What is “Headphones On” by Addison Rae About?
“Headphones On” is Addison Rae’s most vulnerable song to date, addressing her parents’ divorce, the pressure of fame, and using music as emotional escape.
Released April 18, 2025, the track marks a departure from her previous singles with deeply confessional lyrics about family breakdown and the exhausting reality of being constantly compared to “the new it girl.”
The song’s central metaphor, putting headphones on, represents tuning out the world when life becomes overwhelming.
Addison Rae didn’t whisper this one. She sighed it, zipped it in synths, and sent it out to anyone who’s ever shut the world out with earbuds and a bad habit.
Headphones On is her most vulnerable release to date, and unlike the aesthetic flings of Diet Pepsi or High Fashion, this track lingers for a reason.
It doesn’t just float—it drags you under, soft as silk, heavy as a memory.
Dropped on April 18, 2025, just weeks after Rae teased it during her surprise Coachella appearance—where she flashed “June 6” on her underwear mid-performance and the Headphones On lyrics hit louder than anything Rae has put out so far.
If you’ve been wondering what the lyrics to Addison Rae’s Headphones On are really saying, here’s the short version: it’s a quiet reckoning with family breakdown, emotional detachment, and the exhausting pressure to keep it all looking effortless.
The long version? Let’s get into it.
Addison Rae ‘Headphones On’ Lyrics Meaning: Line-by-Line Analysis
“Guess I gotta accept the pain / Need a cigarette to make me feel better”
No metaphor here. Addison Rae starts blunt, practically numb. Pain is her baseline, and the cigarette—real or symbolic—isn’t rebellion. It’s routine. That low-effort reach for something that dulls the edge, even if it doesn’t solve anything.
“Every good thing comes my way / So I still get dolled up”
It’s mascara-as-armour. If the world sees gloss, maybe it won’t notice the grief. She’s not celebrating blessings; she’s trying to make them visible so they feel real. A soft flex with an undertow of sadness.
“So I put my headphones on / Listen to my favorite song”
A gentle, universal cue. But here, headphones are more than a vibe—they’re insulation. She’s not tuning in; she’s tuning out. Her safe place isn’t a room. It’s whatever track can drown out what she doesn’t want to face.
“Soaking up the rain / Letting my hair down”
This isn’t a carefree moment—it’s a visual of someone giving in. Letting it all wash over her. Hair down doesn’t mean free. It means she stopped trying to keep it neat.
“Wish my mom and dad could have been in love / Guess some things weren’t meant to last forever”
This is the core of the song, the moment Rae lets the mask slip. No subtext. No sugar-coating. A direct line to the messy, very public split between her parents. The kind of thing most of us suppress—she puts it to melody.
“I compare my life to the new it girl / Jealousy’s a riptide, it pulls me under”
This isn’t a swipe—it’s a confession. She’s naming the exhaustion that comes with constantly being outpaced, rebranded, replaced. The “it girl” label is a crown and a curse, and Rae knows it drips gold while slicing skin.
“I know the lows are what makes the highs higher / So I tell myself this as a reminder”
Classic coping script. Whether it’s true doesn’t matter—what matters is needing to believe it. Rae’s mantra isn’t motivational; it’s maintenance.
“Life’s no fun through clear waters”
Delivered like a punchline, but it’s not a joke. She’s saying what some people spend years denying: clarity, perfection, predictability—they’re overrated. The murk is where the meaning lives.
“Gonna dance ’til the wheels fall off / You know I can’t get enough”
It sounds defiant, even flirty. But the repetition betrays her. She’s not chasing joy—she’s avoiding stillness. Motion is easier than mourning.
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‘Headphones On’ Production and Sound: Y2K Synths Meet Emotional Vulnerability
Produced by Luka Kloser and ELVIRA, Headphones On glides more than it thumps. It plays like a breath held for four minutes.
The song’s structure is simple—repeating motifs, no dramatic shift—because it’s not trying to build to anything. It’s just trying to stay afloat.
There’s Y2K shimmer in the synths, light strings that hint at something cinematic, and a rhythm that’s unbothered by urgency.
This is Addison Rae’s longest song to date, but it doesn’t feel stretched. It feels suspended—like she’s mid-thought and afraid to end it.
‘Headphones On’ Music Video Meaning: Iceland, Escapism, and the Horse Symbolism
The Headphones On video, directed by Mitch Ryan and filmed in Reykjavík, Iceland, doesn’t rely on spectacle—it relies on feeling.
Rae starts off wiping down aisles in a grocery store, neon pink hair tucked under a visor.
Then, headphones in, she’s on horseback, cutting across Icelandic fields like the drama never happened.
The headphones don’t just play music—they rewrite the scene. There’s no audience here, just escape.
Director of Photography Ben Carey captures it all in slow, sweeping shots, while creative direction from Rae and Lexee Smith ties the chaos into something visually soft, almost surreal.
It’s escapism, sure, but it’s also a mirror. The horse is less “dream girl freedom” and more “this is how I cope.” It’s all in her head. And that’s the safest place she has.
What Inspired ‘Headphones On’? Addison Rae’s Family Drama and It-Girl Status
It would be easy to say Headphones On is about Rae’s parents and call it a day. But that misses everything else.
This is a song about surviving public scrutiny with your dignity barely intact.
About performing happiness until it looks real. About knowing you’ve become a character in someone else’s timeline and quietly reclaiming the narrative.
So what’s the meaning behind Headphones On? It’s not wrapped in metaphor or buried under ten layers of poetic detour.
It’s a girl sitting with everything she can’t fix, putting it into melody because talking about it never quite worked.
There’s no plea for pity here. No Instagram-worthy resilience arc. Just someone trying to disappear for three minutes and 56 seconds without actually leaving.
The headphones aren’t decoration—they’re defence.
If you’ve ever felt like you were performing peace while quietly unravelling, you’ll get it. And if you don’t, well… lucky you.
Frequently Asked Questions About “Headphones On”
What does “Headphones On” by Addison Rae mean?
The song explores using music as an escape mechanism from emotional pain, specifically addressing Rae’s parents’ divorce and the pressure of maintaining her public image while dealing with private struggles.
Is “Headphones On” about Addison Rae’s parents?
Yes, the lyric “Wish my mom and dad could have been in love / Guess some things weren’t meant to last forever” directly references her parents’ highly publicized 2022 divorce.
When was “Headphones On” released?
Addison Rae released “Headphones On” on April 18, 2025, weeks after teasing it during her surprise Coachella appearance.
Who produced “Headphones On”?
The track was produced by Luka Kloser and ELVIRA, creating Rae’s signature Y2K-inspired electronic pop sound with R&B influences.
What is the song length of “Headphones On”?
At 3 minutes and 56 seconds, “Headphones On” is Addison Rae’s longest song to date.
Where was the “Headphones On” music video filmed?
The music video was filmed in Reykjavík, Iceland, directed by Mitch Ryan with cinematography by Ben Carey.
Addison Rae Headphones On Lyrics
Intro
Put your headphones on
Chorus
Guess I gotta accept the pain
Need a cigarette to make me feel better
Every good thing comes my way
So I still get dolled up
Guess I gotta accept the pain
Need a cigarette to make me feel better
Every good thing comes my way
So I
Post-Chorus
So I put my headphones on (I put my headphones on)
Listen to my favorite song (Listen to my favorite song)
Soaking up the rain (Ah)
Letting my hair down (Uh-huh)
So I put my headphones on
Come and put your headphones on
Verse
Wish my mom and dad could’ve been in lovе
Guess some things aren’t mеant to last forever
I compare my life to the new it girl
Jealousy’s a rip tide, it pulls me under
Pre-Chorus
You can’t fix what has already been broken
You just have to surrender to the moment
Chorus
I guess I gotta accept the pain
Need a cigarette to make me feel better
Every good thing comes my way
So I still get dolled up
Guess I gotta accept the pain
Need a cigarette to make me feel better
Every good thing comes my way
So I
Post-Chorus
So I put my headphones on (I put my headphones on)
Listen to my favorite song (Listen to my favorite song)
Soaking up the rain (Ah)
Letting my hair down (Uh-huh)
So I put my headphones on
Come and put your headphones on
Listen to my favorite song
Bridge
I know the lows are what makes the highs higher
So I tell myself this is a reminder
Life’s no fun through clear waters
Pre-Chorus
You can’t fix what has already been broken
You just have to surrender to the moment
Chorus
Guess I gotta accept the pain
Need a cigarette to make me feel better
Every good thing comes my way
So I still get dolled up
Guess I gotta accept the pain
Need a cigarette to make me feel better
Every good thing comes my way
So I
Post-Chorus
So I put my headphones on (I put my headphones on)
Listen to my favorite song (Listen to my favorite song)
Soaking up the rain (Ah)
Letting my hair down (Uh-huh)
So I put my headphones on
Outro
Gonna dance, gonna dance ’til the wheels fall off
You know I can’t get enough
Gonna dance, gonna dance ’til the wheels fall off
You know I can’t get enough
Gonna dance, gonna dance ’til the wheels fall off
You know I can’t get enough
Gonna dance, gonna dance ’til the wheels fall off
‘Til the wheels fall off