"Diet Pepsi" is the major label debut single by American singer Addison Rae. It was released on August 9, 2024, through Columbia Records, as the lead single from Rae's debut studio album, Addison (2025). "Diet Pepsi" received widespread critical acclaim and charted in several countries worldwide. The synth-pop and alternative pop song is about "the immortal feeling of being young and in love."
"Diet Pepsi" emerged as Rae's early breakthrough, peaking within the top ten of the charts in Ireland, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, and within the top 20 in Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. In the United States, it became Rae's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at number 54. Critics praised Rae's vocal performance and use of modulation, and compared the song favorably to the early work of Lana Del Rey. "Diet Pepsi" appeared on numerous critics' and music publications' rankings of the best songs of 2024.
Background Columbia Records CEO Ron Perry, whom Rae knew through mutual friends, set up a meeting with her following the release of her debut extended play (EP) AR (2023). Rae walked into the meeting with a binder of colors, words, and images of performances, presented as an idea for a future album. By doing this, she rejected the idea of showing any actual music, demos or songs, impressing Perry who signed her in late 2023. In February 2024, Rae met songwriters Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjärd in Los Angeles. The trio listened to music all day, but were not getting far with their ideas. As the session neared its end, Kloser started playing the piano, with Rae claiming that all three "magically" started humming the melody that would become the chorus of "Diet Pepsi". It was the first song she wrote for her debut album, Addison.
Rae shared first hints of new music in June 2024 through her social media. The singer got more specific that August by posting snippets and lyrics of the song. On August 5, she revealed the release date and title for her first single with Columbia. The song was originally supposed to be titled "Backseat" before she played it for Charli XCX who told her, "Why isn't the song called 'Diet Pepsi'?" In a November 2025 Substack post, Charli XCX named hearing "Diet Pepsi" for the first time as an example of the privilege of "hear[ing] a lot of incredible music that undoubtably is going to shift culture and public perception months before its released" that her pop-stardom affords her.
Reception The song received widespread acclaim from both critics and listeners, who praised Rae for her musical shift from her previous bubblegum pop lyrics and sonic direction to an alternative pop sound. Billboard described the song as a "turning point" in Rae's musical journey as it creates more of a clear vision on who Rae is as an artist, opposed to previous projects, while Rolling Stones Brittany Spanos described "this new Rae [as] strange, campy, and, most important, fun" and "as if she'd taken a John Waters left turn". The New York Times called the song "the aural embodiment of tasteful restraint", and some critics praised Rae's "breathy" vocals and the key change employed in the song's final chorus. Some drew positive comparisons to the music of Lana Del Rey, particularly her 2012 single "Blue Jeans" and its parent album Born to Die (2012). It polled at number 11 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2024.
+Critics' year-end rankings of "Diet Pepsi" Publication List Rank Billboard The 100 Best Songs of 20248Dazed The 20 Best Tracks of 20241Dork Dorks tracks of the year 202410Exclaim! 20 Best Songs of 202412The Fader The 50 best songs of 20242The Guardian The 20 best songs of 20248The New York Times Jon Caramanica's Best Songs of 20244NME The 50 Best Songs of 202444Paper Papers Best Songs of 2024 Paste The 100 Best Songs of 202431Pitchfork The 100 Best Songs of 202413Rolling Stone The 100 Best Songs of 202422 Rob Sheffield's Top 25 Songs of 20244Slant The 50 Best Songs Of 202439Stereogum The 50 Best Songs Of 202420Uproxx The Best Songs Of 2024 Variety The 50 Best Songs of 2024
Commercial performance After the song became a viral sound on TikTok, "Diet Pepsi" became her first song to debut on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 54 and spending 20 weeks on the chart, while reaching number 9 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart, marking her first top ten song on pop radio.
In the United Kingdom, "Diet Pepsi" debuted at number 73 on the UK Singles Chart on August 30, 2024 – for the week ending date September 5, 2024. The song later peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart on November 1, 2024 – for the week ending date November 7, 2024 – becoming Rae's first top ten song in Britain.
Music video The official music video was released alongside the song on August 9, 2024, and was directed by Sean Price Williams. The video opens with Rae teasing her next single "Aquamarine" and continues with her having fun in a 1972 Cadillac Sixty Special in her underwear, alongside her male love interest portrayed by Drew Van Acker. Much of the video pays homage to the 1965 cult classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, including the video's title card, Rae's dancing, and filming in black and white. Rae named Bruce Conner's 1966 experimental film Breakaway as another reference for the video. Mel Ottenberg served as the video's creative director. Rae recalled having to convince her label to release the song as the lead single from her album, as well as to approve her vision for a black-and-white music video, which they initially questioned due to concerns that audiences tend to avoid monochrome visuals. She explained that she was drawn to the challenge, hoping the format would encourage viewers to slow down and focus, believing the song warranted that level of attention. Williams supported her vision and embraced the approach.
Vultures Jason P. Frank described Rae's performance as "full Americana princess" while complimenting the video, calling it "funny and good." Brittany Spanos also praised it in a Rolling Stone feature profiling Rae's rise, writing that the "black-and-white video that focused on her fluid movement and sense of humor helped further solidify that cult pop fandom, particularly from queer pop stans." The video was unfavorably compared to Sabrina Carpenter's album artwork for Man's Best Friend by New York Times style reporters Marie Solis and Stella Bugbee, with Bugbee calling it "simple-syrup sexuality, designed to be metabolized fast and easy."
Live performances Rae performed "Diet Pepsi" along with Charli XCX and Troye Sivan during the Sweat tour, at Madison Square Garden, New York City on September 23, 2024, marking the debut performance of the song. The song was covered by Camila Cabello on Live Lounge for BBC Radio 1 that same month, with Cabello stating that she wishes she wrote the song herself. Blondshell also released a cover of the song recorded at SiriusXMU in June 2025. Rae performed "Diet Pepsi" with Lana Del Rey at Wembley Stadium in London on July 3, 2025, after serving as the opening act for Del Rey's show. Ben Platt performed an arrangement of the song, backed by a string section, at the Las Culturistas Culture Awards, a parody awards show hosted by the podcast of the same name which aired on Bravo in August 2025. This version ultimately went viral online and was released as a single by Interscope Records. Rae then included "Diet Pepsi" as the closing song of her debut concert The Addison Tour setlist in 2025. On October 2, 2025, Rae performed it as part of a medley with album track "New York" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Diet Pepsi" Chart (2024–2025) Peakposition Australia (ARIA) 18 Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard) 4 Canada Hot AC (Billboard) 30 Greece International (IFPI) 39 Italy Airplay (EarOne) 29 Latvia Airplay (LaIPA) 4 Lithuania (AGATA) 57 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 20 Netherlands (Single Tip) 4 Netherlands (Global Top 40) 40 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 17 Philippines (Philippines Hot 100) 19 Portugal (AFP) 84 Romania Airplay (TopHit) 94 San Marino Airplay (SMRTV Top 50) 26 Singapore (RIAS) 10 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 92
Monthly charts + Monthly chart performance for "Diet Pepsi" Chart (2024) Peakposition Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 24
Year-end charts Chart (2025) Position Australia (ARIA) 74 Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard) 20 Canada Hot AC (Billboard) 71 US Pop Airplay (Billboard) 28
Certifications
Release history +Release history for "Diet Pepsi" Region Date Format Label Various August 9, 2024 Columbia United States September 10, 2024 Contemporary hit radio Italy October 11, 2024 Radio airplay Sony Italy United States January 28, 2025 Hot adult contemporary radio Columbia Various January 31, 2025 LP November 28, 2025
References