Addison Rae Underlines the Transformative Power of Music/Wearing Non-AirPods With “Headphones On”

As Addison Rae continues to build anticipation for her debut studio album (following her 2023 EP titled simply: AR), not only did she appear this past week on the Gobi Stage at Coachella with Arca to perform “Arcamarine” (the remix of “Aquamarine”), but she’s now offered up a fourth single, “Headphones On.” The promotional blitzkrieg has even been steeped in as much of the 00s tradition as Rae’s aesthetic and music. Complete with Rae wearing panties that read “June 6th”—the album’s release date (look out MARINA, whose Princess of Power is out the same day)—while on the stage with Arca, in a maneuver that was decidedly “Macy Gray at the 2001 VMAs” (albeit slightly subtler than that). And “Headphones On” might be her most nostalgic-sounding track yet, awash in the style of Britney Spears circa In the Zone (think: “Early Mornin’”). Taking into account how much of an unabashed fangirl Rae is of Spears, that correlation is likely not a coincidence. 

This even extends to the pink hair look that Rae sports during portions of the accompanying video (directed by Mitch Ryan, who also did “High Fashion”), filmed in Iceland (namely, its capital: Reykjavik). For those wondering “why there?,” perhaps it’s as simple as: it’s the environment of “fantasy.” Especially to a girl from Louisiana. And yet, more than that, it plays into the key “gimmick” of the video: one second, Rae is at a dreary Iceland supermarket location in the UK, and the next, the music on her headphones transports (and transforms) her to the real Iceland. But before that, Rae is certain to highlight the “ordinary,” “everyday” side of existence, briefly ignoring the “fantastical” element of it in favor of opening on a scene of her working as a checkout girl at the Iceland, scanning a few “standards” (including what looks like a box of hair dye) as she showcases her Iceland flag-print nails, and then exiting the premises to (presumably) enjoy a music/cigarette break. Amid an exterior that embodies the sort of stark, middle-of-nowhere milieu that reminds one of where most Ikea locations are constructed. 

Around the thirty-second mark, Rae’s profile is framed in front of a poster of frozen fruit as she puts her headphones on. Although the viewer can notice a slight rocking motion on her part, they won’t know for sure that said motion is building up toward a full-circle moment at the end of the video. In the next instant, after she follows her own advice to “put your headphones on,” a scene of two Icelandic horses lit up to look pink cuts in before Rae (her own hair now bright pink à la the famed Britney wig post-head shaving) then rides a white horse along the black-sanded beach.

The effect, of course, is decidedly whimsical (the stuff that romance covers are made of, minus the presence of a muscular, shirtless man riding the horse with Rae). Ryan then starts to intersperse the scenes of Rae back in the drab version of “Iceland” (the UK-based grocery store), reminding viewers that Rae’s imagination is running wild thanks to the transformative power of music, acting as a balm for one’s day-to-day troubles and drudgeries, as well as a means of escapism. A theme that might sound cheesy, but doesn’t make it any less true. Because yes, a lot of people might be dead (à cause du suicide) were it not for music’s healing abilities. 

Healing not just the trauma of suffering through the woes of life on a more general level (e.g., an Orange One presidency), but on a highly specific one as well. This revealed via Rae’s verse, “Wish my mom and dad could have been in lovе/Guess some things werеn’t meant to last forever/I compare my life to the new it girl/Jealousy’s a rip tide, it pulls me under.” That latter line inferring that she no longer considers herself the freshest it girl (as she so clearly did on Charli XCX’s “von dutch” remix). Even so, Rae shrugs, “Guess I gotta accept the pain/Need a cigarette to make me feel better/Every good thing comes my way.” Addressing that type of “manifest it” energy on her Instagram account, Rae commented of the song, “Every good thing comes my way. Because I choose to be good.” In other words, she’s on that Ariana Grande “just like magic” bullshit, thinking she “manifested it” through pure thought alone, when, in reality, having a leg up in the world already is what helps make “every good thing come your way” (or, as she declared in cliché form on “Aquamarine,” “The world is my oyster”).  

But it’s better to let her followers and listeners believe that “dreaming big” can lead to even bigger things—that’s how the wheels of capitalism keep turning. And, speaking of dreaming, Rae’s daydreaming continues as she listens to music (likely her own, Spears’ or Charli XCX’s) on her headphones. Headphones that, mercifully, are not AirPods. A refreshing sight indeed, for there is nothing douchier than AirPods. And, where once wearing them was a sign of class status, it’s now become a greater sign of one’s generational assignation. Thus, for a Gen Zer to wear non-AirPods (a.k.a. headphones with wires) is a fairly major deal.

In fact, Rae’s “retro” sensibilities, favoring the early to mid-00s of Spears’ heyday, have meant she’s been pushing for the resurgence of iPods (specifically, the third generation iPod Nano) as she rolls out the visuals for this song. This being why, to promote the single, she’s posted videos and images of herself listening to an iPod with (gasp!) wired headphones (also wearing them in the “Headphones On” video). Which might seem anathema to Gen Z, but it only seems to further prove her lust for living during the era of Millennial Supremacy. Alas, she’ll have to settle for the ersatz version of that, much as she has to settle, in the end, for being in an Iceland grocery store as opposed to the real Iceland. 

Framing that reconciliation in a positive light for the bridge (which sounds a lot like Spears’ method of talking on “Touch of My Hand” as she announces, “I love myself/It’s not a sin/I can’t control what’s happenin’”), Rae assures herself, “I know the lows are what makes the highs higher/So I tell myself this as a reminder/Life’s no fun through clear waters” (even though the truth is that it definitely is). Besides, if you’re inventive enough, you can create those “clear waters” (read: moments of fun and carefreeness) even during the murkiest of times.

That’s why Rae chooses to end the video on a comedic—rather than fantasy-driven—note (that also feels like a nod to Jennifer Connelly in Career Opportunities) as we see that she was riding a coin-operated horse in front of the store all along. Anything to “make her feel better” (read: ignore the horrors of being a minimum-wage worker). And, accordingly, maybe even get a slight flutter “down there” in the process. Ah, the power of music…when it soundtracks a distracting orgasm.