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16 Great New Shows to Watch This Weekend on Netflix, Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and More

16 Great New Shows to Watch This Weekend on Netflix, Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and More

Yahoo17-05-2025

The steady stream of new shows continues in May with new series and returning favorites on Netflix, Peacock, Max and more. As always, there's a lot to choose from, so which ones are worth your time and attention?
That's a question and responsibility Watch With Us takes seriously. We're here to recommend shows that will either enrich your life or leave a smile on your face. (And if you're lucky, they'll do both.)
Among the best shows to watch this weekend are a detective procedural with Natasha Lyonne, a travel docuseries featuring one of the best comedians living and a reality competition series that is guaranteed to leave you gagging in a good way.
Need more recommendations? Then check out Great Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now, Best Shows on Netflix Right Now, Best Shows on HBO and Max Right Now and Best Shows on Peacock Right Now.Everyone's favorite casino-worker-turned-amateur-sleuth is back on the case in Poker Face season 2. Actually, make that several cases as Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) has to solve mysteries involving murderous quintuplets (all played by Wicked actress Cynthia Erivo), a missing funeral owner's wife and a female mob boss who needs help finding a mole within her gang.
Much of what made season 1 so entertaining is present in season 2, including a still-terrific Lyonne as the sarcastic gumshoe, a cavalcade of unusual guest stars (John Mulaney, Haley Joel Osment and Katie Holmes all show up at some point), and a case-of-the-week plot structure that feels both retro and different from other mystery shows. Poker Face season 2 has 10 episodes; the first three are now streaming.
Have you ever felt the desire for Conan O'Brien to go away? Well, the famous comedian has, too, and he's made a successful travel show out of fleeing America to visit other countries. While season 1 saw the late-night host venture to Norway, Thailand, Argentina and Ireland, season 2 begins with Conan herding sheep in New Zealand with Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi.
Conan then joins Oscar-winning Javier Bardem in Spain, where the two visit a museum and paddle in a river before the 2025 Oscars host hits the ski slopes in Austria. No matter where he is, though, O'Brien retains the same zany humor and adventurous spirit that made him so famous in the first place.
Are you ready to go back to the Werk Room? It's only been a couple of weeks since RuPaul's Drag Race crowned its latest queen, but that won't stop RuPaul and her Pit Stop crew from returning to TV with yet another edition of All Stars.
This time around, the drag competition show adopts a tournament structure with 18 returning queens placed into three brackets, where they will compete before advancing to the semi-finals and then a final with the last three remaining competitors. Some notable contestants include Jorgeous, Ginger Minj, Aja, Bosco, Daya Betty, Olivia Lux and more. Expect gag-worthy runways, wig reveals and lip-syncs that will bring the house down.
What happens when the whole world changes overnight and you don't know how it happened or why? That's the central premise of The Eternaut, an outstanding new sci-fi series from Argentina that's already one of Netflix's most popular shows. Based on a popular 1950s graphic novel, the six-episode series begins with a beautiful but deadly snowfall that wipes out most of humanity.
The survivors are left to pick up the pieces, and that includes Juan Salvo (Ricardo Darín), who wants to find his missing daughter and ex-wife. But first, he'll have to figure out a way to venture outside without touching the lethal snow. Will Juan find his family? And more importantly, will humanity's survivors find answers to why this apocalyptic event happened in the first place?
The Eternaut is a riveting sci-fi show that finds new ways to explore its end-of-the-world scenario. At only six episodes, it doesn't overstay its welcome, and provides just enough closure to end on a satisfying, if somewhat ambiguous, note.
In numerous movies and TV shows, the French are portrayed as excelling at three things: making food, having sex and fighting wars. In Carême, the lead character, Antoine Carême (Benjamin Voisin), engages in all three as one of the first celebrity chefs ever. (Gordon Ramsay has nothing on this guy.) Antoine's skills in the kitchen are matched by his prowess in the bedrooms of the elite, which makes him the perfect spy for those with revolution in mind.
The eight-episode series plays fast and loose with history, but when a show is this sexy and fun, you don't mind the slight exaggerations of fact. Voisin portrays Carême as a sort of punk rock chef, a Sid Vicious with a butter knife and an endless appetite for whatever pleases him. The show is somewhat similar to Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette in that it emphasizes mood and style over substance, and it works incredibly well here.
You'd think this miniseries is about the life of famous novelist Jane Austen, but it's actually about her sister, Cassandra. She's noteworthy primarily due to her burning most of her sister's letters after her death. Why did she do it? And what could possibly be in those letters that led Cassandra to commit such an uncharacteristically extreme act?
Those are the central questions that Miss Austen, the new four-part miniseries that debuts on PBS on May 4, seeks to answer. As Cassandra, Bodyguard actress Keeley Hawes portrays a woman determined to protect her sister's legacy, even if it means destroying evidence of her sibling's genius. The series flashes back to the sisters' early childhood and traces the evolution of their relationship through young adulthood. Miss Austen is part costume drama, part mystery, but it's always entertaining, and Hawkes is terrific as the fiercely protective Cassandra.
The world of competitive ballet has been the inspiration for lots of great movies like 1977's The Turning Point, 2000's Center Stage and 2010's Black Swan. It's now the subject of the new eight-episode Amazon Prime Video series Étoile, which stars Charlotte Gainsbourg and Luke Kirby as the heads of competing French and American ballet companies who agree to swap their top dancers to save their jobs.
Things don't go according to plan as clashing egos, secret backstage romances and inter-office politics threaten to end the ambitious experiment before it ever really begins. Gilmore Girls and Marvelous Mrs. Maisel masterminds Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino created Étoile, so expect a lot of witty banter and random pop culture references between the pirouettes and heartbreaks. The show is breezy and fun, and gives the talented French actress Gainsbourg a rare lead role in an American TV series.
All good things must come to an end, even shows about charming serial killers who seem to get away with everything. For You's Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), it looks like he won't live to slay another day as the popular Netflix series is ending after its current season.
Season 5 is set three years after the last season and sees Joe return to his old stomping grounds in New York City. He's still with Kate (Charlotte Lockwood), and he's regained custody of his son Henry (Frankie DeMaio). But Kate's extended family doesn't care much for Joe or his desire for their money, which reawakens his killer instincts.
Who will stop Joe's latest murder spree? And who is the mysterious Bronte (Madeline Brewer), who seems to have a connection to Joe's past? You can find out now by streaming all of You season 5's episodes on Netflix.
It's been three years since Andor first premiered, but fans can relax now that the second and final season has finally premiered. (The end of Andor will lead directly into the beginning of Rogue One.) This season picks up one year after the events of last season's jaw-dropping finale, with Maarva's death (Fiona Shaw) and Cassian's (Diego Luna) breathless escape into space. Cassian is still fighting Rebel troops while Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) engages in covert diplomatic battles in the political realm. Ben Mendelsohn joins the cast this season, reprising his Rogue One role as Orson Krennic, and Adria Arjona returns as Cassian's partner-in-arms, Bix Caleen.
Season 2 is structured in four three-episode parts released weekly. Episodes 1, 2 and 3 are available to watch now, while episodes 4, 5 and 6 will be out on April 29, episodes 7, 8 and 9 will be released on May 6 and episodes 10, 11 and 12 will stream on May 13. Season 2 promises to be just as good — if not better — than season 1, making Andor one of the best Star Wars stories ever told.
Nathan Fielder is television's reigning prince of weird. The Canadian comedian got his start writing for Important Things with Demetri Martin before headlining his own successful Comedy Central series, Nathan For You. He received widespread critical acclaim for his HBO show The Rehearsal, a strange docuseries where Fielder, who plays himself, helps strangers rehearse for potentially upsetting situations by building elaborate sets and hiring actors to rehearse them before it actually happens.
It's been three years since that first season came out, and Fielder — who made another splash opposite Emma Stone in last year's sublimely bizarre The Curse on Showtime — is back with another round of increasingly awkward staged encounters with strangers who don't quite know what's real and what's fake. Season 2 is six episodes long, and a new episode streams every Sunday until May 25.
It seems like one female English author is responsible for supporting the British television industry. No, not J.K. Rowling — it's Agatha Christie. The legendary mystery novelist wrote so many famous books that hardly a year goes by without a new adaptation being available to watch.
The latest is Agatha Christie's Towards Zero, a three-episode series that adapts the 1944 novel of the same name. Oscar winner Anjelica Huston stars as Lady Tressilian, a rich widow who invites some guests to her seaside property for a house party. When an old family friend is found murdered, suspicion naturally falls on the party's guests, which include a disgraced tennis star (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and his new wife (Mimi Keene). Inspector Leach (Matthew Rhys) has his hands full, and he will have to act quickly before the murderer strikes again.
Towards Zero is a faithful adaptation that changes just enough to make the series feel modern without being too stodgy. Huston has fun playing an aristocratic bitch while Rhys is solid as the show's designated detective.
Who knew the zombie genre had some life left in it? After years of mediocre Walking Dead sequels, spinoffs and ripoffs, TV audiences fell back in love with the undead, or in this case, 'the infected,' in early 2023 with The Last of Us. The first season was a fairly faithful adaptation of the 2013 Naughty Dog game, telling the story of outbreak survivors Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they cross a postapocalyptic United States.
Season 2 appears to be adapting only part of The Last of Us Part II, with Ellie now in her late teens and Joel still as world-weary as ever. Some major new characters this season include Isabela Merced as Ellie's love interest Dina, Catherine O'Hara as Joel's therapist and Kaitlyn Dever as the soldier Abby. The latter plays a pretty big role in the game, and it will be interesting to see how the series interprets the divisive character. Season 2 starts streaming on April 13, with weekly episodes every Sunday until May 25.
Andrew 'Coop' Cooper (Jon Hamm) has it all: a nice house in the country, a fancy car, two kids in private school and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife, Mel (Amanda Peet). But all that is threatened when he loses his job, and his savings won't sustain his luxurious lifestyle for more than six months. Jobless and desperate, Coop decides to steal from the rich — his friends and neighbors — to give to himself. How long can Coop keep selling chic Chanel handbags and stolen jewels on the black market before someone finds out?
Your Friends & Neighbors has an intriguing hook, but what makes the show so watchable is what it does with it. The show works best as a social satire of the wealthy class, who are oblivious to one of their own stealing from them. As Coop, Hamm has his best role since Mad Men's Don Draper. Like Don, Coop is amoral and reckless, even if his intentions are good. Your Friends & Neighbors is nine episodes long and streams a new installment every Friday until May 30.
One of the best comedies around is Hacks, HBO's hit series about the combative relationship between a veteran comedian and her Gen Z writer. Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) has been a successful stand-up for decades, but her jokes have become too routine and irrelevant. Enter Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), who has a quick wit and her pulse on the zeitgeist. The two women don't really like each other, but they need to team up to succeed in a business that's often cruel and unforgiving.
Season 3 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with Ava blackmailing Deborah to land the head writer job that her boss had promised her. The fragile friendship the two forged all last season is now destroyed, so what happens when they have to work together to make Deborah's new late show a hit? Hacks season 4, which begins streaming its 10-episode season on April 10 through May 29, promises new developments in that complicated relationship, plus appearances by Jimmy Kimmel and Carol Burnett as themselves.
Since its debut in 2011, the sci-fi series Black Mirror has captured the imaginations of millions of Netflix subscribers. It's also haunted them with its bleak and sometimes prophetic look at humanity's near future. The rise of AI, the increasing dominance of social media in pop culture, the possibility of a digital afterlife — Black Mirror usually did it first or, if not, covered those topics better than any show around.
Season 7 promises more of the same, with two of its seven episodes sequels to earlier stories in its run: 'USS Callister: Into Infinity,' which is a follow-up to season 4's much-acclaimed 'USS Callister,' and 'Plaything,' which features Will Poulter's Cameron from the show's only full-length movie, Bandersnatch. Other episodes feature Paul Giamatti, Issa Rae, Awkwafina, Rashida Jones and Emma Corrin. All episodes are now available to stream.
Molly (Michelle Williams) is stuck in a boring marriage with Steven (Jay Duplass), who won't have sex with her. When Molly finds out she has terminal breast cancer, she kicks Steven out and moves in with her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate). She has one simple goal before she dies — to explore her sexuality and sleep with as many people as possible.This premise sounds absurd, but it's based on a popular podcast, also called 'Dying for Sex,' which documented creator/author Molly Kochan's sexual journey after her cancer diagnosis. The Hulu adaptation is largely faithful to the podcast's playful black humor, and Williams showcases an adventurous spirit as the liberated Molly. Dying for Sex is a dark comedy that's equal parts bitter and sweet, but it's often very funny and graphic without being raunchy.

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What did Nick tell Paul in episode 3 of Ginny & Georgia season 3?
What did Nick tell Paul in episode 3 of Ginny & Georgia season 3?

Cosmopolitan

time20 minutes ago

  • Cosmopolitan

What did Nick tell Paul in episode 3 of Ginny & Georgia season 3?

*Spoilers alert* Ginny & Georgia fans, season three is *finally* here. After what seems like forever (specifically over two years), our favourite chaotic mother and daughter duo are back. And this time, things are a lot more intense. For those who need a little refresher, season two ended with Georgia getting arrested for the murder of Tom Fuller... On her wedding day... Where she was marrying the mayor. Dramatic, we know. Which meant that season three was obviously going to revolve around the aftermath, and whether or not she's found guilty of the crime. During episode three, there's a brief - but important - scene between Paul Randolph (the mayor and Georgia's new hubby) and Nick Throop, his assistant. While in Paul's office, Nick seemingly discloses some serious (and potentially incriminating) information about Georgia. Although viewers are intentionally not privy to the conversation, it's clear from Paul's expression that it's not the news he was expecting to hear. Unfortunately, the exact discussion is never revealed. But for the ultimate Ginny & Georgia sleuths, it's not hard to figure out. Cast your mind back to the previous seasons, when Nick meets 'Jesse,' a real estate agent new to Wellsbury. The two embark on a relationship, but it's not long before Nick discovers Jesse's true identity: he's a private investigator named Gabriel, hired to infiltrate Georgia's inner circle and expose her secrets. As the pair grow closer, Gabriel shares his findings with Nick, who becomes more sceptical of Georgia, and is eventually a key figure in her arrest. Fast forward to season three now, and after Nick's bombshell, Paul has been acting distant with Georgia. Previously, he had been adamant his wife was innocent, working tirelessly to clear her name. So why have things now changed? During the beginning of Georgia's trial at the end of episode four, Gabriel is called as a witness for the prosecution, much to her surprise. The scene ends with Gabriel declaring to the jury that he thinks they're dealing with a serial killer, having reason to suspect Georgia murdered her last two husbands. (If you remember, he was actually hired by Kenny's ex-wife - Georgia's second husband - to look into his death.) So, when you think back to Paul's closed-off behaviour towards Georgia, it's obvious that Nick told him about the other husbands. Which led Paul to wonder: if she's capable of killing her other lovers, could he be next? In the words of Pam Shipman: "It's all the drama, I just love it!" Season 3 of Ginny & Georgia is now streaming on Netflix.

Biblioracle: Jess Walter's latest novel, ‘So Far Gone,' has echoes from his earlier books
Biblioracle: Jess Walter's latest novel, ‘So Far Gone,' has echoes from his earlier books

Chicago Tribune

timean hour ago

  • Chicago Tribune

Biblioracle: Jess Walter's latest novel, ‘So Far Gone,' has echoes from his earlier books

Jess Walter, author of the just about to be released 'So Far Gone,' is one of my favorite contemporary novelists. He's been something of a shapeshifter over the course of his career, first establishing himself as a crime writer, including in the Edgar Award-winning 'Citizen Vince.' 'The Zero,' from 2006, uses Walter's base in crime fiction set against the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the service of a kind of hybrid noir that, through the lens of one character, brilliantly captures our collective disorientation in those first weeks and months post-attack. 'The Financial Lives of Poets' (2009) is a medium-dark domestic comedy about a journalist who (sort of) turns to crime to make ends meet as his profession collapses around him. 'Beautiful Ruins' (2013) is my favorite of Walter's novels, a sprawling tale across time, the 1960s to the present, and place, the glamour of Italy and the glitz of Hollywood. 'The Cold Millions' (2020) explores nascent labor activism in the logging industry of the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the 20th century. The DNA of 'So Far Gone' has elements from across Walter's oeuvre. Like 'The Financial Lives of the Poets,' the central character, Rhys Kinnick, is a journalist who has left the profession, retreating from it and his family to a hermit-like life on some ancestral family land in a cold-water cabin in Washington state. Rhys is drawn back to the world when his 9-year-old and 14-year-old grandchildren (Asher and Leah) are brought to his door and he finds out his daughter, Bethany, has gone missing. Rhys has retreated because his profession, his marriage and his relationship with Bethany all appeared dead, the separation kicked off by Rhys punching Bethany's increasingly devout, increasingly radical second husband (and Leah's father), Shane, in the face over political stances entirely divorced from reality. Rhys thinks he's a failure, a drag on his loved ones. Bethany feels as though he's abandoned his family. This psychological baggage and the way it defines the characters are the center of the novel. Rhys brings the kids to what is supposed to be Asher's junior chess tournament, but quickly loses his grandchildren when they are confronted by members of the Army of the Lord, a radical sect to which Shane sort of belongs. Rhys now needs help, bringing him back into the lives of others. Walter taps into his crime origins to bring us his penchant for snappy dialogue and expert quick establishment of these secondary characters, including Lucy — once Rhys' girlfriend just before and just post-divorce, and still an editor at the paper Rhys left — and Chuck, Lucy's ex-boyfriend and an ex-cop who is looking to get back into Lucy's good graces while also having a particular enmity toward the Army of the Lord. The story careens on from there as different characters are lost and then found throughout. This is, as expected, a very well-done novel. Rhys is winning and interesting even in the midst of a pathetic moment. Walter delves straight into strange territory, asking how some significant portion of people can choose to detach themselves from reality in the name of trying to find solace in a hostile world. There are laugh-out-loud moments of comedy and dark incidents of violence. It's not clear why, ultimately, I wasn't more satisfied by this book. I think it's me, and these times. Walter is trying to paint a route through what seems to be a kind of collective madness to reconnection and a return to community and dignity. It's a story I want to be true. But right now, I don't trust it. I hope someday it does come true. John Warner is the author of books including 'More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.' You can find him at Book recommendations from the Biblioracle John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you've read. 1. 'Antarctica' by Claire Keegan 2. 'Dream State' by Eric Puchner 3. 'Table for Two' by Amor Towles 4. 'Just Mercy' by Bryan Stevenson 5. 'Fatherland: A Memoir of War, Conscience, and Family Secrets' by Burkhard Bilger'Eat the Document' by Dana Spiotta is a great character study rooted in two eras simultaneously, late '60s early '70s political radicals, and the suburbs of the 1990s. 1. 'Middle of the Night' by Riley Sager 2. 'Think Twice' by Harlan Coben 3. 'The Quiet Librarian' by Allen Eskens 4. 'James' by Percival Everett 5. 'Presumed Guilty' by Scott TurowAnybody who looks like they enjoy a good twisty thriller is a good candidate for one of my favorites of the last several years, 'Who Is Maud Dixon?' by Alexandra Andrews. 1. 'The Sympathizer' by Viet Thanh Nguyen 2. 'Crazy Brave' by Joy Harjo 3. 'Parable of the Sower; Parable of the Talents' by Octavia E. Butler 4. 'Braiding Sweetgrass' by Robin Wall Kimmerer 5. 'Born to Run' by Bruce SpringsteenI think Adele is a great candidate for Lorrie Moore's strange and powerful 'I Am Homeless if This Is Not My Home.' Get a reading from the Biblioracle Send a list of the last five books you've read and your hometown to biblioracle@

Addison Rae and the art of the rebrand
Addison Rae and the art of the rebrand

Business Insider

timean hour ago

  • Business Insider

Addison Rae and the art of the rebrand

The business of being Addison Rae was booming. It was March 2021, and the then-20-year-old had recently become the world's top-earning TikTok star, dancing and lip-syncing her way to nearly 80 million followers and a vast portfolio of brand deals. She'd dropped out of school at Louisiana State University to sign with an agent and move to LA, was preparing to launch her own cosmetics line, and had already secured a second season of her Spotify-exclusive podcast. That summer, she'd make her film debut in Netflix's "He's All That," a role that would lead to a multimillion-dollar deal with the streamer. There was only one thing left to do: Become a pop star. But when the single and music video for Rae's debut single " Obsessed" dropped that month, listeners were anything but. The song was panned as phoned-in influencer slop. "This is proof that nowadays it's so easy to get into the music industry by using the clout you have," one YouTube commenter wrote. Critics weren't much kinder. "'Obsessed' proves she should stick to lip syncing," Langa Chinyoka wrote for entertainment blog Popdust. While the song's reception was almost unanimously negative, the real inciting factor was Rae's audacity to release original music at all: How dare an influencer best known as a purveyor of corny TikTok dance trends envision herself as an actual artist worthy of any stage bigger than an iPhone? Back then, no one could have predicted Rae's debut album, "Addison," would arrive Friday amid a flurry of praise from pop heads and critics alike. Four years after "Obsessed" became a spectacular flop, Rae has masterfully rebranded as the music industry's newest "It" Girl. This time, her strategy is working: her face is back on major magazine covers, she's collaborating and associating with pioneering pop stars like Charli XCX and Rosalía, and is being anointed " the new pop princess" by fans on social media. Against all odds, Rae has pulled off a rare pivot, trading a massive but unenthusiastic audience of passive social media scrollers for critical acclaim and a passionate niche of die-hard fans. As Walden Green wrote for Pitchfork, "Addison Rae has achieved something arguably more impressive than success: coolness." How did she do it? Act I: Flipping the script Rae is hardly the first celebrity to switch lanes, but the transition from TikToker to bona fide celebrity is particularly difficult — just ask Charli D'Amelio or Bella Poarch, both of whom boasted more followers than Rae in 2020, but have so far failed to parlay social-media fame into traditional Hollywood prestige. Lili Colwell, the vice president of digital at Night, a talent representation platform for online creators, said her clients face greater stigma when transitioning into a new discipline, as skeptics often assume that influencers are lazy trend hoppers, not creative forces in their own right. "They don't give these people enough credit," Colwell said. "They're like, 'Oh, they have no talent.'" Growing an audience on TikTok demands a constant churn of content. Rae recently told The New York Times' Popcast she was posting "ridiculous amounts of videos" at her peak popularity, sometimes up to 12 videos per day. Meanwhile, carving a fruitful path in the music industry demands discernment and a distinct point of view. The biggest stars like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé deploy tightly controlled communications strategies to keep their brand identities compelling and consistent. Tara Goodwin, a PR expert and founder of Goodwin Consulting, said for Rae to be taken seriously beyond social media, it was essential that she rejected TikTok's ethos of oversaturation and began sharing with more intention. "On TikTok, she had random posts all the time, never any rhyme or reason," Goodwin said. "Now, it's very curated, it's very strategic." In May 2025, Rae only shared 12 videos on TikTok for the entire month, mostly to promote music videos that were painstakingly styled, shot, and edited — a far cry from the off-the-cuff, low-effort clips that defined her early days on the app. Now, if she's going to lip sync or dance, it's to her own songs. Taking a step back from algorithmic ubiquity not only gave Rae more control over her narrative but also added a crucial layer of mystique to her persona — a key element in transforming her reputation from regular Louisiana girl with a knack for nailing TikTok dances to an aspirational, slightly unknowable celebrity and artist. "She's releasing bits and pieces to intrigue the audience and make them want more," Goodwin said of Rae's current social media strategy. "She's actually now creating a story." Online and in interviews, Rae has managed to sell her rebrand as an earnest progression in her creative coming-of-age. She told The New York Times that, after her TikToker days of hustling for mass appeal and millions of followers, she can finally afford to take risks. "I have this luxury now to be able to play and explore," she said. The fact that it's taken four years for Rae to re-emerge with a different, more adventurous musical persona only makes this arc more convincing. Her evolution didn't happen overnight; instead, Rae's dogged commitment to her new vision is a selling point. "She's no longer just an influencer making music — she's a pop artist who happens to come from an influencer background." Sara Andréasson, PR expert Rae has proudly told news outlets about how she convinced Columbia Records to give her another chance after the failure of "Obsessed" by presenting an elaborate mood board that laid out her new sound and aesthetic in buzzwords ("intense," "glitter"), colors (aquamarine, hot pink), and iconic pop performances. She has been working to personify that character ever since, with every carefully selected public appearance, red carpet look, and new song revealing another layer of her new self-mythology. Sara Andréasson, cofounder of Michele Marie PR, told Business Insider that this strategy has created demand and curiosity. "She's no longer just an influencer making music — she's a pop artist who happens to come from an influencer background." Act II: Finding a backer During her TikTok reign, Rae told BI, "You are who you hang out with." Though she was speaking at the time about how close she was with her family, the statement has become a key tenet of the Rae Rebrand. Rae's music earned its first major stamp of approval from the alt-pop star Charli XCX, who, after hitting it off with Rae in a studio session, asked to contribute a verse to "2 Die 4," a ringtone-era throwback track that was included on Rae's 2023 EP "AR." Before Charli XCX had her major crossover moment in the summer of last year with the ubiquitous acid-green rollout of her album "Brat," the British singer was known as a platinum-selling songwriter for other artists and an ahead-of-the-curve pop prophet in her own right. Her interest in supporting and collaborating with Rae, whom she'd also recruit for the remix of her "Brat" single, "Von Dutch," around the same time, legitimized Rae's artistic pursuits. DJ Louie XIV, a music critic and host of the Pop Pantheon podcast, said he's "keen to ascribe agency" to Rae, even if it could seem like her fame has been propelled by her shrewd choice of collaborators. It's not that he believes Charli is pulling the strings — it's that he trusts her eye for talent. "Maybe I'm buying the hype," he told BI, "but I think if Charli sees something in her, that means something to me." Rae's connection to Charli introduced her to a wider audience, made her more chic by association, and staved off doubts about her staying power. As Brat Summer raged on, Rae took a page out of Charli's cool-girl playbook, crashing parties and smoking cigarettes with club kids, and winning respect from celebrated songwriters like Lorde and Lana Del Rey. To top it off, she generated buzz when she joined Charli onstage for surprise performances during the singer's tour stops at Madison Square Garden and Coachella, and cheekily announced her album release date via a pair of pink underwear while performing the "Aquamarine" remix with Arca at the festival. Act III: Dressing the part Having good style is relatively easy; making your fashion serve a narrative purpose is harder. Rae is largely focused on the latter, using her outfits to signal her new priorities. Gone are the Brandy Melville sweatpants and backward baseball caps that made her look laid-back and accessible, like the average girl at Erewhon. Instead, she's worked closely with Interview magazine fashion director Dara Allen to execute a series of looks that aren't simply pretty or well-fitted, but edgy, flamboyant, and evocative. Rae savvily uses her clothing to evoke movie stars and pop icons and project herself into that lineage, landing a series of indelible fashion moments, from her pap walk in a baby tee accessorized with Britney Spears' memoir to the white satin lingerie set she wore for her VMAs red carpet debut, which Vogue described as "'Swan Lake' meets Las Vegas showgirl." Andréasson, who has experience dressing A-list celebrities for events, said Rae's style evolution stands out for its use of surrealism and storytelling. Rae in 2021. Gotham/GC Images Rae in 2024. XNY/Star Max/GC Images "She does a great job avoiding the costumey elements of nostalgia and instead reinterprets it with modern tailoring and fresh beauty choices," Andréasson said. "Nostalgia only works when it's recontextualized, and Addison seems to understand that." In a media landscape where rewearing a historic Marilyn Monroe gown or recreating a memorable look from a '90s sitcom are easy ways to score headlines, Rae has avoided the plug-and-play approach. Her style may be full of references, but crucially, she doesn't mimic other celebrities or copy exact outfits. Instead, she prefers to arouse a broader feeling of familiarity. For example, Rae cited the 2006 friendship comedy "Aquamarine" as an inspiration for her song of the same name and her mermaid-inspired look for the 2024 CFDA Awards — not in terms of the movie's content or plot, but in how watching it made her feel. "I wanted to find what aquamarine meant to me," she said. Act IV: Living up to the hype Rae's flair for refracting nostalgia through her own original lens is evident in her new music as much as in her aesthetic. Her debut album "Addison" is full of dreamy, mid-tempo pop that flirts with its influences, from Madonna's "Ray of Light" and Björk's "Post" to Spears' "Blackout" and Del Rey's "Born to Die." As the tracklist dances between decades, genres, and moods, Rae's personal touch fills the gaps. This kaleidescopic technique isn't always radio-friendly, but Rae no longer seems to be aiming for immediate chart success (none of the album's five singles have yet cracked the Billboard Hot 100's top 40, with "Diet Pepsi" peaking the highest at No. 54). And why should she? If there's anyone who knows the drawbacks of an abrupt rise to fame without a sensible plan to sustain it, it's Rae. Instead, she and her team are executing a strategy that prioritizes artistic legitimacy and real staying power, something Rae hinted at in a recent interview with Elle. "I feel like I've surpassed Addison Rae," she said. "It's just Addison now." Going mononymous is a shorthand for prestige: think Madonna, Cher, Beyoncé. Rae hasn't earned that level of name recognition yet, but if her journey thus far is any indication, her ambition, marketing savvy, and willingness to play the long game are not to be underestimated — at least, not anymore. "Back in the '50s, people were discovered in Hollywood by sitting at a lunch counter on a stool. TikTok was her stool," Andréasson said. "It's going to fade away, and all of the new things that she's doing are what she's going to be known for. That's just going to be a postscript in the Addison story."

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