Addison Rae Says She Used to Get Paid $20 by Record Labels to Post TikTok Videos: ‘It Was Actually Really Sketch'
Rae joined The New York Times' Popcast on Friday (May 30), where she reflected on her time at Louisiana State when she was getting paid $20 via PayPal by record labels to post videos dancing to their artists' songs on TikTok.
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'I actually remember getting little brand deals from labels paying me to post when I was in college,' the 24-year-old began. 'They jumped on that really fast. I was like, 'Oh, this is really interesting' — that the music industry was really leaning on it.'
This appears to be circa 2019, when the platform was beginning to boom and before Rae dropped out of college. Co-host Jon Caramanica threw out a potential fee of 'hundreds of dollars,' but Rae revealed it was actually much lower. 'A hundred bucks?! I wish, it was probably like $20. I actually remember being like, 'Holy sh–, $20!''
Rae confirmed the payments were made via PayPal. 'It was actually really sketch,' she admitted. 'I was like: 'Did the $20 hit the PayPal yet?!''
Addison Rae is a trailblazer in the TikTok creator-to-singer pipeline. She's looking to capitalize on her momentum with the arrival of her anticipated self-titled debut album via Columbia Records on Friday.
The 12-track project includes previously-released singles like Billboard Hot 100 hit 'Diet Pepsi,' 'Aquamarine,' 'Headphones On,' 'High Fashion' and 'Fame is a Gun.'
Listen to her entire 80-minute sit-down on Pop Cast below.
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Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
These social media stars conquered the internet. They still wanted more.
From the top of your feed to the top of the charts: Why the biggest social media stars like MrBeast, Addison Rae and Alex Warren still chase mainstream fame. A jumble of young people in trendy athleisure outfits gathered in a living room in Feb. 2020 to watch an internet-famous magician do card tricks. This was a typical day for members of the Hype House, a group of mostly teenage social media-famous stars who lived and worked together to create as much content as possible. Two people in this particular video stand out, though: the scruffy guy shoving his camera into the magician's face, and the woman with the longest, blondest hair and the biggest smile. They're Alex Warren and Addison Rae. You might not have been familiar with them then, but five years later, the two 24-year-olds are among the biggest pop stars in the country. Warren, who has honed his voice and his wife guy persona, is well on his way to having the song of summer with 'Ordinary,' an unavoidable track dominating TikTok posts, charts and radio airwaves. He's about to tour his brand-new album, You'll Be Alright, Kid, which was released July 18. Rae, meanwhile, is the heir apparent to Charli XCX's Brat summer era, embracing both melancholy and party girl aesthetics with her June 2025 album, Addison. People just can't stop talking about the visually stunning 2010s aesthetic Rae, who is also on the cusp of a tour, has cultivated by surrounding herself with the era's pop icons, like Lana Del Rey, and how she has subverted irrelevance after her first single, 2023's 'Obsessed,' flopped. What's so fascinating about Warren and Rae's breakout success is that they were among the most followed people on TikTok in 2020, when people — including their target audience of Gen Z-ers — were spending more time on their phones than ever. TikTok is now less of a phenomenon and more of a staple in the massive creator economy projected to have $500 billion flowing among platforms, influencers and audiences annually by 2027. According to a 2024 survey from Morning Consult, 88% of Gen Z respondents say they follow influencers, and many trust them more than traditional celebrities. If Warren and Rae had remained solely influencers, evolving online in accordance with trends in the usual ways young people do when they grow up, they would be financially successful, profiting from ad revenue on social media and brand deals. We've already seen them recover from their fair share of career missteps, like Warren's participation in the failed Netflix reality show about the Hype House, and Rae's performance in the social media-tinged, gender-swapped reboot of He's All That. They're both resilient and really good at commanding an audience online. They just wanted something more. Making it Getting signed to a major label, landing a TV show on a popular streaming service or getting a movie made by a big Hollywood studio is the 'pinnacle of acceptance,' Paul Telner, head of programming at influencer marketing agency Viral Nation, tells Yahoo. Stars still benefit from having popular social media accounts as their home base, or 'HQ,' but they also want to 'extend their brands' to be seen by audiences beyond TikTok, he says. 'Hollywood is Soho House, and we all want to get into it, see people, shake hands and be seen. That's the cool club!' he says. '[These influencers] want to be big stars and be accepted in that way, but there are levels [to fame] … you don't need to be on TV to make it.' For some creators, making enough money on social media that it becomes a full-time job is the dream. Others see themselves as their own companies with infinite potential, and posting online is just one potential revenue stream. Telner says traditional fame is appealing to some creators because it offers the opportunity to have a bigger production budget to 'help bring big ideas to life.' Since social media is so volatile — algorithms change, platforms rise and fall, even TikTok is still technically on the verge of a U.S. ban — traditional fame offers a 'more structured ecosystem that can sustain careers,' Chimene Mantori, founder of influencer management company Solace Talent, tells Yahoo. 'Building a presence outside of the platform they're known for isn't just smart, it's essential for brand growth and long-term sustainability,' she says. 'When your identity is tied solely to one format, it can limit how people see you and how far you can go.' A handful of stars known for their television, movie and music careers got their start as creatives sharing their craft online, and then jumped at the chance for bigger budgets, more acclaim and wider reach. Quinta Brunson was a BuzzFeed video star who's now the Emmy-winning actress and creator of her own network TV show, Abbott Elementary. Danny and Michael Philippou are YouTubers turned trailblazing horror movie auteurs behind some of the genre's most-praised hits of the decade. Liza Koshy has gone from Vine star to a scene-stealing actress in big-budget studio films like The Naked Gun. Chaotic social media powerhouses Jake and Logan Paul are now athletes. Emma Chamberlain began her career as a quirky YouTuber and became a Vogue mainstay who sits front row during Paris Fashion Week. Justin Bieber wasn't really an influencer, but he was discovered after going viral for his singing videos. The same has happened on YouTube, Tumblr and MySpace for singers like the Weeknd, Halsey and dozens of others. Mainstream fame offers creative validation to creators who have been uploading their own content and crafting their image, Lucy Robertson, head of brand marketing at influencer agency Buttermilk, tells Yahoo. It's the 'ultimate external stamp of success' to be noticed and corralled into Hollywood — especially for influencers who consider themselves artists, she says. It's truly impressive when a star becomes so famous that their internet roots aren't what they're best known for, as the lines between online and traditional fame are more blurred now than ever. Movie stars like Scarlett Johansson are encouraged to maintain social media accounts. On the other hand, MrBeast, host and executive producer of Prime Video's most-watched competition series ever, is arguably the most influential creator in the world with 417 million YouTube subscribers on his main channel. He isn't rushing to leave his online fame behind. He might be driving 50 million views on his streaming series, but that's nowhere near his biggest YouTube video's 857 million views. At the moment, he's got the best of both worlds. Like MrBeast, even mainstream entertainers can't ignore how easy it can be to make money off of an online audience, but that doesn't make them want mainstream stardom any less. Liam Parkinson, cofounder at creator payment company Inflverse, tells Yahoo that he spoke with a successful comedian who said she makes 10 times as much money posting online as she does performing for a crowd, but 'that buzz of being in front of a live audience would never be replaced by numbers online.' 'Creators still crave traditional fame because it offers a different kind of permanence and legitimacy. Online fame can be fast and fleeting. … Traditional media still carries real cultural weight,' Parkinson says. 'It puts you in front of new audiences and embeds you in public consciousness in a way the internet often doesn't. … Creators can earn serious money online, but many still see legacy media as the next level. Even if the paycheck is smaller, it's about reach, credibility and building something that lasts.' Front pages, not followers There are certain measures of success that are still only attainable by the traditionally famous, like in-person performances, prestigious awards and magazine covers. Young creators are driven by those tangible, nostalgic goals, Justine D'Addio, founder and lead publicist at Hyde Park PR, tells Yahoo. 'Some creators may have always fantasized about becoming a pop star when they were younger, so they started filming themselves dancing around in their rooms when a powerful algorithm suddenly catapulted them to online fame,' she says. 'Millions of followers later, they not only want to make their childhood dream a reality, but they're being actively encouraged to do so because they have the resources and a dialed-in audience to make it happen.' As a publicist, D'Addio worked with creators who are more excited about seeing their names in print than getting millions of views on a TikTok post. The rise of social media — which mints droves of influencers that are extremely famous among much smaller audiences than the superstars who came before the digital age — has 'made traditional fame extremely scarce.' 'These days, only a handful of creators can even come close to embodying the level of popularity that Britney Spears or Justin Bieber once did. But they can try,' D'Addio says. Though it's not everyone's motivation, it's worth noting that achieving traditional fame can make creators feel like they truly belong. Not everyone is accepted. Some people are quietly deemed unworthy of prestigious, mainstream spaces, entertainment journalist Tatyana Arrington tells Yahoo. 'It's the same reason that Kylie Jenner got backlash for attending awards season events with Timothée Chalamet — she's not 'supposed to' be there,' she says. Being featured in a Netflix film, touring your critically acclaimed album and helming your own TV show signals credibility to broader audiences. Kendale King, a CPA who works as a business manager for creators and brands, tells Yahoo that older generations and gatekeepers are less likely to value online success as a singular measure of fame. Joke's on them, though, because no matter how people become famous, they've accomplished something amazing. Creative people 'are always seeking platforms where they can engage people,' Nikhil Malik, visiting faculty at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, tells Yahoo. The fact that so many people do it themselves and find wide audiences without the help of the Hollywood machine is just a testament to their talent and hard work. Malik says it's too soon to tell if elevating influencers to mainstream success is 'financially wise' for the traditional entertainment industry, but he wouldn't be surprised if many of the biggest stars in the next few decades get their start on social media. 'Creators want … institutional validation from people who have been around for decades. At some point, being very successful with your narrow audience isn't satisfying anymore. I think they're trying to break out of their echo chambers,' he says. This sentiment seems to be clearly reflected through Warren, whom I spoke with at the creator economy conference VidCon 2022. He had just reached the peak of his internet fame and had begun trying to figure out his next move. He told me that all he wanted to do was sing. I was surprised — he was so well-known for his prank videos, and his success story was already so moving. At 18, he got kicked out of his house and began living in his car. His social media posts brought him fame, fortune and even introduced him to his now-wife, Kouvr Annon. At the time, he didn't see that success as the end of his story, but the beginning. He channeled the money and connections he made online into voice lessons and writing sessions. Now in July 2025, he's got the No. 1 song in the country. There are many reasons to strive to break out of internet fame to become traditionally famous. It can be financially lucrative, creatively rewarding and personally satisfying. If your dreams are coming true, even on a smaller scale, you might as well swing for the fences like Warren.
Cosmopolitan
11 minutes ago
- Cosmopolitan
What Is a Golden Retriever Boyfriend?
Once upon a 2023, Taylor Swift debuted her NFL beau and a new genre of It Boy was born: the golden retriever boyfriend. Okay, so technically Tay and Trav neither coined nor created the term—golden retriever boyfriends were already making the rounds on TikTok at least as early as 2021. But when the pair first stepped out as a couple nearly two years ago, the golden retriever boyfriend trend was catapulted to peak relevance, with Travis Kelce remaining one of the most recognizable pop culture representations of this coveted brand of male lover today. If you're just catching up, allow us to fill you in. 'A golden retriever boyfriend is the human equivalent of a tail wagging, wide-eyed pup who lives to love you,' explains 'Streethearts' host Tiff Baira, a relationship expert, matchmaker, and author of Modern Dating for Dummies. 'He's sweet, loyal, emotionally available, and basically imprinted on you after the third date.' In short, he's every girl's dream. …Or is he? While GRBF status is generally flaunted as the premiere tier of boyfriends, the term is—like all things—ultimately a bit more nuanced than any given social media algorithm lets on. So here, for your edification, is everything you need to know about golden retriever boyfriends—from what the term really means to how to know if you have (or want) a GRBF of your very own. 'A golden retriever boyfriend is loving, positive, energetic, loyal, and uncomplicated,' says matchmaker and dating coach Blaine Anderson, founder of Dating By Blaine. 'He remembers your coffee order, sends good morning texts unprompted, and genuinely enjoys helping you build IKEA furniture,' adds Baira. 'He's not playing games; he's the overly nice and caring type who puts you before himself.' In general, yes, this makes him the dream guy. 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As with any highly coveted good, knockoffs abound—and can be tricky to spot. Enter, 'the wolf in golden retriever clothing—the guy who seems endlessly kind and selfless but secretly has an agenda,' says Baira. 'If his niceness comes with strings attached, like using your connections, expecting money, or subtly manipulating you, he's not golden; he's gold plated.' In other words, 'Sometimes the nice guy isn't actually nice at all,' Baira extrapolates. 'If he makes you feel like you owe him for his kindness or if his affection feels performative or transactional, that's a clear sign it's not real golden retriever energy.' Some other red flags signalling you may be with a fake golden retriever? 'He's only sweet in public, performs affection when people are watching, and suddenly goes cold the second you're alone,' says Baira. 'He expects praise for basic things like texting back or showing up on time. 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Ultimately though, a relationship with a golden retriever boyfriend can of course be the gold standard experience it's hailed as online—as long as we all remember that TikTok is not real life and try not to get too lost in the sauce chasing trendy labels or trying to make our real-life relationships fit some over-the-top fantasy projected on social media.
Newsweek
14 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Mom 'Worried' Labradors Wouldn't Bond With Baby, Look at Them Now
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. For many expectant parents, a significant worry revolves around how their pets will adapt to a new baby. Caroline Watkins Caudell, 27, experienced these very fears while pregnant, hoping her two dogs would embrace their new human sibling. Fast forward a few months, and a delightful TikTok video has perfectly captured her dreams coming true, showing her pups' adorable morning routine with their baby brother. Caudell told Newsweek about her relief when she learned her pups and her baby would be the best of friends. "Me while pregnant: 'I hope our dogs like the baby' … The dogs every morning," she captioned the video, which shows Caudell's yellow Labrador named Otis and another companion excitedly rushing to the baby's crib the moment the door opens. They sniff around while the baby looks utterly content, soaking in the attention. From left: Caroline Watkins Caudell's dogs greet her baby in the crib in the morning. From left: Caroline Watkins Caudell's dogs greet her baby in the crib in the morning. @carolinecaudell/TikTok From Worry to Unconditional Love Caudell openly shared her initial anxieties. "My fear about introducing the dogs to the baby was that they would either be jealous and steer clear of him, or that they would like him too much and not know how to be gentle with him," she said. As Caudell put it, her dogs, both 3 years old, "were our first babies, so I really hoped they would all get along." The crucial first meeting, upon returning home from the hospital, was a moment of immense relief. "Once the baby arrived, we brought him home from the hospital and let them come up and sniff him," Caudell said. "At first, they hardly even noticed he was there because they were so excited that we were home from the hospital after three days." But once they registered the new arrival, their demeanor shifted. They were gentle, even a bit hesitant to get too close to him. That very first night cemented her joy at the new relationship: "That first night we got home from the hospital, Otis, our yellow Labrador, absolutely would not leave mine and the baby's side," Caudell said. "He was fascinated with him and kept wanting to lay down next to him wherever he was. It was like he knew he was supposed to protect him." A Dream Come True Now, with her son at 3.5 months old, Caudell said that the bond between the baby and the dogs continues to deepen and delight. "[Our son] is starting to be much more alert and aware of his surroundings, and he is so entertained by the dogs," Caudell added. "It is the cutest thing to watch, and it makes me so happy to see how much they all love each other. It is exactly what I hoped and prayed for when I was pregnant." Caudell looks forward to many more years of the canines' companionship with her son. "Hopefully, they will be around for a while, and I can't wait to watch how much fun they have playing with our son once he gets a little older," she said. For Caudell, the experience has reinforced a profound belief: "I truly believe every child should grow up with a loving dog, and I am so thankful that my son gets to grow up with two."
