Addison Rae loves a good reference — the Charli XCX acolyte likes to embody Britney Spears’s baby voice and rebirth a lost Lady Gaga track. On “Headphones On,” however, she goes deeper into the pop archives. The music video is filmed in Iceland on a cliff, and in case you didn’t notice she was in Iceland, Rae also has the Icelandic flag painted on her nails. The video is clearly a nod to the Pop Princess of Iceland herself, Björk. It appears Addison Rae has been watching “Hyperballad” on repeat.
“Headphones On,” meanwhile, sounds like it could have been on Madonna’s Ray of Light, with its trance instrumentals and whisper vocals. “I put my headphones on,” she murmurs on the chorus, “listen to my favorite song.” The headphones she’s talking about are wired earbuds, of course, given that this music video is basically a period piece set in 2004. Rae, with her pink hair, body jewels, and baggy sweatpants, looks like the forgotten cool girl in Mean Girls or an extra in an aughts Britney Spears paparazzi photo. Give it up for the queen of not being afraid to reference or not reference (but mostly reference).
