Addison Rae’s successful rebirth verifies that artists need a niche
Addison Rae has been all the rage lately, from her brave fashion statements to her new and high-quality pop singles.
The alt-pop song “Diet Pepsi” shares the popular theme of “the immortal feeling of youth and love” and helped separate her from her past songs – such as the youthful, bubblegum pop lyrics in her single “Obsessed” – and helped her gain association with a more mature audience. The sugary-but-low-calorie single peaked at 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Charts.
Rae’s image of mystique, use of Americana and underdog impression have created comparisons to the likes of Lana Del Ray and led some to controversially claim her as the next Britney Spears.
Around the release of her first hyperpop EP in 2023, titled AR, she removed all of her old posts and began posting less, luring fans in, as they had to actively search out what she was up to. The single “I Got It Bad” was ironically and unironically made fun of, but found its way to the queer community, who raved over Rae listening to the experimental Venezuelan DJ Arca, who worked as a producer on Kanye West’s Yeezus, along with Bjork and FKA Twigs. The tiny crumb that was mentioning Arca gave her a niche fanbase that she could rely on and led to her overall current fame. Her latest shimmery single, “Aquamarine,” was remixed into the low-tempo, reggaeton-infused “Aquamarine / Arcamarine.”
The association with queer music obsessives only grows as Rae is spotted hanging out with the globally-applauded Charli xcx, Troye Sivan and this Halloween, Rosalía. She went so far as joining Charli xcx on “Von dutch a. g. cook remix featuring addison rae,” an electroclash hit featured in xcx’s brat remix album.
Addison Rae’s impact on the world proves that as difficult the influencer-to-artist pipeline may seem, it is possible. Rae’s calculated rebrand and increasingly growing and supportive audience secure her a spotlight in the music industry as a cultural icon.
