Every now and then, the pendulum of pop culture swings to shine light upon the talent of a shiny new pop star, giving them unprecedented levels of fame, critical acclaim, and online virality and presence, all in what seems to be a relatively short space of time.
An after-effect of this phenomenon is a show like Addison Rae’s at Manchester Academy: a rare occasion in which an artist, who could easily sell out a much larger space, ends up offering a level of intimacy that will never again be paralleled in their career, by way of not wanting to jump the gun in heading directly to larger venues.
Credit: Frankie Austick @ The Mancunion
Addison, 24, found her first foot in fame on social media platform TikTok during the close of the last decade, riding the wave of an app which functioned as a form of escapism for many during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has since maintained an inescapable online presence. Her early days saw her dance skills and close-knit friendships with other social media stars catapult her to the top, being one of the most followed users of all time on the platform. What differentiated Rae from her peers, though, was a clear indication of her intent to stay in the spotlight.
As early as 2021, with the release of her debut single ‘Obsessed’, fans started to understand the level of talent Addison had beyond the surface. Rae spent the following few years upholding her persona, starring in Netflix’s He’s All That and Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving, securing multiple brand deals and remaining directly in the forefront of pop culture. Everything changed for Addison in late 2022, with the leak of early studio material she had recorded for a potential debut album. Her return to music was met with a rave response online, with the leaks swiftly gaining traction.
Credit: Frankie Austick (@fgapics) @ The Mancunion
Initially, the project was considered scrapped by Rae and her team. But, with the encouragement of her fans and peers such as Charli xcx - a frequent collaborator she met through a Pandora campaign around the time of the leaks - Rae released a package of her own material in 2023 titled AR1. Whilst not largely commercially successful, culturally the EP cemented Rae as one to watch. Her rendition of the scrapped Lady Gaga track, ‘Nothing On (But The Radio)’, and xcx collaboration ‘2 Die 4’ gained notoriety for their catchiness, leaving the world pondering: what next?
Rae returned to the forefront of pop culture with her first commercially successful track ‘Diet Pepsi’. The critically acclaimed track was dubbed "dreamy" by Rolling Stone and was her first top ten hit on the official UK charts, giving credit to her fanbase's claim that she could be the future of pop music. The track was followed by a string of well-received singles, including the similarly successful ‘Headphones On’. Addison Rae then released her self-titled debut album Addison in June of this year, and recently set off on her first world tour in support of it.
Credit: Frankie Austick @ The Mancunion
The second date of the tour was in our very own Manchester Academy. Unsurprisingly, it sold out in seconds. Since then, it has been a battle to secure a spot through resale, and has by far been the hottest ticket in a long time for the city. Fittingly, Rae’s performance was nothing short of spectacular. Her staging and production were that of an arena-scale performance, featuring choreography, crowd interaction, and outfit changes throughout. What truly made this show special, however, was Addison’s sheer glee with the crowd’s response: "this is my dream!", she exclaimed.
Whilst the set only lasted 45 minutes, not one track felt like a filler, nor was there time for a bathroom break. Rae’s commitment to being a true pop star was evident in the amount of effort she put into her stage presence, even compromising on vocals in order to uphold the image. This is a theatre-level of commitment only encountered previously from the greats - Britney Spears and Lady Gaga, for example - who share an understanding that being a pop star is as much about escapism as sound alone.
Credit: Frankie Austick @ The Mancunion
Those who did miss out on a ticket should not worry, as it can be said with full confidence that Addison is here to stay, and if she enjoyed her trip to the Northern Quarter, this probably won't be the last time she sets foot in our city.
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