Addison Rae might be the most prolific multi-hyphenate to date. Even before her debut album Addison dropped today, the 24-year-old had already managed to become the sixth-most followed account on TikTok, star in Netflix original series He’s All That, create a hit podcast, model for Saint Laurent and Praying, feature in perhaps the most iconic remix album of all time, and even secure the top spot on Dazed’s best tracks of 2024.
What is certain about Addison Rae, however, is that she is now cemented as one of the world’s most exciting new pop stars. In less than a year since the synth-pop, bad b summer anthem “Diet Pepsi” appeared on charts globally, Rae has attracted comparisons to Britney Spears and the dreamy alt-pop stylings of Lana Del Rey, while the latest project takes cues from 1998 album Ray of Light by the Queen of Pop herself: Madonna. It’s a pop girl pastiche that Rae herself acknowledges on the album’s fourth track “Money is Everything”, singing: “DJ play Madonna, Wanna roll one with Lana, Get high with Gaga.”
Speaking in advance of Addison’s release, album collaborators Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjärd explained that the “sonic lynchpin” of the project is the Korg M1 synthesiser, which was a staple of Madonna’s house-pop crossovers in the 90s. On tracks like “Lost & Found” and “In the Rain”, this artistic direction adds a much-needed bite to Rae’s otherwise straightforward youthful hedonism, blending in with Rae’s layered, reverb-drenched vocals to create the dream-pop soundscape that forms Addison’s central appeal.
But the new project isn’t just sunshine and beaches. As Addison reaches penultimate interlude track “Life’s No Fun Through Clear Waters”, the viral star has gone from partying through the “Summer Forever” to crying “In The Rain” and lamenting “Times Like These”. It’s a pretty standard coming-of-age story, featuring Rae ruminating on whether to dye her hair and if her body image has been corrupted by fame. But, with lyrics like “When it comes to shoes I’ll be your slut” and “I’m gonna go down in history, don’t ask too many questions”, it’s delivered with a disarming transparency that makes Rae somewhat of a relatable superstar. While not reinventing the wheel, Addison certainly cements Rae’s position as the 21st century’s brightest new pop star.
Below, to celebrate the release of Addison Rae’s Addison, the Dazed team selects their top ten tracks from the album (number one being the very best).
I like this song, but I’m just too broke and embittered to truly enjoy listening to a millionaire sing about being rich, even if they’re doing so ironically or in the service of some vague social critique – it’s a bop though! (JG)
I find it hard to write about Addison Rae’s music without googling synonyms for “sultry” – but what else can I say? She’s a sultry artist, and “High Fashion” is a sultry song, or perhaps a voluptuous, sensual, alluring and luscious one. I really like it musically, but the lyrics are maybe too AI-generated TikTok coquette for my tastes – they’d lend themselves easily to an Effy Stonem fan-cam. (JG)
It was raining when I listened to this for the first time, and it made me sad that I wasn’t taking a wistful stroll along a Sicilian shoreline with a man named Lorenzo. The production is pleasantly languid and the lyrics, while a little obvious in parts ( “making out in the car, doing shots at the bar”, etc) capture the sense of expansive possibility which the best summers have – anything could happen baby! This is a solid album track, but after a few listens, it hasn’t blown me away like some of the others. (JG)
This song, to me, is a ‘maladaptive daydreaming on a long walk’ anthem. Honestly, she’s right, put your headphones on, listen to a good song, and just get over it. That chorus (guess I got to accept the pain, need a cigarette to make me feel better / every good thing comes my way) is a bit earnest, a bit 00s, a bit cheesy pop – but it works! Let it be and let go! (HD)
With each new single that she dropped in the run-up to her album release, a new pop banger was born. Somehow, Addison Rae managed to score a perfect five out of five for her single rollout and “Fame Is A Gun” was no exception. Rumour has it, the lyrics are a reference to Sheila E’s 1984 track “The Glamorous Life”, which was written by Prince (and what better way to secure banger status than with a little Prince magic?). (IVD)
This is crawling up the ranking every time I play it. Although it’s one of the most sonically original songs on the album – those propulsive, shimmering synths, combined with Rae’s breathy vocals, feel almost euphorically extraterrestrial – it still features some knowing winks to her pop icon foremothers (“I strike a pose”, “If you’re offended, say a prayer”). Say what you want about Rae’s love of pastiche, but she at least has immaculate taste. “In The Rain” sweeps you away, like all the best pop songs should. (DS)
This is one of our favourites of the previously unreleased material – it’s so dreamy and sultry and gently euphoric. This is probably the song which sounds most inspired by 90s Madonna, along with a touch of All Saints and that kind of Balearic The Beach soundtrack atmosphere. But while it wears its influences on its sleeve, it’s not overpowered by them – she’s forging a distinctive sound, and it still sounds like an Addison Rae song. (JG)
“Diet Pepsi” came out right after my ex and I broke up, and without exaggeration, I listened to it on repeat for three days straight, dreaming about a deranged rebound and re-losing my own innocence in the back seat. “Diet Pepsi” is pop music at its best: giddy, effervescent and exhilarating (the key change at the end is hands down one of this year’s most euphoric musical moments.) (JG)
Following the previously released singles, I had high expectations pressing play on this album. But honestly, I was not expecting to open with a song like “New York”. Don’t cancel me, but having a real love for NYC can actually feel like a religious experience, and this song encapsulates that feeling of arriving in the best city on earth, full of life and hope. Granted, most people are likely not arriving at the Bowery Hotel, but she still makes good points. Also, that pounding drumbeat… sensational. 10/10, no notes. (HD)
While I loved “Diet Pepsi”, it wasn’t until the release of “Aquamarine” that I became properly excited about Addison’s new direction, that I thought “this chica has got the juice…”. While obviously inspired by Ray of Light and 90s eurodance, it doesn’t just feel like an exercise in nostalgia – the production is fresh and interesting, the melody is gorgeous, and Addison’s vocals are as exactly as restrained as they need to be (“sultry”, you might even say!) “Aquamarine” is a classic in the making, and the song which cemented her status as a major new pop talent. (JG)