In the span of just two years, Addison Rae has undergone a staggering transformation, evolving from a social media punchline to a critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated pop force, now crowned the Guardian's Artist of the Year for 2025.
From Viral Flop to Cult Favourite
The journey was far from instantaneous. In 2023, her debut single Obsessed was met with disproportionate scorn, a reaction largely fuelled by her status as TikTok's fifth most-followed dancer. The track flopped, cementing her as an industry joke. Five months later, everything changed with the release of her AR EP, which featured a guest verse from avant-pop icon Charli XCX. This collaboration transformed Rae into a cult favourite, a status she solidified by returning the favour on a remix of Charli's Von Dutch.
Reflecting now, Rae expresses relief that her first foray failed. "I wasn't ready to stand in front of people and say what I say as concisely and straightforwardly as I am now," she admits, crediting immense personal growth. Her theory for the delayed success is poignant: "taste is a luxury." As a young woman from Lafayette, Louisiana, seeking escape, she focused on creating broadly accessible content first, using social media as a springboard to stability and the chance to pursue her true artistic passions.
The Making of a Landmark Debut
Released in June 2025, her debut album Addison is a dreamy, dance-pop document of her meteoric rise. It earned rapturous reviews, landing in the Guardian's top five albums of the year, while its single Headphones On placed in the top five tracks. The album's creation was itself a landmark event. Rae, alongside producers Elvira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser from Max Martin's MXM stable, wrote the entire record, making them a rare all-female trio at the helm of a major-label pop project in an industry where women hold less than 6% of production credits.
Rae famously walked into her first Columbia Records meeting with a detailed vision board, not a note of music. This clarity is reflected in the album's direct, unapologetic lyrics about luxury, fame, and using glamour as a shield against sadness. "I want to write in a way that is direct and honest and clear, and leaves little room for misinterpretation," she states, pushing back against the veiled lore common in modern pop.
When asked about a Washington Post critique asking why her music sounds so alone, Rae agrees. "The album was [from] a very lonely perspective. Life is lonely, and there's something really powerful about taking that into your own hands," she explains, finding beauty in introspective self-reliance.
Reclaiming Control on Stage and in the Spotlight
This year, Rae faced one of her biggest challenges: touring. After memorable guest spots with Charli XCX, Arca, and a deliriously received duet with Lana Del Rey at Wembley, she launched her own headline tour in August. Opting for intimate theatres over arenas, she crafted a visually stunning show inspired by Alice in Wonderland, yet was unnerved by the lack of large screens. This vulnerability, however, became a strength. "You could see every transition, every breath. It even further takes away this sense of control," she discovered.
Rae is notably candid about her relationship with fame. "I enjoy fame," she says plainly. "It's very exposing and raw... I enjoy the luxury of it all, though of course there is a price you pay." That price includes intense public scrutiny, from gossip about her Hype House days and her parents' turbulent relationship to unfounded political allegations. Navigating pop stardom has been a continuous exercise in "reclaiming and relinquishing control."
Looking ahead to 2026, Rae's resolution is to "share less." While she has been writing new material in Sweden, there are no immediate plans for a follow-up album. She trusts her newfound fanbase, who appreciate her eclectic taste spanning Britney Spears and Burial, and embraces the idea of never being fully understood. "If that ever were to change, I think it would be quite boring actually," she concludes, poised at the peak of a remarkable and hard-wown artistic arrival.
