Addison Rae posters inspired by her song “Diet Pepsi” (left and top) and a signed 7’ “Diet Pepsi” vinyl (bottom right) The Xavierite
Rising star Addison Rae has undoubtedly proven herself as a pop star over the past few months; however, I do notice an ongoing trend of the star being treated as though she were not her own artist. Rae is often compared to other pop artists who came before her, most prominently Britney Spears, but even Lady Gaga with Rae’s newest single “High Fashion,” fans likening the title to Gaga’s 2013 ARTPOP track “Fashion!”
I found the comparison to Gaga to be an absolute reach into hell; the songs, sonically or lyrically speaking, have practically no similarity.
To an extent, I can understand the comparison to Spears given the fact that one of Rae’s singles, “Aquamarine,” samples Spears’ 2003 hit “Breathe On Me”; even then, there are notable differences between the two sonically.
Rae also wore a diamond-encrusted bra in the “High Fashion” music video, inspired by one Spears wore in one of her live performances in the 2001 concert film “Britney Spears Live from Las Vegas.”
Another star I saw Rae be compared to was Lana Del Rey; with the release of “Diet Pepsi” back in August, many called the track out for copying the latter, noting how Del Rey has mentioned Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other soft drinks in her songs on numerous occasions, making them a part of her overall aesthetic as a pop star.
Rae seems to embrace this as well, as she posted an Easter egg on Instagram alluding to the release of “Diet Pepsi” a few months prior to its release with the caption “I love Lana.”
Addison Rae undoubtedly seems to lean into the artists she is compared to, and even does get certain aspects of her aesthetic and music from other artists; however, there is noteworthy individuality to Rae’s style that I feel often goes unappreciated when she is so frequently held against other musicians.
I suppose the comparisons are due in part to Rae’s embracing of them, which makes it hard to say that it isn’t deserved; but, I can say that I do know that, judging by the music itself, Rae certainly has talent as a pop musician that is certainly individual to herself, which is why, as a fan, I wish she wouldn’t play into the whole “new Britney” trope as much as she does.
I feel like Rae is already so severely undermined as an artist given the way she came onto the scene; before recently, Rae was widely seen as a joke due to her start on TikTok as an influencer. Rae is just starting to get taken seriously as a mainstream pop artist, and I wonder if her likening her image to that of other pop stars is only reinforcing the old public perception that Rae isn’t unique or interesting, or giving critics more room to pan her as such.
This isn’t to say that I don’t like the reference to Spears in the “High Fashion” music video or the song “Aquamarine. I, in fact, loved both; I thought she looked phenomenal in the former and the latter is probably one of, if not my favorite in Rae’s discography.
However, many young female artists experience the same accusation of copying older, more established artists, so this certainly isn’t an experience unique to Rae.
Overall, I don’t think it is problematic for artists to occasionally give homage to other artists who have inspired them in some way in their own work, nor do I think it is “copying” them. I think Rae has a brand unique to Britney Spears’ and other artists, however I think Rae referencing Spears two singles in a row gives a massive amount of material for haters to attack her individuality as an artist and person as a whole.