Cool New Pop Songs: Addison Rae's 'Diet Pepsi' Is a Sugar Rush and Possible Turning Point

Looking for some motivation to power through the start of another work week? We're feeling you and with some amazing new pop songs, we've got you covered. These tracks from artists including Nina Nesbitt, Sophie Thatcher, Lunar Vacation and more will give you energy to enjoy the week.

Hottest New Pop Song of the Week: Addison Rae, “Diet Pepsi”

Before artists like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato were accepted as pop stars in the 2010s, they were largely dismissed by critics and adult audiences as Disney children's artists, making music for the young and they were not to be taken too seriously. . A pop generation later, the designation previously bestowed on Disney Channel alumni has been transferred to social media influencers — many of whom, from the D'Amelio sisters to Huddy to Bella Poarch, are trying to translate millions TikTok followers to famous music stars. and who are still largely rejected by music biz gatekeepers.

Addison Rae is in that group, too: The 23-year-old Louisiana native is a true triple threat as an actress, former competitive dancer, and recording artist, who happens to have the fifth-most followers of any TikTok account. Last year, Rae's debut EP AR featured some bright spots as a bubblegum project and appeared on the remix to Charli xcx's “Von Dutch” in March alongside AG Cook, participating in Brat extended universe months before the official start of Brat Summer.

Now, with a newly signed deal with Columbia Records, Rae has her first solo single out in 2024 — and after Rae's previous gestures at pop stardom, “Diet Pepsi” suggests she could someday make the leap .

“Diet Pepsi” plays like a Lana Del Rey song refracted through a radio lens. Soda is sipped and blue jeans ripped during a backseat encounter with a dude in a gold chain, as Rae straddles the line between sexually charged exposition in the verses, breathless pre-chorus exclamations and gleeful falsetto on the hook (” When we drove in your car, I'm your baby / Losing all my innocence in the back seat,” she sings) — she switches keys on the final chorus to emphasize her longing.

The “Diet Pepsi” music video, directed by Sean Price Williams, leans into the haze of Lana-like Americana, with fast-paced black-and-white clips that communicate raucous lust and pinup-like imagery. However, Rae also puts her own playful spin on this image, smiling while covering her face with the American flag and putting her lipstick on a car window.

Regardless of its future impact or its role in predating a proper Columbia Records album, “Diet Pepsi” is a promising step for Rae, as a mesmerizing pop track that establishes an aesthetic for multiples. The dark shimmering sound is more mature than his ARbut more importantly, it is clearer. Rae's debut EP was impressive, but now we're starting to get a better sense of who she could be as a recording artist. For Rae, “Diet Pepsi” may not be an instant smash, but it could very well prove to be a turning point.

Here are some new pop songs worth checking out this week…