Emma McIntyre/Getty Images/Coachella; Matt Jelonek/Getty Images
Back when TikTok’s most popular creators formed a collective known as “the Hype House” in 2019, they were considered Gen Z’s answer to the Brat Pack. Here was a group of young, hot, popular kids who monetized short-form video content, and while they each accrued thousands (or sometimes, millions) of followers, they were still scoffed at as an “untalented” bunch. Each fan was outnumbered by many more haters who believed that there wasn’t much of a future in the entertainment industry for these teens who danced and mouthed along to popular songs for the masses.
Addison Rae and Alex Warren were original members of the Hype House. Warren even co-founded the collective, coming up with the name and even starring in the Netflix reality show about the friends and collaborators. Rae’s ascent surpassed the Hype House pretty quickly and her time with the collective was brief, but that didn’t deter a long-held public association with the group given the amount of viral content she made with fellow members Charli D’Amelio and Chase Hudson.
In the nearly six years since the Hype House was created, both Rae and Warren had initially struggled to break free of the constraints of viral fame. Warren’s failed pursuits in maintaining a level of social media relevance with the prank videos he became known for were a major storyline of Hype House. Rae’s own early attempts at branching out through film and music were poorly received.
But strategic patience allowed both of these stars to find their voices. Both focused on music, and not in a flip, attention-seeking way. They hunkered down to create their debut full-length albums and to figure out who they were as writers and singers. Rae would eventually get co-signs from forward-thinking pop minds like Charli XCX, Rosalía, and Arca ahead of dropping critically acclaimed singles “Diet Pepsi” and “Aquamarine.” Meanwhile, Warren’s “Ordinary” would gain unforeseen momentum after it was synced in Love Is Blind. The song would become one of the biggest hits of 2025, topping the Hot 100 for 10 non-consecutive weeks while turning Warren himself into a streaming juggernaut.
Now, both Warren and Rae are nominated as Best New Artists at the Grammy Awards. It’s perhaps the last thing consumers of their viral TikTok and YouTube content would have expected in 2019. But it’s the perfect example of how strange and unexpected the industry works today, where some of the most interesting stars can be born from the most unlikely spaces.
From Rolling Stone US.
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