023 EP “AR,” a leaked demo collection turned cult favorite, laid the groundwork for her official debut. Now, Addison feels like a proper response, fully formed, high-concept, and executed with a consistency that’s rare for major label pop debuts. Rae worked entirely with writer-producer duo Elvira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser, curating an entirely female-written and produced album. The production is cohesive without sounding repetitive, with Rae’s soft, breathy vocals floating over fuzzy synths and dreamy percussion that pull from early-2010s indie-electronica as much as they do from the worlds of Charli XCX, Lana Del Rey, and Madonna.
“New York” opens the album at full speed, a club-ready track that captures the dizzying rush of chasing something more, easily living in the same world as Charli’s “Club Classics.” “Fame Is A Gun,” the most pointed track on the record, is where she turns the spotlight into both a weapon and a mirror. “Tell me who I am,” she sings, surrendering and claiming control at once. Similarly, songs like “Aquamarine” and “High Fashion” feel similarly wired, the former shimmering with confidence, the latter obsessed with image and ambition: “Have you ever dreamt of being seen? Not by someone, more like in a magazine.” Rae doesn’t shy away from the shallow, she fully embodies it and lets it glitter.
However, Addison isn’t all pop gloss, there’s introspection spiraled throughout, often buried under pretty production. “In the Rain” and “Times Like These” are two of the most revealing tracks, offering brief moments of vulnerability that complicate the picture. “Am I too young to be this mad, Am I too old to blame my dad?” she sings on the latter, a line that lands quietly on the surface but like a knife underneath the complex layers. Interludes like “Lost & Found” and “Life’s No Fun Through Clear Waters” anchor the album’s looser narrative, reminding listeners that the chaos is part of the point.
Addison may be packed with glittering, high-gloss pop moments, but woven throughout are quieter reflections and unexpected emotional turns that tie it all together. Furthermore, resulting in a debut that feels both deliberately polished and surprisingly personal, a full-circle statement from the girl who always had the star power inside of her.
Listen to Addison here.
