Addison Rae has reignited her pop career with “Diet Pepsi,” her first solo release since last year. It also marks Rae’s first official release on Columbia Records.
The dreamy new song has Rae channeling Born to Die-era Lana Del Rey. It’s a love song full of nostalgic imagery as it explores young love. “When we drive in your car, I’m your baby (So sweet)/Losing all my innocence in the backseat,” she sings on the chorus.
A black-and-white video released alongside the track’s debut and captures Rae riding shotgun, smashing a banana split with her feet, feeding her driver/lover cherries with her toes, and wrapped in the American flag.
Rae was part of an early wave of viral creators in TikTok, first posting dance videos to the platform in 2019. She first launched her music career in 2021 with the song “Obsessed,” released via Sandlot Records. That same year, she made her film debut in Netflix’s He’s All That, a remake of the 1999 film She’s All That. Last fall, she starred in Eli Roth’s slasher film Thanksgiving.
After “Obsessed,” Rae began teasing more music. Snippets of songs began to go viral online with Rae eventually dropping her debut EP AR. The bubblegum-pop collection featured writing and production credits from Rami Yacoub, OzGo, and Alexander23, as well as a guest spot by Charli XCX on the song “2 Die 4.” Rae returned the favor this year by becoming a major part of Charli’s Brat rollout, showing up at the British star’s Boiler Room set and later appearing on “The Von Dutch Remix,” produced by A. G. Cook. The pair performed the song live during Charli’s show in Los Angeles this past June.
