It’s taken us almost half a year to find 2025’s next big pop ‘it-girl’, but we might have just found them.
After the massive breakout successes of Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, all eyes have been on who will rise up this year to take their place. There have been some notable contenders (for better or for worse). The industry has been doing everything it can to make Benson Boone and Tate McRae a thing, but to mixed success.
Even indie darlings like Ethel Cain moved away from making hits, instead choosing to create scary, horny drone music (to be clear, I love this). As of last month, it felt like Brat Summer was continuing into 2025, not out of a want but a need.
However, from the ashes has come a surprising new pop star, one who most are still wrapping their heads around.
If you’re like me, seeing Addison Rae‘s name show up in the discourse as the next big pop star felt like a bit. It’s a good bit, mind you, but the discourse felt strange. In an era where pop star authenticity demand is at an all-time high, a former TikTok influencer being met with open arms feels like whiplash.
Before Addison dropped her album, most of us knew her as a TikTok influencer. Or, more specifically, the almost Twin Peaks surrealism that was her going through a gauntlet of TikTok dances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Five years later, she’s being heroed on stan Twitter as the saviour of pop music.
So, how did this happen? Am I wrong for being out of the loop? Join me as I unpack the success of Addison Rae and why so many are rallying around her.
ADDISON (the album)
On June 6th, 2025, Addison Rae dropped her debut album, Addison, two years after her first EP. The album has had a year-long rollout, with Addison appearing on the Sweat Tour last year to perform her lead single ‘Diet Pepsi’ with Troye Sivan and Charli XCX.
Album reviews have been incredibly favourable, with Pitchfork giving it an impressive 8.0 score. The publication went on to say, “the girlypop album of summer warrants comparison to Lana [Del Rey], Madonna, and most of all, Britney [Spears]. Are we ready for Addison?”.
Personally, I was struggling to get the appeal. I appreciated the lead singles ‘Diet Pepsi’ and ‘Headphones On’. The track ‘New York’ was also a standout, showing off Rae’s wit as a lyricist. But I couldn’t make sense of how Addison Rae was finding success where someone like Tate McRae was faltering. I also couldn’t help but remember that the internet had slammed Camila Cabello just the year before. Cabello herself, borrowing from hyperpop and trying a new sound, was criticised for seemingly ripping off Charli XCX’s BRAT.
“What am I not getting??” I’d ask myself, staring into the distance like Gregory House as Rae refrains “Next stop to the club, I’m a dance whore”.
Bianca Davino, author of the Substack 2010sanxiety and number one Addison Rae fan, said that her history is part of the appeal.
“In an era where Top 40 pop is starting to resemble Hillsong compilations more than ever, I think it’s really cool that someone who could’ve so easily been scooped up by “the system” to make whatever sound is trending right now (stomp-clap acousta-pop) actually took the time to connect with the right collaborators to make something with substance,” said Davino.
“[The music is] sexy, sultry and most of all fun pop that draws from interesting facets of pop and alternative music. What other album could you compare to both Farrah Abraham’s My Teenage Dream Ended but also Bjork’s Post?”
Davino went on to say that Rae’s position in music is entirely unique right now. “[Addison] exists in this genre of post-pop or ‘uncanny valley’-pop where there is something not quite as plastic and shiny about it as, say, a Chappell or Sabrina, but it’s got all the hallmarks of it at the same time.”
So, unlike Cabello’s album last year, which sounded like a derivative of hyperpop, Addison has been able to toe the line and bring something new to the table.
How meme culture is shaping the debut
If you’re an aspiring pop star in 2025, and you don’t have a fierce fan base, you’re DOA. And stan Twitter has been rallying around this record like their life depends on it.
Like Swifties (for Taylor Swift), fans of Addison Rae have ironically dubbed themselves as “Raecists“. While problematic, there’s a strange “earnest” form of irony attached to Rae’s fandom. People who share memes of ironic stan fandom while also unironically engaging with the pop star in every way possible.
When Rae’s debut record dropped, memes blew up on Twitter, most notably about how the feud between US President Donald Trump and fraudulent Path of Exile 2 player Elon Musk was a psyop to distract from the release.
Addison Rae has somehow managed to perfectly capture 2025’s meme culture, unlike any other pop star currently. Benson Boone has been doing flips off of pianos to muted applause, Dave Blunts hasn’t been able to put down the cup — new artists are trying to find marketable niches for appeal. In comes Addison Rae, someone who captured the zeitgeist by riding the wave of TikTok dances, now launching pop into stardom by… not doing that and just existing? Jojo Siwa has to be throwing chairs over this.
“For Addison, I think she’s assumed the most powerful form of meme in which she’s basically a meme for existing and doing what she does, rather than forcing some sort of persona (like that guy Sombr),” shared Davino.
“If you’re an artist and you’re not a part of ‘meme’ culture, you’re not making any cultural impact at all. Meme culture ensures you have a seat at the table of discourse these days — and it’s been this way for years.”
That’s not to say it’s a perfect solution. Earlier this year, UK musician Beabadoobee received backlash for pushing back against an ironic meme suggesting she can’t sing. Her response was labelled a “crash out”, and alienated fans from her persona.
“I think that the online-edge lords take it too far sometimes,” shared Davino. “However, I think it’s mostly a positive thing for artists as it means people are analysing you from a multi-dimensional perspective.”
So, what’s the appeal?
What’s important to note is that Addison Rae isn’t popular just because of her proximity to Charli XCX and being “the TikTok dance girl”. They help, but it’s Rae’s close alignment with Y2K-core’s resurgence that’s making her a breakout star right now.
“I think that the zillennial girls and gays crave the Y2K era with every fibre of their being,” said Davino.
“You either get it at this point or you don’t. While I think the album is good enough to convert non-believers, there’s no point listening to it if you’re not indulging in the entirety of the context — the music is just one part of the package.”
Reflecting on the roll-out of the album, it’s hard to deny that Addison Rae is maybe the most interesting persona in pop music this year. While the album hasn’t converted me into a ride or die believer, I can’t deny that I’m interested in what she does next. That is, if she doesn’t pull a Sky Ferreira and never drops an album again (as she’s hinted already).
Either way, I’ll take a hundred Addison Rae’s before a single Benson Boone.
You can stream Addison Rae’s new album ADDISON on Spotify now.
Image credit: Getty Images
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