Addison Rae is entering her metamorphosis era, and it might even include… a name change? Following two surprise appearances at Coachella weekend one and two with Arca and Charli XCX, respectively, the TikToker-turned-pop-star is opening up about her music path in a new cover story with Elle and teasing a new rebrand on the horizon.
Speaking to Elle about her transition from unknown Addison Rae Easterling living in rural Louisiana to TikTok star Addison Rae racking up millions of views with dance challenges and dropping out of school to move to Los Angeles, Rae added a new item in the progression plan as she firmly steps into her pop stardom with her forthcoming debut album. “I feel like I’ve surpassed Addison Rae. It’s just Addison now," the star boldly (and maybe perhaps also quippingly) proclaimed in the interview.
Rae's PSA to rebrand to “just Addison” comes on the heels of the release of her new song “Headphones On,” which came with a hazy music video filmed in Iceland, where the star momentarily rocks bright pink hair, courtesy of Hayley Williams's Good Dye Young semi-permanent hair dye.
The song is the latest offering from her debut album, scheduled for release in June via Columbia Records. Since 2024, Rae has also released singles, including “High Fashion,” “Diet Pepsi,” and “Aquamarine,” as part of her new Addison pop star era. But make no mistake, she's not renouncing any of her past. “All of that led me to where I am right now,” she told Elle about her journey from cheerleader to TikToker to musician.
However, Rae also admitted that her debut EP, AR, which was not as well-received as her latest offerings, almost made her want to quit music. However, she ultimately decided to cancel out the noise and try to pursue her dream once more, returning to the studio.
“What’s funny to me is that people assume that these passions are new," she continued. "First of all, no one ever even knew who I was before I was a freshman in college, so it’s like, ‘How would you even know what my interests were before?’”
She added: "I acknowledge how lucky I am that I was on TikTok, and people cared enough to watch my videos and follow me, and therefore gave me the freedom to be able to explore my deep desires that I’ve always had. It’s like, ‘What am I going to do? Not chase my dreams because I feel like I haven’t done enough school to get here? Or I haven’t had enough experience?’ It’s like, ‘No, the door opened for me, and I’m going to go through and explore it.’” Go off, Addison.
