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Obsessed (Addison Rae song)

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"Obsessed"
Single by Addison Rae
from the EP AR (Spotify version)
ReleasedMarch 19, 2021 (2021-03-19)
RecordedOctober 2020
GenreDance-pop
Length2:14
Label
  • Sandlot
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Producer(s)
Addison Rae singles chronology
"Obsessed"
(2021) 		"Diet Pepsi"
(2024)
Music video
"Obsessed" on YouTube

"Obsessed" is the debut single by American singer Addison Rae, released on March 19, 2021, through Sandlot Records.[1]

The song peaked at number ten on the US Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. The song was originally intended to be the lead single from Rae's debut album, but the project was shelved due to Rae's lack of confidence. An EP consisting of 4 unreleased tracks, titled AR, was later officially released August 18, 2023, with "Obsessed" as a Spotify-exclusive bonus track on the EP.

Background

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Rae initially made a name for herself as a social media personality, having created her TikTok account in the summer of 2018. In October 2019, she reached one million followers on the platform. Around Thanksgiving that year, she dropped out of Louisiana State University, where she was studying broadcast journalism, and moved to Los Angeles with her mother Sheri Nicole Easterling. In December that year, she became one of the co-founders of The Hype House.[2]

Despite her success as a TikToker, a month before COVID-19 lockdown, Rae told talent managers Justin Greenberg and Joe Izzi about her desire to act, sing and dance. Greenberg and Izzi helped her land a role in Netflix's He's All That (2021), which would turn out to be a critical failure but a commercial success. The managers also booked her first songwriting sessions, with Rae herself starting acting and singing classes.[2]

Production and composition

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Preceding the release, Rae worked with songwriter Jacob Kasher Hindlin to study songwriting. Rae released the song through Hindlin's independent label, Sandlot Records. They worked with manager Adam Mersel, and publicists Katie Greenthal and Courtni Asbury of The Lede Company.[3] After four months in the Hindlin's studio, Rae and her team developed most of "Obsessed" in one session.[3]

"Obsessed" is a dance-pop song.[4] The lyrics are about a relationship and self-hate,[4][5] with the tongue-in-cheek chorus "I'm obsessed with me-e-e as much as you."[2] At a young age, Rae was influenced by her mother's playlist which included music from the 1990s and 2000s. In an interview with Vogue, Rae identifies Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, and Katy Perry as musical influences. She cited Taylor Swift as an inspiration for the song.[5]

Promotion

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Rae performed "Obsessed" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, marking her debut appearance on a late-night talk show. She released accompanying clothing and poster merchandise.[4]

Critical reception

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"Obsessed" was critically panned; in a review for PopDust, music critic Langa stated "Addison Rae's embarrassing new single 'Obsessed' proves she should stick to lip syncing".[6] Zoe Haylock of Vulture negatively compared Rae's use of whispering to Selena Gomez.[7] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Nick Romano described the lyrics as "[reading] more like a text exchange", while assuming the message was "about how obsessed [Rae] is with herself", in contrast with what Rae intended, writing "the execution may have gotten lost in translation".[8]

Writing for British Vogue in 2023, Amel Mukhtar described "Obsessed" as "fabulously camp" and wondered: "Was it shallow trash, or tongue-in-cheek art?"[9] The same year, Rae revealed to American Vogue that the criticism she received from the song almost made her quit music entirely, as it made her believe that she wasn't good enough for the industry.[10] In a 2024 interview with Rolling Stone, she told Brittany Spanos: "I still think that song's good. I think there's room for constructive criticism. [But] it almost wasn't even about the song. It was [about] me doing it."[2]

Commercial performance

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In the United States, the song debuted at its peak of number 10 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart issue dated April 3, 2021, which serves as a twenty-five slot extension to the main Billboard Hot 100.

Music video

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The music video, directed by Diane Martel, includes dances choreographed by Sara Biv and Calvit Hodge.[5] On the day of its release, the single was the sixth video trending on YouTube.[4] Kyle Luu was the stylist. In parts of the video, Rae wore catsuits by LaQuan Smith, clothing by Mugler and a fake fur Gucci bolero. Her white Dion Lee corset was inspired by the Britney Spears' music video for "Sometimes". The catsuit was influenced by the music video of "Say You'll Be There" by the Spice Girls.[5]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Obsessed"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 74
Ireland (IRMA)[12] 64
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[13] 15
UK Indie Breakers (OCC)[14] 9
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[15] 10

Release history

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Release history for "Obsessed"
Country Date Format Label Ref.
Various March 19, 2021
Sandlot [16]
United States March 30, 2021 Contemporary hit radio [17]

References

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  1. ^ Obsessed - Single by Addison Rae, March 19, 2021, retrieved September 4, 2023
  2. ^ a b c d Spanos, Brittany (January 21, 2025). "Addison Rae Goes Deep on TikTok Stardom, Her Debut Album, and More". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Hissong, Samantha (March 19, 2021). "Addison Rae's Next Act: Pop Star". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Mamo, Heran (March 19, 2021). "Addison Rae Gets Fans 'Obsessed' With Surprise Debut Single & Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Okwodu, Janelle (March 19, 2021). "Addison Rae on Her Pop Reinvention and Debut Single 'Obsessed'". Vogue. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "Addison Rae and the Worst Songs by Social Media Stars". PopDust. May 24, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  7. ^ Haylock, Zoe (March 19, 2021). "Addison Rae Drops Debut Single All About Addison Rae". Vulture. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  8. ^ Romano, Nick (March 19, 2021). "TikTok star Addison Rae is 'Obsessed' with herself in debut single". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  9. ^ Mukhtar, Amel (January 3, 2023). "The 9 Musicians Set To Take Over In 2023". British Vogue. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  10. ^ "'I Think I'm Just a Curious Person': Addison Rae on Her Quest for Pop Perfection". Vogue. August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  11. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Chart: April 3, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  12. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  14. ^ "Official Independent Singles Breakers Chart on 26 March 2021 - 1 April 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  15. ^ "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Chart: April 3, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  16. ^ "Obsessed - Single by Addison Rae on Apple Music". Apple Music. US: Apple Inc. March 18, 2021.
  17. ^ "Top 40/Mainstream: Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
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