Laughing stock to legend: How Addison Rae pulled off the coolest rebrand in pop history

Something shifted. A whiff of icon in the air. In the corner shop, I did not reach for a can of Diet Coke. Instead I purchased Diet Pepsi. An utterly mind boggling choice to anyone unaware of the lore when not only is Diet Coke infinitely tastier than Diet Pepsi, but the also better Pepsi Max was right next to it. Still, Diet Pepsi was purchased. For the vibes. For the plot. Because this month belongs to Addison Rae, and I must honour her any way I can. When I press play on Diet Pepsi, I have to queue it three times. How did we get here? How did one of the most mocked figures of the post-pandemic era of pop culture rebrand from a total laughing stock to the coolest it girl you want everyone to know you listen to? Here’s a deep dive into the most admirable and impactful rebrand in pop land – the rebirth of Addison Rae and the endless appeal of Diet Pepsi.

Nobody saw this coming

Addison Rae on set of Diet Pepsi pic.twitter.com/2xgYcEW6SU

— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) October 5, 2024

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My first encounter with Addison Rae was probably around 2021. She began her TikTok account in 2019 and rapidly amassed a million followers in the same year – but in the sort of online world that completely passes me by. My FYP is not filled with perky young Americans doing TikTok dances, generally. She clearly was huge. Addison Rae Easterling is that kind of accessibly gorgeous, girl next door, all-American appeal – but at the start of her career, it was cringe. She was in the Hype House and she was gagging to be famous, to be noticed and to be a huge star. But she could not convert her TikTok platform into anything more than desperate side quests that always managed to feel inauthentic and an eye-roll.

Popping up in The Kardashians! Doing He’s All That! Doing horrible TikTok dances on Fallon! Everyone fuming she got invited to the Met Gala! By the time Addison Rae released Obsessed, her debut single – it was dead on arrival. No one could ever have expected how much the switch up would change everything.

We all need to thank Charli XCX

You know when there’s a pop star in a film or a TV show that’s fictional, and said film or TV show kind of wants you to hate the canon music from it as ‘trashy pop’? And then a load of gays get obsessed with it ironically / unironically and the film or TV show has to put it on Spotify? Well, following the flop of Obsessed, a load of Addison Rae leaks made it onto SoundCloud and got an underground level of acclaim. It suddenly became cool to stumble upon these random demos, and the music of Addison Rae became camp. Ironically great but self aware, nostalgic and Y2k – a knowing level of vapid. When Addison Rae was mocked for Obsessed’s lyrical content, she leaned into it.

the crowd doing addison’s von dutch scream in la pic.twitter.com/aYFImyv1QU

— addison rae archive (@addisonfiles) June 16, 2024

And then comes Charli. Charli XCX once said a very profound thing. “Music is not important. Artistry is. Not all artists have artistry. A musician creates a song, but an artist creates an entire world. A great artist to me is more than just the song – it’s the entire culture and the space that they inhabit. Music cannot alone create a world. The artist creates the world.”

When assessing how Addison Rae pulled off her Diet Pepsi rebrand, she not only has Charli XCX to thank for two co-signs and the credibility that working with Charli comes with (especially in the year of the BRAT).  When Addison dropped AR, last year’s EP – her approach to her music was knowing and campy. Charli’s feature on the ridiculously written 2 Die 4 gave it credibility. By the time Addison dropped her instantly viral scream on this year’s Von Dutch remix, she was in a cool universe built by Charli and respected as such.

The Charli association gave Addison Rae and her Diet Pepsi rebrand the foundation she needed to be taken seriously. Not that she doesn’t have the chops to be taken so without Charli, but it was an instant refresh.

Sittin on his lap sippin Diet Pepsi

Addison Rae – Diet Pepsi (uncropped & unedited) pic.twitter.com/GEag2UJKHf

— aiden (@bikini_gold) October 9, 2024

I don’t think even Addison Rae could have predicted that her full on rebirth with Diet Pepsi has become a bonafide organic smash hit single. Nearly at 100 million streams, it’s about top enter the top 20 of the UK singles chart and has climbed to a new peak on the Billboard 100. Diet Pepsi dropped in August, and it has a new peak every week. How did Addison Rae pull off this rebrand? Because with Diet Pepsi she shed the eye-roll persona by building a world, like Charli XCX stated – it’s what makes a great artist. By associating with Charli XCX and borrowing and embracing aesthetics from Lana Del Rey she has arrived credible. Heck, Camila Cabello covered it in the live lounge for BBC and said she wished Diet Pepsi was on her own album. A main pop girl arrival if ever you’ve seen one.

Addison Rae did what most content creators like JoJo Siwa and the D’Amelios could not – transitioned from viral videos to respected success. She is knowing of her skills and what she has and does not have. What she has is charisma, her ear to the ground and a taste for pop culture. Whilst it may appear her music borrows from great artists, it is her own individual joyous persona that makes her so engaging. You get the sense that she was simply born to be a superstar, born to adore the cameras and adores being famous. It’s diva personified.

When Addison Rae posted a picture of her boobs with two cans of Diet Pepsi over them, simply captioned “I love Lana” – it was the perfect easter egg. It’s the drink of the year and song of the decade. Long live a laughing stock turned legend.

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Addison Rae featured image By: CraSH/imageSPACE/Shutterstock