"Obsessed" is the debut single by American singer and

social media personality An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social ...

Addison Rae {{Infobox person , name = Addison Rae , image = Addison Rae - Pandora 2021 3.jpg , alt = , caption = Rae in an interview for Pandora in 2021 , birth_name = Addison Rae Easterli ...

, released through Sandlot Records and

AWAL AWAL (an initialism of Artists Without a Label) is a British music distribution company owned by Sony Music Entertainment. The company serves as an alternative to the traditional music label deal, offering deal structures to artists and independ ...

on March 18, 2021. An accompanying music video was released alongside the single. The song is set to be a part of Rae's debut EP which is expected to be released sometime in 2023.

Background and composition

"Obsessed" is a dance-pop song. The lyrics are about a relationship and self-hate. At a young age, Rae was influenced by her mother's playlist which included music from the 1990s and

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. In an interview with ''

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'', Rae identifies Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, and Katy Perry as musical influences. She cited

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

as an inspiration for the song.

Production

Preceding the release, Rae worked with songwriter Jacob Kasher Hindlin (Jkash) 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. After four months in the Hindlin's studio, Rae and her team developed most of "Obsessed" in one session. Rae performed "Obsessed" on ''

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'', marking her debut appearance on a late-night talk show. She released accompanying clothing and poster merchandise.

Reception

"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

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ing". Zoe Haylock of ''

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'' negatively compared Rae's use of whispering to

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...

. Writing for ''

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'', Nick Romano described the lyrics as " eadingmore like a text exchange", while assuming the message was "about how obsessed aeis with herself", in contrast with what Rae intended, writing "the execution may have gotten lost in translation". Writing for British ''Vogue'' in 2023, Amel Mukhtar described "Obsessed" as "fabulously

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" and wondered: "Was it shallow trash, or

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art?"

Commercial performance

In the United States, the song debuted at its peak of number 10 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart issue dated April 3, 2021, which serves as a twenty-five slot extension to the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Music video

The music video, directed by

Diane Martel Diane Martel (also known as Bucky Chrome) is an American music video director and choreographer. Awards Diane Martel was nominated for the Video of the Year for her work in "Blurred Lines" – Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell & T.I. in 2013. Fil ...

, includes

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dances choreographed by Sara Biv and Calvit Hodge. On the day of its release, the single was the sixth video trending on

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. Kyle Luu was the stylist. In parts of the video, Rae wore catsuits by

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, clothing by Mugler and a fake fur

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. Her white

Dion Lee Dion Lee (born 2 October 1985) is a fashion designer hailing from Sydney, Australia where his eponymous brand was established in 2009. Lee debuted at Australian Fashion Week in 2009 after graduating from FDS (Fashion Design Studio) TAFE NSW the ...

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 "Say You'll Be There" is a song recorded by the English girl group Spice Girls for their debut studio album ''Spice'' (1996). The Spice Girls co-wrote the song with Eliot Kennedy after the group left Heart Management in 1995. Later, Jonathan ...

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2021 debut singles 2021 songs Addison Rae songs Song recordings produced by Benny Blanco Song recordings produced by Ryan McMahon (record producer) Songs written by Addison Rae Songs written by Benny Blanco Songs written by Ryan McMahon (record producer) Songs written by Leland (musician) Songs written by Madison Love