Addison Rae Easterling (born October 6, 2000) is an American singer, actress and social media personality. She joined TikTok in 2019, becoming one of the platform's most-followed creators. She went on to expand her career into music and film.
Addison Rae Easterling[1][a] was born on October 6, 2000,[2][3] and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, to parents Monty Lopez and Sheri Easterling.[2] Rae has two younger brothers, Enzo Lopez and Lucas Lopez,[4] and an older half-sister, Macye Neumeyer, who has two daughters of her own. Rae's parents initially divorced when she was younger and were on and off often throughout her childhood, before remarrying in 2017, later divorcing again in 2022.[5]
Rae started dancing competitively at the age of six where she attended competitions across the country.[2] Before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her career, she briefly attended Louisiana State University (LSU) where she studied broadcast journalism in the fall to become a sports broadcaster but then dropped out when she began to gain popularity on TikTok.[6] In an interview with Elle magazine, Rae talked about her choice to move to Los Angeles, saying: "a few people in LA reached out to me, and I was like 'I need to go. I need to go.' So my parents supported me fully."[7]
Career
2019–2023: Social media fame and career beginnings
Rae joined the social media app TikTok in July 2019, uploading dance videos to trending songs on the platform.[8][bettersourceneeded] Within a few months, Rae gained over one million followers on the app, leaving LSU in November.[9] She joined the TikTok collective The Hype House in December 2019 for a brief period of time.[10] As of January 2026, she has amassed over 88 million followers on the app.[11] She later signed with talent agency WME in January 2020.[12] In July, Addison released a weekly Spotify-exclusive podcast alongside her mother, Mama Knows Best, covering their personal and career lives.[13] Rae later relaunched this podcast under the name That Was Fun?.[14]
Rae (right) with British singer Charli XCX (left) in 2021
In March 2021, Rae released her debut single, "Obsessed".[15] The single was intended to be the lead single for her then-upcoming project but was temporarily shelved.[16] That same year, Rae launched her own cosmetics line, Item Beauty, but it discontinued in 2023.[9][17] Rae also founded her own fragrance line.[18] In August, Rae made her feature film debut as Padgett in the Netflix comedy film He's All That (2021), a remake film of the 1999 teen comedy She's All That.[19] The film was the most streamed film on its release week.[20]
In February 2022, it was announced that Rae had joined the cast of a film titled Fashionista, produced by Paramount.[21] That same month, multiple songs from her unreleased EP leaked on YouTube, which Rae initially thought "could mark the death knell for her music career".[16] However, the tracks gained traction online, which spurred her to release her debut extended play AR on August 18, 2023.[22] The EP received generally positive reviews,[23][16] and debuted at number 19 on the US BillboardHeatseekers Albums chart.[24] In November, Rae appeared as Gaby in the slasher film Thanksgiving (2023).[25]
In February, Rae released the single "High Fashion" and its accompanying music video.[34] Following the single's release, she was featured on the cover of Vogue France.[35] In April 2025, Rae performed "Aquamarine / Arcamarine" at Coachella with Arca.[36]
Rae's debut album, Addison, was eventually released on June 6, 2025, and was preceded by the release of the additional singles "Headphones On" and "Fame Is a Gun".[37] The album found widespread success,[38] debuting at number four on the Billboard 200. It sold 48,500 album-equivalent units in its first week, consisting of 23,000 pure album sales and 25,500 streaming equivalent album units from 33 million streams.[39] Rae celebrated the release of Addison with a live concert at NYC’s The Box. The concert was produced in partnership with Spotify.[40]
Following the negative reviews of her dance-pop debut single "Obsessed", Rae was labelled as a "TikTok artist" alongside peers such as Dixie D'Amelio and Bella Poarch.[52] Rae retrospectively described her early music as "messy".[53] Despite this initial reception, Gold Derby writer Jaime Rodriguez noted that Rae "managed to reset the narrative" and relaunched her musical style, establishing herself as a "legit music artist".[52] Post 2021, she began to utilize synth-pop and electropop sounds within her music.[54] Rodriguez cited Rae's "nonexistent presence on social media" and associating herself with artists such as Charli XCX and Lana Del Rey as contributing factors for her rebrand.[52]Vogue writer Larisha Paul also noted Rae's unexpectedly eclectic taste in music for artists such as FKA Twigs, Yves Tumor and Kelela, and genres such as avant-gardehip-hop music and 2000sTimbaland-produced R&B.[16] Paul opined that they were key to her success.[16] Rae herself acknowledged in a trailer video for her debut album Addison, that she is "not the same person you used to know," alluding to her musical rebrand.[55]
Rae has also embraced a 1990s and Y2K aesthetic with high-saturated photoshoots and music reminiscent of Hilary Duff and Christina Aguilera.[56] In an interview with W magazine, she noted that for her first label meeting with Columbia Records she brought a binder filled with printed photos, colors, and words prior to the release of her then-unreleased debut album whic "existed purely as a collection of visions, visuals, and words".[53]The Independent writer Felicity Martin noted that Rae's music "balances pop, past and present but never feels too try-hard".[56]
Influences
In a conversation with Interview magazine editor-in-chief Mel Ottenberg, Rae mused on her influences saying, "I love a woman who does it all [...] I love a girl that does it all with no filter, it's just ingrained in me".[57] She has been compared to American singer Britney Spears,[16] and has cited Spears as one of her biggest influences and a "huge part of [her] life".[57] Rae's vocals have also been positively compared to Spears' and have been described as "breathy".[56][58] She also cited Charli XCX, Madonna and Barbra Streisand as influences.[16][57]
Public image
Rae has been referenced and referred to in the media multiple times, mentioned in songs and having appeared in music videos. In March 2020, Australian rapper The Kid Laroi released the song "Addison Rae", which was named after Rae and went viral on social media.[59] Followed by this, Rae appeared in Lil Mosey's "Blueberry Faygo" music video.[60][61] Later that year, Rae was mentioned by rapper Lil Yachty on his song "E-ER", which sparked a feud between him and Rae's then–boyfriend, Bryce Hall.[62] In July 2025, Rae made an appearance in Sombr's '70s-inspired music video for his song "12 to 12".[63][64]
In 2020, Rae co-founded Item Beauty, a cosmetics and skincare brand; the brand was discontinued by 2023.[82] In 2021, Rae started her own fragrance line Addison Rae Fragrance which featured several water-based, alcohol-free scents.[83][84] In 2022, Rae partnered with Alani Nu to make her own energy drink flavor, 'Berry Pop'.[85]
In November 2024, Rae was later the face of the Marc Jacobs x Vaquera bag collab; a Y2K-inspired bag in celebration of Marc Jacobs' 40th Anniversary.[86][87] On the day of the release of her debut album Addison, Rae partnered with Matchaful in New York City with a special drink, "Summer Forever", given to the first 50 guests in line.[citation needed] In August 2025, Rae announced a collaboration with Lucky Brand. The partnership debuted with the Addison Ultra Low Rise Flare, a style inspired by early 2000s fashion. Rae had already been wearing the jeans during her live performances leading up to the launch. Together, Rae and Lucky Brand set out to "bring back the Y2K aesthetic with the goal of turning low-rise skeptics into believers."[88][89]
Activism and politics
In January 2021, Rae donated her $1 million in prize money from winning an all-star Mario Tennis Aces tournament called the Stay At Home Slam to the charity No Kid Hungry.[90] In January 2022, Rae joined the campaign for The American Cancer Society.[91] In April 2025, Rae joined Troye Sivan, Pedro Pascal, and more in showing her support of trans rights with a viral t-shirt that has raised tens of thousands of dollars for a nonprofit dedicated to the trans community.[92] The following month Rae signed a full-page Planned Parenthood ad calling for support of the organization’s lifesaving healthcare initiatives in response to threats under current President Donald Trump.[93] Later that June, she voiced her support of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests, writing in an Instagram post, "This country could not exist without immigrants."[94]
In October 2020, Rae confirmed she was in a relationship with social media personality Bryce Hall; however, they ended their relationship the following year.[97][98] In June 2021, Rae was reported to be dating Omer Fedi, an Israeli musician and producer. The couple separated around October 2025 after four years together, with reports indicating that the split was amicable and that Rae chose to focus on her career.[99][100]
In June 2020, Rae apologized for a video she had retweeted in 2016 showing a woman criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement.[101] She has since shown continued support for the movement.[102]
In 2025, Rae discussed stepping back from social media, explaining that she had "felt so misunderstood" after "sharing so much" of herself online and had come to value her privacy, noting that "privacy becomes really important over time." She said that "being misunderstood is definitely annoying", but has learned not to take criticism personally, reflecting that when she moved to Los Angeles at 19, she was still "figuring out who [she] was".[103]
Discography
Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions
↑Polito, Ryan (November 15, 2020), The E! People's Choice Awards, Burnish Creative, Den of Thieves, archived from the original on May 2, 2022, retrieved May 2, 2022
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