Addison Rae, a 23-year-old influencer, rose to prominence on TikTok in 2019, amassing over 88 million followers. Recently, however, the TikToker has rebranded herself as a pop singer after the success of her recent single, “Diet Pepsi.”
Rae first started posting dance videos on TikTok to popular songs like “Lottery (Renegade)” by K CAMP or “The Box” by Roddy Ricch. Rae was among the first users to hit one million followers on the platform.
Rae left her hometown in Lafayette, Louisiana, and moved to Los Angeles, where she joined the Hype House: a mansion where TikTok content creators collaborate on videos, similar to Jake Paul’s Team 10.
Rae, alongside creators such as Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, Chase Hudson, Kouvr Annon and Larray lived in the house part-time and made videos together. TikTok users were obsessed with their lives, and the shared account gained three million followers in a week, launching its members into superstardom.
With her newfound fame, Rae immediately pursued other professional endeavors while continuing to post TikTok videos on the side. Rae co-founded a makeup line called ITEM Beauty with Madeby Collective and released a perfume called Addison Rae Fragrance.
Rae also took her shot at acting, starring in the 2021 film “He's All That,” a remake film of the 1999 rom-com “She's All That.” The film flopped, receiving a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes.
After failing to break into the acting industry, Rae released her first single “Obsessed” March 19, 2021. The song was relatively well received, but some critics thought Rae should “stick to TikTok” and criticized her use of auto-tune.
“Obsessed,” however, was the start of Rae’s rebrand of this bad, sexy pop girl, as opposed to the family-friendly influencer who makes silly dances on TikTok.
Rae followed up her single in August 2023 and released her EP, “AR.” The EP contained five tracks: “I got it bad,” “2 die 4 (feat. Charli XCX),” “Nothing On (But The Radio),” “it could’ve been u” and “Obsessed.”
Her collaboration with Charli XCX proved Rae could seamlessly make this transition to pop star. The song trended on TikTok, despite its provocative lyrics and sexual nature.
Rae capitalized on the success of “2 die 4,” and appeared on an A. G. Cook-produced remix of “Von Dutch,” a hit off Charli XCX’s album “BRAT.” Rae made her debut live performance June 15 as a surprise guest at Charli XCX’s concert, performing “Von Dutch,” which went viral on social media.
Rae’s biggest hit yet, however, is her second single “Diet Pepsi,” which she released Aug. 9, 2024. The song and subsequent music video immediately blew up online and was praised for its catchy beat and chorus. It amassed 56 million streams on Spotify the month after the song released.
Since the release of her EP and “Diet Pepsi,” Rae’s outfit's and public appearances have embraced her new aesthetic. Rae arrived at the VMAs in essentially a bra and underwear, paired with a tutu-esque tulle decoration on her back. The outfit shocked fans but was ultimately praised for stepping outside the box.
By embracing her sexuality through her provocative lyrics and outfits, Rae successfully made the switch from TikToker to pop star. Unlike other TikTokers such as Dixie D’Amelio, whose music career flopped, Rae successfully reinvented herself and her brand. She might be the next big pop girl to look out for.
