Addison Rae Refuses to Take Sides in Charli XCX–Taylor Swift Feud Despite Friendship With Charli

TikToker-turned-singer Addison Rae is staying out of the rumoured feud between Charli XCX and Taylor Swift. During an interview with the LA Times, she was asked, 'Can you avoid it? Take Taylor Swift versus your friend Charli XCX as an example. Do you feel like you have to take a side?'

Despite her friendship with Charli XCX, Addison gave no indication of whom she supports. 'I guess we'll have to see. But there's so much more to all these things. There are people who do weird things, and I try to avoid those people,' the 'Diet Pepsi' hitmaker answered.

Addison Rae on Pop-Girl Rivalries

In the Charli XCX–Taylor Swift feud, the interviewer referenced an earlier question: 'We seem to be living in an age of pop-girl rivalries. Do you agree, and if so, does that bum you out?'Addison replied, 'It doesn't have to be a thing, but I get it — it's entertaining'.

She explained that she understands the 'friendly or maybe unfriendly competition' between artists, calling it a 'very natural human thing to want to exceed a standard that someone else has laid out'. However, Addison said she is not interested in competing for the bigger crown, unless her fans and the public decide her work merits chart success. Explaining why, she added that competing would take away the 'reason I want to do any of this stuff'.

Inside Addison Rae and Charli XCX's Friendship

Addison Rae and Charli XCX first connected in 2020 during Addison's rise to fame on TikTok. The 'BRAT' singer followed Addison and later praised creators on the platform. While several viral tweets criticised TikTokers, Charli was among the first to acknowledge their hard work.

It is unclear whether Charli reached out to Addison privately, but a year later the pair began collaborating musically. While Addison navigated her emerging career, Charli reportedly worked behind the scenes, co-writing some of Addison's songs and advising on what to release as a debut.

In 2022, when fans leaked Addison's Addison Rae EP, it was confirmed that Charli acted as a creative mentor. This explained the hyperpop-adjacent sound the former TikToker was experimenting with, and music fans soon associated Addison with the 'internet pop girl' scene that includes Charli and SOPHIE.

Their friendship grew beyond music. In 2023, Addison appeared at several Charli-related events, a connection that became more public during the BRAT era in 2024. She was soon linked to Charli's 'brat' persona and frequently attended her club-forward, messy-pop concerts.

Recently, Addison even invited the 'BRAT' singer to her LA show. The two collaborated on Addison's '2 Die 4' and Charli's 'Von Dutch (Remix)'. Media outlets even marked Charli as Addison's big sister on the internet.

The strong bond between the two has both fandoms thinking Addison will immediately side with Charli against Swift in their rumoured feud. Some X users say it's very 'telling' that Addison isn't picking Charli's side and remains neutral.

But it's also worth noting that the feud wasn't exactly legitimised by either of the artists. Fans of Swift have seen Charli liking hate posts against her, shading her through music and statements, and mocking her in interviews and photoshoots. The only time it became a 'feud' is when Swift responded with 'Actually Romantic' on her latest album.

The two even have mutual friends, like Cara Delevingne and Gracie Abrams. Charli is also working with Swift's long-time album producer and friend, Jack Antonoff.

Regardless if the bad blood is real or not, Addison made it clear that she's here to release music for fans.