No, You're Not Too Old to Like Addison Rae

Uninterested? Dislike the album? That's your call, but it's not about your DOB. Plus: Sabrina, Charli, #1 Olivia, Jem and the Holograms, AJLT hate-watching, a bit of 🏀✨ + more.

Hi hi hi.

How ‘bout those ‘Cers, huh? I will not bore you once more with the play-by-play of my basketball mania. Today, anyway.

A few quick notes for the handful of people that get a kick out of this sort of nonsense:

• I made sure I had the comeback ‘fit in case it was necessary for Game 1.

Fans are playing their roles across ‘Cers Nation and we are grateful for all sacrifices feeding the basketball gods and the greater good. I hope this gentleman heals quickly and I feel his pain.

• The signs are signing. I see you, H. In this world, it is just us…against all the haters and the underestimators.

• I will also be taking Beyoncé’s incorporation of a “WTHelly” snippet into the Cowboy Carter Tour as a nod to my guys. Also, people from Texas aren’t typically gonna fuck with a team from Oklahoma. So, shhhhhhh. Just let me have this.

• I will be holding the pattern and present in the building for Game 4. On Friday the 13th. I’ve never been to an NBA Finals game in my life. So this is hugely exciting on many levels.

Standard texts with my brother.

• I might need to make some bracelets.

"I think it's a new blueprint for the league man. I think the years of the superteams and stacking it's not as effective as it once was. The new trend now is just kind of what we're doing. OKC does the same thing, use the power of friendship as how they call it."

—Myles Turner, the LEGO King of Indianapolis

• This shirt was delivered on the day of Game 1 and I am wearing it as I typed.

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Sidebar: How did I miss this fantastic Abby-coded outfit on James Johnson earlier in the season?!?

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• Nails? Also ready for it.

Four yellow/gold nails for four Ws to take the title, natch.

Thank you to all who have joined the bandwagon. Isn’t it fun?????

Now, onto the rest.

And Just Like That…They Try to Get Meta

We all see what you did there with Miranda’s comment about understanding hate-watching. It didn’t change a singular thing about how I view the show.

I’m trying out some categories to organize the self-imposed rage I feel—and enjoy.

Stabby

• Aidan’s face. Aidan’s voice. Aidan just showing up out of nowhere after he told Carrie they should be apart for five years, but then made her listen to the most horrifying phone sex sounds anyone has ever heard. Aidan’s dumbass explanation of their relationship status and its rules, which are toxic and manipulative. Aidan’s emoji use. Aidan’s continued existence on this show and in the culture.

• I don’t think we’re really at a “play school shootings for laughs” place in America. Or at the very least this isn’t the show with enough comedic deftness and dexterity to do so.

• Are we just dropping the whole Carrie and Samantha text now thing? I need at least one Sam line about how asinine all this Aidan stuff is and how Carrie is settling for a mansplaining idiot with bad taste in jewelry.

• It would appear Carrie’s not gonna do a lick of research for this historical fiction novel she’s writing from the rat cave. Thanks, I hate it.

Irked

• Carrie’s kitchen in this manse of a Gramercy house is about the size of the one in her 1BR. That’s gotta be a back kitchen, right?

• Why is Carrie so much more skittish all the time? Since when would Carrie Bradshaw be deer-in-headlights timid about making her way through a crowded, chic restaurant?

• There has to be a turn wherein Cheri Oteri comes back and doesn’t try to change Seema right?

• Shoe should not play this big a role in the plotting of the show 🙄. Get the fuck outta here Chekhov’s cat.

• I absolutely believe two helicopter moms on the UES would be psychotic about college admission tutors, but I hate that this is what we’re doing with Charlotte and LTW. There’s nary a hint of a fun or fresh take on an overwrought stereotype. Or is that what they think the slapstick is doing? Pass. I did, however, giggle when Herbert Jr. asked his mom if he was inauthentic.

• Speaking of not a fresh take in sight, Lisette’s dating rant was also tired AF. Can we really not do better than this and a phone throw?

Sure, Okay

• Is this my favorite thing the AJLT version of Carrie has ever worn? I think it just might be.

• The hot garden guy who she better fuck!

Listen, did I think I’d one day be attracted to Trey Atwood (low-key cosplaying as Tom Hardy), Ryan’s troubled older brother who Marissa kills on The O.C.? No, but here we are.

What an iconic scene. Ah, the Imogen Heap of it all.

Of course, this dumb show had to suck a bit of the charm and hot out by calling him Adam Gardens, which I assume is the name of his business, but henceforth the only way he shall be known. Whatever. I’ll take anything I can get here.

• Tableside guac at Rosa Mexicano. Always a good idea.

• Cheri Oteri, in general.

• Miranda becoming obsessed with a TV show her friends aren’t into. Bi Bingo is the new Jules & Mimi¹. We love to see an actual character thread woven into this new mess.

Do I Provoke You With My Tone of Innocence?

Addison Rae’s debut LP—Addison—dropped on Friday and in my opinion it’s a gauzy, floaty summer dream of a pop joint.

I’ll get into what I love in a sec, but first…

I get v. frustrated with the way people often use “I’m too old for [INSERT ANYTHING HERE]” in relation to art and music and pop culture. It’s typically very dismissive, even if someone doesn’t intend for it to be. As if you must outgrow certain things or genres you once enjoyed—which is just a dumb, reductive concept. No, you’re not too old to consume something you enjoy². Ever. And I don’t simply say this because I have a lot of interests outside of the demographic norms society would like to place upon us.

It also sends a shitty message to younger people. About aging, sure. But it also subconsciously labels their stuff as somehow more frivolous, which is bullshit and goes against every underlying principle of We Have Notes.

Now, you may be at a point in life where you are not interested in partaking in a part of the culture. That’s a very different framing. It also doesn’t mean you have to speak about a “younger” part of the culture in the WAY actual youths do. Nobody wants to be a “how do you do fellow kids” gif.

I simply don’t believe you ever have to diminish your own love of something because of its primary audience. And you should never dismiss an album or a show or a social media platform on the basis of people younger than you loving it.

You can hate or ignore anything you want. Maybe just think about how you frame that in your own brain—and certainly in conversations IRL and online. I would never think you didn’t like a thing because of your age, but because of your preferences and tastes. Remember: You don’t have to age into apathy. Stay curious and passionate about…anything!!!

But back to my girl Addison Rae.

I am riveted by everything she is doing: the music, the clothes, the glam, how her body moves, the branding decisions, the vibes. I can’t take my eyes off her and don’t want to.

Um, and she loves Co-Star.

She is VIBES and I am eating it all up.

I love the way she talks about her music.

And how self-aware she is at just 24.

Don’t make assumptions based on what she looks like or how she came to fame. TikTok is an avenue for that in many industries now. She has over 88 MILLION followers, by the way. Why are we acting so dismissive of it? This is what we did with YouTube too. Sure, there’s schlock on any social platform but that doesn’t mean there also isn’t a fuck ton of talent. Why punish someone for finding a way to get that seen? Um, what do you think writers were doing on Twitter back before it was a cesspool?

I also get so frustrated when there’s a ton of pushback to someone really WANTING IT. It’s especially bad for young women, but you saw some of this same pearl clutching when Timothée Chalamet gave his SAG acceptance speech and talked about striving to be one of the greats.

There’s a big conversation happening around Addison and authenticity that I think is fascinating to dissect. The entirety of her NYT Popcast interview is really culturally interesting and I highly recommend even if you’re not super into the music itself. I also pulled some clips sprinkled below if you’re all tl:dr.

Sidebar: The leg warmers and the entire outfit and the glam are so good I can’t.

Something that really stuck out for me (and lots of others) was when Addison said “Choice and taste is kind of a luxury in a lot of ways.” She was discussing her rise to fame dancing on TikTok as a teen and how she saw that as a means to an end…the music career she always wanted. And, yes, fame. Addison unabashedly wants that too—which she gets into on the album. Spoiler alert: Lots of our faves wanted it just as badly. Is that a crime? We put famous people on a pedestal (for better or worse) and then shame people who want to climb up there too. It’s weird.

She obviously had a LOT of ideas about the kind of musician and pop star she wanted to be, but she had to get out of her small town in Louisiana first. I respect that perspective immensely and would feel that way even if I didn’t like the music. Why are people so quick to assume this current version is the inauthentic one? I mean, I know why…but it pisses me off.

God forbid a woman have a plan right? It makes me think of this Taylor clip.

Or evolve in her late teens and early 20s.

I stan a confident young queen and wish to be more this way myself about my work. The art you make should be your favorite. But we aren’t taught to act that way, especially as girls.

Addison is a student of her influences and doing the opposite of trying to run away from that. I think she’s done a very cool 2025 interpolation of a number of people. From the obvious Britney comparisons (small town Louisiana girls, both), Marilyn, Lana, Gaga, Charli, and of course, Madonna.

I’m not out here saying she’s defined a whole new kind of pop, but I think she’s definitely taking it with this album. It’s a whole fucking vibe and very much an easy summer listen. She’s a cool girl’s cool girl and I think she’s going to do many a cool thing for years to come.

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Oh and did I mention Addison did the whole album with just two collaborators/co-writers/producers. Both women: Elvira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser.

So what songs are IT for me? Well, they did a brilliant job on the singles for this one. If you haven’t gone in on them previously (as I’m guessing many reading this have not), have at it now.

“Diet Pepsi”

Hate the drink, love the song. Straight banger.

“Aquamarine”

What I wouldn’t give to be able to move like this.

“High Fashion”

Scorpio-coded AF. (She’s a Libra sun, Aquarius moon, Gemini rising.) Or…maybe just my brain-coded?

A sampling of lyrics that I enjoyed a whole lot:

Have you ever dreamt of bein' seen?
Not by someone, more like in a magazine
Wantin' somethin' more than just a hit
Nothing else can make me feel like this

I know I'm drunk, but
I don't need your drugs
I'd rather get, rather get high fashion
I don't want cheap love
I'd rather get high fashion
I don't need your drugs

I'd rather feel the sun kiss on my skin
With a cigarette pressed between my tits
You know I'm not an easy fuck
But whеn it comes to shoes, I'll be a slut

Spiraling into you
I'm into you, denial
You make it hard, so hard to choose
Desire
I know how to make the hard things look really easy

These two feel very much a part of the song of summer conversation, whether you hate that or not is all up to you.

“Headphones On”

This has been in steady rotation in my ears since mid-April. We talked about it here, for sure.

“Fame Is a Gun”

She dropped this one just before the album came out and it’s gonna be a club banger for a while.

As for the non-singles on the album, my early faves are:

“Summer Forever”

I just love the sense of dreamy melancholy she seems to evoke with ease.

“Money Is Everything”

You know I love a pop song with a sense of humor—and a sense of sadness.

The live show at The Box in NYC Friday night looked groovy and I will now move on from this pop girlie to some others.

I am available for all Addison discussions and good faith critiques!

party 4 u (2025)

If you listen to Addison straight through, there’s a good chance “party 4 u” will stream up next after the final track. Charli’s been all in on Addison for a while now, after all.

If you spend any time online, you’ve likely been hearing this a bunch. But maybe you don’t know its lore.

The song is actually not new, which is news to many. Think Cruel Summer jamming up the charts years after Lover, thanks to The Eras Tour. It was once a very “just for the fans”. We knew what we knew.

“party 4 u”’s recent success follows that trajectory, with Charli’s fan base growing exponentially during the brat era. Then it recently went super viral on TikTok.

But it goes back further than that. The song was recorded and included on 2020’s How I’m Feeling Now. But it had been written years before that (circe 2017) and she’d pull it out during DJ sets and some live shows. Sorta like if “Medicine” ever ended up on an actual album. Harries would lose their shit and it would trend so hard on the clock app. So it was way popular with the real Charli stans. That was not me. I def heard it at some point after How I’m Feeling Now came out. But I dug it then, for sure. And I knew some real Charli gays who filled me in on the rest. Bless.

File it under: Abby’s favorite melancholic bangers pt. 17311301923483133101.

You could watch me pull up on your body
Like it's summer, take my clothes off in the water
Splash around and get you blessed like holy water
I don't know what you were waiting for
You know that I've been waiting for you
(I only threw this party for you)

This slays my heart.

Yeah, if you saw my tears, would you touch me?
Kiss me on the mouth, say you love me?
Leave a message, tell me you're sorry?
Hit me right back, hit me right back

Now, in 2025, she made a music video for it.

There’s also a larger message here. I try to remind myself of these sorts of examples all the time.

Brat turned one.

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Charli popped up with Air to do “Cherry Blossom Girl” in Paris. European festival truly is upon us.

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In Other Pop Girlie News…

Sabrina

What a week for our wee blond pop princess to drop a song called “Manchild”.

It’s totally fine! I like it, but I’m not currently OBSESSED. It sounds a lot like the album, but not quiiiiiiiite as good. There’s some clever stuff and it’s fun and sassy, but in my opinion this won’t be a song of summer.

LOL to Barry Keoghan though.

Plus: Prada? 🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌? Candy? Sabrina? This is the sort of product placement in a music video a girl like me dreams about.

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Showtime Synergy

Um, they’re making new Jem tracks and I die. She is truly one of my OG pop girlies.

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JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS are back and better than ever! And we’re celebrating JEM’s 40th anniversary in style.️ For the first time EVER, original music from the iconic 1980s series is making its debut on streaming platforms —fully remastered for a new generation! ⚡💖⚡️

We reunited with Britta Phillips, original lead vocalist, to record six of the most beloved tracks from the series. With a blend of synth-pop, glam rock, and girl-power anthems, JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS tap into 80s retro charm, bringing one of pop culture’s favorite animated bands into the digital age. This is more than a soundtrack—it’s a time capsule of empowerment, fashion, and fierce originality, ready to be rediscovered. 🎧 ⭐️ 🎸

So far, it’s just the re-imagined theme song, but I want to keep up with where this is going. And I’ll forever love the original. We’ll have to deep dive into the importance of Jem/Jerrica, the Holograms, the Misfits, et al soon.

Yes, I have a Jem lighter. She hangs with Stevie.

#1 Olivia

NBD, she just brought out David Byrne for a delightful performance of “Burning Down the House” at Gov Ball.

Rising Olivia

I feel I’ve not properly sung Olivia Dean’s praises here yet. I know she’s been mentioned, but here’s my full-throated recommendation to get on board. Her vibes are absolutely the chillest.

Her latest, “Nice to Each Other” came out this week.

Gracie

JJ’s daughter is back to posting new music snippets to the socials.

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And two girlie-adjacents.

Harry

He went to a festival and boogied. We love this for him. We also love that Kid Harpoon and Yaffa are around because yes they’re all good friends but they’re also likely HS4 collaborators. Bring it, sir. Soon. Please.

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His sister’s best friend’s photo dump gave us a new addition to The Toothbrush Series.

Never forget these gems.

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Elmo

Yes, that Elmo. He was on one of my favorites, Trackstar. We could all use some extra Elmo in our lives.

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Until next we meet, GO PACERS 💛💙. Oh, and we’re gonna talk lots of Bravo takes and news SOOOOOOON. Rachel Zoe! Maj!

xA

1. I miss that TiVo bloop sound all the time.

2. As always, with the caveat that you’re not hurting anyone, behaving like a creep, or getting into material that is harmful/bigoted/etc.