When we first heard the bridge of Addison Rae’s latest single “Aquamarine”, comparisons were drawn to Madonna’s 1998 ambient electro-pop album Ray Of Light and Kylie Minogue’s 2001 disco-inspired dance record Light Years. It’s a testament to Rae’s world-building and deep understanding of her visual artistry that the 24-year-old has already been equated to two of the world’s biggest pop icons since releasing her major label debut single “Diet Pepsi” earlier this year.
But as it transpires, the sensual all-Americana young romance she croons about in the song was only a palette cleanser. Rebranded and refocused, Rae is firing on all cylinders with “Aquamarine”, enshrining her place in the zeitgeist as a musical force worthy to be reckoned with and taken seriously.
As she sings herself, she’s transforming, realigning and giving audiences more than she ever has. This, in part, would be a culmination of the creative advisories she’s tapped for guidance; Charli XCX, Interview Magazine’s Mel Ottenberg, stylist extraordinaire Dara Allen, alt-photographer darling Petra Collins, and director and cinematographer Sean Price Williams. As it was with “Diet Pepsi”, the single only tells half the story, with Rae reuniting this cast for a music video dripping in sleaze.
We open with Rae as a modern-day Nomi Maloney from Showgirls, dancing in an Eyes Wide Shut-esque mask in a hotel room. Her audience, who are dressed like they’ve just come from Truman Capote’s Black-and-White Ball, don’t understand her mystique and allure, so she escapes into the night alone but drowning in Chanel No. 5.
Like an alley cat, she’s scantily clad in a sheer, sequin maxi and “dancing in her own reflection” as she takes drags down the street. It’s very Sofia Coppola’s Bling Ring meets a high-brow coquette, especially as she crawls and vogues through back streets of Paris in a nude négligée and Christian Louboutin heels.
This is Rae’s siren call. Let her lure you in by watching the clip for “Aquamarine” below. Addison, we can’t wait to dip into the reservoir of your mind again.
