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Photo: Bella Newman

Everything feels lighter when Addison Rae releases new music. The birds are chirping, all is well, and the mundane is meant to be romanticized. In her fourth single from her highly anticipated debut album out in June, the budding superstar transports us to a world of pure imagination with one easy task, putting our “Headphones On.” It’s impossible to separate this song from its stunning visuals, where we’re lucky enough to witness Rae living out her wildest fantasies on the Icelandic coast. In a mixture of neon flashes, dreamy overlays, wild horses, and a sultry R&B-inspired beat, “Headphones On” is a complete sonic and visual feat. 

Rae’s music is never just one-dimensional, and “Headphones On” may be the best example of that notion to date. The chorus, which the TikTok star-turned-artist has been teasing for a few weeks, is instant, but where “Headphones On” really shines is its singular verse and mesmerizing outro. It’s also the artist’s most vulnerable track yet, revealing the effect her parents' falling out of love had on her. But she doesn’t dwell on it for too long as she sings in her signature soft vocal, “You can't fix what has already been broken / You just have to surrender to the moment.”  

What makes Rae’s music so powerful is how her authentic spirit shines through, one that is willing to be honest about struggling but never sinking low enough to wallow in it. She knows that music is her strength, whether that be listening to her favorite song through her wired headphones or channeling the urge to escape into a masterpiece like “Headphones On.” 

Rae is constantly being doubted, downplayed, and deemed “try-hard” because of her past, but as she continues to roll out her first body of work, it becomes harder and harder for those claims to hold any weight. There’s an immense amount of effort, love, and passion being channeled into her music, and if that makes her a “try-hard,” we’re sure glad she is. “Headphones On” is another testament to her singular vision, and we can’t wait to enjoy what comes next from the one and only Addison Rae. 

Watch the "Headphones On" video below: