Professional Fangirl- Katelyn Benschoter
The award season is upon us, and this past weekend, the 68th annual Grammys aired. Whether you care about awards shows or not, it is true that the art, in this case music, that is nominated reflects culture at that moment in time. Therefore, it is important to tune into these events. That being said, everyone has an opinion when it comes to award show outfits, performances, and, of course, who wins. Nothing starts up a conversation quite like an award show. This year, the post-show discourse that I have seen all over my social media is about the Best New Artist nominations, performances, and, in particular, the fact that well-known TikToker Addison Rae was nominated for a Grammy. Everyone seems to have an opinion on whether she “deserved” to be nominated or not. While people will always have strong feelings towards awards if their favorite does not win, this seems different. Rae did not take home any Grammys, but much of the general public is still questioning if she deserved to be there and just what a “Best New Artist” nominee should be. Let’s unpack Addison Rae’s music career and why a TikToker being nominated for a Grammy matters.
If you were online in 2020, you probably have some awareness of who Addison Rae is. She was one of the most popular TikTokers known for dancing content, similar to Charli D’Amelio. She was also a part of the infamous “Hype House,” where many notable creators would gather and make content together. It was assumed she would follow a similar trajectory to any other influencer: have a viral video, get a few brand deals, and probably become irrelevant in a few years. The fact that I am writing an article about her in 2026 tells us she broke that curse. If anything, I would say she is more relevant than ever.
In terms of Rae’s music career, she did not have immediate success. Her first song, titled “Obsessed,” came out in October of 2021 and became known for all of the wrong reasons. People called the song unoriginal, the lyrics shallow, and her vocal performance flat. The hate did not end there. When she released the official music video, she officially became a joke. The way in which Rae dances in the video was made fun of all over social media. The world did not want Addison Rae to be a popstar. After this, Rae seemingly finished with music, but then returned in 2023 with “2 die 4,” and it even featured Charli XCX. This was a complete surprise, especially after how her first single flopped. Who’s to say how this collab came to be, but it may be Charli XCX to thank for the popstar Addison Rae developed into. “2 die 4” did not necessarily become a number 1 massive hit, but it was a large improvement and was received much better by fans. That being said, many still did not expect much to come from Rae’s music career; she would put out a few songs, but this would never become her career. Well, that assumption was wrong.
Addison Rae came back onto the scene this summer with a full album titled Addison, and unlike her previous works, it landed immediately. The album charted at number four on the Billboard top 100 and blew up instantly. Notably, her songs “Diet Pepsi” and “Fame is a Gun” were everywhere this summer, and still have maintained relevance. I personally was never that big of a fan of hers, but I really enjoy her recent album. In my opinion, she has finally found her sound. Fans agree the sound and aesthetics of this album are reminiscent of early 2000’s singers such as Britney Spears, and I couldn’t agree more. Fast forwarding, Addison’s debut album was so successful that she was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys, an award won by many notable artists such as Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, Adele, and Amy Winehouse, making her a very big deal. From having her first song instantly flop to being in the same category as icons, it is clear that Addison is no longer just some TikToker making music; she is a musician, yet people do not think she deserves to be in the award.
Despite Addison having a breakthrough year, people still perceive her as an unprofessional musician because of her past. It definitely is a strange adjustment to see her performing at the Grammys, but even I can admit she has properly broken into the music industry, and she deserves the respect that any of the other nominees got. Additionally, I think it is very telling that in our modern technological age, a former TikToker was nominated for a Grammy. I expect to see more Grammy-nominated musicians getting their start on TikTok within the next few years. Realistically, TikTok is a great platform to start making music on. As I mentioned earlier, Grammy-nominated artists represent the moment in time we are in. With that being said, I think it makes perfect sense that Addison Rae would be nominated for Best New Artist, and regardless of what one may think of Addison’s music, she deserves the respect of a proper artist.