“Not all heroes wear capes; some wear high fashion.”

Addison Rae Easterling, stage name Addison Rae, first appeared in the public eye in 2019 on Tiktok, where she posted dancing videos from her room. Within a year of Rae’s posting on the platform, she became one of the app’s top earners. Her fame skyrocketed by the end of 2020, reaching 88 million TikTok followers. Rae quickly became one of the most recognizable Gen Z influencers, but Rae was different from other influencers who were famous for the same reasons as her, and she would soon prove her uniqueness and creativity by expressing her own vision; people just didn’t know it at the time. Where many of even the most popular internet influencers have a career downfall after their viral internet fame, Rae knew that internet fame is often short-lived, and she secretly had her sights set on something bigger, a career of true self-expression, not just trend-hopping, that extended well beyond the “For-you-page.” And she did just that.

After a couple of years of TikTok stardom, Rae’s career expanded. However, this expansion didn’t come without setbacks. As Addison Rae’s face became more well-known, Hollywood deals and endorsements quickly came; however, these initial opportunities were not as successful as Rae had hoped. In 2021, she made her film debut in the Netflix remake ‘He’s All That.’ This movie did not do well, being called “uninspired, inconsistent and uninteresting” and only rated 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. Around this time, Rae released her debut single, ‘Obsessed,’ which also didn’t land quite well. Her debut single was criticized for being unoriginal, generic, and lacking any musical substance. After these two failed projects, Rae’s public image as a Gen Z icon seemed to dissipate, and viewers now saw her as just another bland influencer turned failed pop star. Because of this, Rae stepped out of the music scene for a while and back to her familiar roots of social media. But rather than just hiding from the public embarrassment of her failed projects, she was replanning her strategy to success. 

Addison Rae reemerged in 2023 with her song “2 Die 4” featuring Charli XCX. This song was different from ‘Obsessed,’ with the help of Charli XCX’x’s electropop persona; this song would capture the new aesthetic of Rae, which was less commercial and more ‘2000s Britney Spears meets 2014 Tumblr girl.’ This track and the surprise release of her debut EP, Addison Rae, served as a reintroduction- not just to Rae’s voice but to her new vision and rebrand. Unlike “Obsessed,” the tracks on ‘Addison Rae’ felt more unique, creative, and put together, proving to listeners that Rae could find her own style. In addition to her musical rebrand, an aesthetic shift followed closely. From transforming to a ‘copy-and-paste’ influencer, Rae, as she says it herself, “established herself as a ‘cool girl’  through experimenting with fashion, especially with the indie sleaze aesthetic.” She tapped into the aesthetic of 2000s pop culture, blending them with pop references and the Tumblr-era aesthetic.

After the success of her track with Charli XCX, Rae’s career would continue to rise. Her release of ‘Diet Pepsi’ in August of 2023, a track that blends synth and alternate pop, would peak at number 54 on Billboard’s top 100 and garner over 342 million streams on Spotify. This would be Rae’s actual breakout song, being played on the radio and inspiring new TikTok trends. ‘Diet Pepsi’ represents a pivotal moment in Addison Rae’s full transition from a social media personality to a recognized figure in the pop music landscape.​ Rae would also go on to release two other unique yet trendy songs, ‘Aquamarine’ (followed by the remix, Arcamarine) and ‘High Fashion.’ These songs would represent Rae’s new pop persona, which is ethereal, bold, and unique. Aquamarine is oceanic and sensual, while High Fashion is sharp and synth-wave. These songs represent Addison Rae’s creative depth and expression and show how far she has come as an artist, even in the short time she has been one.

Rae is set to release her next single, “Headphones On,” on April 18th, soon to be followed by the awaited release of her next album on June 6th, 2025.

Addison Rae’s journey to unapologetic fame is a representation of what’s possible when social media fame meets strategic artistry and creativity. The path from TikTok’s popularity to stardom is one that few people have successfully achieved, but Rae is an example of how with real vision, defying the odds is possible.