Fame Is A Gun

"Fame Is a Gun" is a song by American singer Addison Rae. The song was released on May 30, 2025, through Columbia Records, as the fifth single from Rae's debut studio album, '' Addison'' (2025). She wrote the track alongside the producers Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjärd. The synth-driven alt-pop song explores Rae's longing for fame and the emotional costs tied to that ambition.

The song received acclaim from critics. "Fame Is a Gun" reached the top forty of the charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and became Rae's third entry on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 following "Diet Pepsi" and " Headphones On".

Background

"Fame Is a Gun" serves as the fifth single from Rae's debut studio album, '' Addison''. Prior to the album's release, scheduled for June 6, Rae released four singles: "Diet Pepsi", " Aquamarine", "High Fashion", and " Headphones On". The album follows her debut extended play, '' AR'', released in August 2023. In an interview with ''Elle'', Rae described the album as introspective and optimistic, noting that the lyrics played a central role in shaping its sound. She also emphasized the collaborative nature of the project, developed alongside producers Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjärd. She added: "I always knew I wanted to be famous, to be a movie star, to be a singer—to just be a performer. That was always something I wanted—the glamour and the fashion." The song's cover art is a photograph of Rae posing as a child while wearing shades indoors, with '' The Face'' noting that it "chimes with the message of the single: that Addison is – and always has been – determined to be a star." Rae recorded the song in New York, while trying to come up with a "straight pop song" for her record label, and going for a vibe that was "uptempo and sexy and a little dark."

Composition

"Fame Is a Gun" is a dance and synth-pop song, with a length of three minutes and three seconds, produced by Anderfjärd and Kloser, who served as Rae's co-writers. In the lyrics, Rae addresses her relationship with notoriety, comparing fame to a firearm, and contending with her unapologetic desire to be famous. UPI's Jessica Inman considered the lyrics were a nod to Sheila E.'s "The Glamorous Life" which Rae named along with Prince as inspiring her while making the track. In an interview with Apple Music, she explained the song was meant to address "the trials and the tribulations that fame give and present to you." She elaborated: "I do want the glamorous life and that is what we all strive for, is this beautiful life of glitz, glamour and beauty and fame is almost the price that you pay for that life," continuing, "I was trying to dive deeper into this concept of fame is a gun and it's really dangerous and you don't really know what you're doing with it when you experience it, so you are pointing it blind, and you're unsure of what is going to be destroyed by it when you're experiencing it for the first time and it's just really reckless."

Critical reception

Amber Chow of ''Hypebae'' expressed that the song "echoes the ghosts of edgy alt-pop past — hints of old-school Grimes, early Marina and the Diamonds, peak Britney and a dash of Gaga-era theatrical flair," assessing, "It's chaotic, deliberate and somehow still extremely cohesive." Millie Dunn-Christensen of ''Notion'' described it as using Rae's signature formula, "catchy hooks, dancey beats, and introspective lyrics, the track delves into the highs and lows of life in the spotlight." Aaron Williams of ''Uproxx'' wrote about the track, stating, "While you mightn't have thought she'd be such a standout pop purveyor, she certainly has a knack for earworm production and hooky, endlessly repeatable choruses." Shaad D'Souza of ''Paper'' called it "another immaculate single" from Rae, with "shades of Goldfrapp and Eurythmics hover around this song, but its verbose, slightly silly lyrics are pure Addison." Gabriel Saulog of ''Billboard Philippines'' said the track showcases Rae's "synth-pop sensibilities, even taking inspiration from the prismatic pop sounds of the early 2010s" and "is just another example of Rae's ever-evolving musical palette, adding a breadth of versatility to what fans and listeners can expect from the upcoming record."

Davy Reed of ''The Face'' compared it to her remix of Charli XCX's "Von Dutch", analysing if that song presented "Addison literally screaming at the trolls who furiously type from their dad's basement, she’s now at a point where she can just shrug off the criticism sshe sings over a blissful synth pop bounce that would appropriately soundtrack a drive down Sunset Boulevard," concluding, "it's another banger. At this point, you almost feel sorry for her haters." Maria Sherman of the Associated Press called it an "easy song-of-the-summer contender, a sunglasses-in-the-club banger with synthetic vocal textures and an unignorable chorus." Chris Richards praised the track in an album review for the ''Washington Post'', describing it as a "dreams-come-true anthem that spins Gwen Stefani's ' What You Waiting For?' and Laurie Anderson's 'O Superman' into a new kind of cotton candy," assessing, "Is it a perfect pop song? There's no such thing. We're reminded of that whenever someone gets this close."

Music video

The music video for "Fame Is a Gun" was directed by Sean Price Williams, who had previously worked with Rae in "Diet Pepsi" and " Aquamarine", and features a grainy visual style of "David Lynch meets Gregg Araki". The surrealist visuals depict Rae as a glamorous woman wearing a blonde wig, pink trench coat and large dark sunglasses, hosting a formal dinner party, as well as a bystander observing the scene from above. Eventually, the bystander version crashes the party and fights with her glamorous self, culminating in a dance sequence. Daisy Maldonado of ''Harper's Bazaar'' observed it as a representation of Rae confronting "her desire for fame and her pursuit of pop stardom."

Charts

Release history

References

{{Addison Rae

2025 songs
Addison Rae songs
Columbia Records singles
Songs about fame
Song recordings produced by Elvira Anderfjärd
Song recordings produced by Luka Kloser
Songs written by Elvira Anderfjärd
Songs written by Luka Kloser