Addison Rae attending the screening of "He's All That" Special Screening (Image via Getty)

"I don’t think Tate McRae can make a song like this" — Internet reacts as Addison Rae releases single "Headphones On" from upcoming album

Modified Apr 18, 2025 11:29 GMT

Addison Rae dropped her latest song, Headphones On, on April 18, 2025. The track marked the fourth single from her forthcoming debut album, succeeding Diet Pepsi, Aquamarine and High Fashion.

Headphones On had an accompanying music video released on YouTube. The video, shot in Reykjavik, Iceland, featured the TikTok star-turned-singer in bubblegum pink hair as she sang:

"So I put my headphones on (I put my headphones on)/ Listen to my favorite song (Listen to my favorite song)/ Soaking up the rain (Ah)/ Letting my hair down (Uh-huh)/ So I put my headphones on/ Come and put your headphones on."

Following the song's release, users on X expressed their excitement for Rae's newest musical offering, with one netizen comparing her with fellow singer Tate McRae.

"I don’t think Tate Mcrae can make a song like this… oh hail the new queen, Addison Rae."

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Several fans agreed with this sentiment and praised the singer for Headphones On, with one user commenting that she is "hungry" for the status of "main pop girl."

"Addison Rae putting on her headphones to escape her problems in the world and shows how music helped her get through them like this is real music guys not this Tate McRae s**t," one person tweeted.

"Addison Rae is HUNGRY for that main pop girl status She’s TAKING IT," another person added.

However, a few netizens claimed that her aesthetic is faked to gain popularity.

"Addison rae is the fakest singer i've ever seen. its so obvious nothing about her aesthetic or songs is original and its embarrassing for her," one person tweeted.

"Am i the only one who just doesn’t like Addison Rae’s music? i see everyone hyping her so much and calling her pop princess…lets be serious now!!!!" another person exclaimed.

Some Addison Rae's fans defended her against those netizens who claimed she sounds "manufactured," arguing that her songs are "high art" entirely helmed by women.

"Sorry but if u hate Addison rae just bc she’s being herself and doing what she loves… that’s kinda sad, like why so pressed? she’s literally just vibing," one fan wrote.

"Addison Rae is high art that a lot of you just won’t get and that’s okay," another fan added.

"I don’t care if you think Addison Rae is “manufactured”. Her entire album is written and produced entirely by women. Something established pop girls are afraid to do. The music is authentic and has sounds we haven’t seen since Madonna," another user posted.

"The irony of a kpop stan saying that Addison Rae is manufactured when Addison writes her own music and her best friend is her creative director, whereas in kpop your entire identity is controlled by your agency, you are basically a puppet and have little to no creative input," someone else wrote.

Addison Rae's LP expected to release in June

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Following the release of several singles from her untitled album, Rae's fans eagerly await the announcement of her project's release date. Many speculate that the LP would be released on June 6, after the singer showed up at Coachella 2025 with the date printed on her undergarment.

She was one of the guest performers who joined Arca on stage at Coachella on April 13, where they performed the song Arcamarine—Arca's iteration of Rae's single Aquamarine.

Rae's mainstream success in the music industry came after she featured in the remix of Charli XCX's Von Dutch from the singer's Grammy-winning album Brat. In August, she dropped Diet Pepsi, her first song on the Billboard Hot 100. Moreover, the bond between these artists extended beyond Brat, with the two first meeting in 2022. Rae had previously released an EP in 2023 titled AR, featuring Charli XCX in the song 2 Die 4.

During a January 2025 cover story with Rolling Stone, Rae said meeting the Applesinger was an "obviously pivotal moment" in her life, calling her a "big sister." Elsewhere in the interview, she said:

“[Charli] respected me and my ideas. It was the first time I really took the step on my own to be confident in the ideas I had and follow that. I owe that all to Charli.”

In September 2024, Addison Rae joined Charli XCX and Troye Sivan as a surprise guest during an NYC show of their joint SWEAT tour, where she performed the Von Dutch remix and Diet Pepsi. She was not the only special guest during the Madison Square Garden show. Charli XCX also brought out New Zealand singer Lorde to perform the remix version of girl, so confusing.

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