Elvira Anderfjärd, Luka Kloser on Billboard Cover

“Sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself.”

That phrase is written on a sign above the bathroom at the studio of all-star vocal coach Eric Vetro. The first time Addison Rae saw it at her own lesson there, the influencer-turned-singer did what she often does when she finds something compelling: She pulled out her phone and took a picture to save for later inspiration.

“That’s a Miles Davis quote,” she tells me. “It is just the realest thing ever because not only does that apply as far as literal vocal warmups go — like, you could sound one way at the beginning of a lesson and another way at the end — but also just finding who you are takes a really long time.”

Today, it’s hard to imagine Rae ever felt lost in search of her true self. The 24-year-old confidently struts into Casa Vega, a Mexican spot in Sherman Oaks, Calif., wearing a wide smile and a bright white tutu at noon sharp to meet me for lunch. This storied place has been intertwined with showbiz’s rich and famous since it opened in 1956 — films like Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and Valley Girl were shot here; Dakota Fanning has a signature margarita on the bar menu; Jane Fonda, Marlon Brando and Cary Grant were once regulars; and, more surprisingly, The Chainsmokers have a bronze plaque nailed to the wall above our booth. Rae’s entrance makes it immediately clear that she knows she is not only bearing witness to the restaurant’s celebrity history — she is part of it. It’s easy to believe her.

Read Addison Rae’s full Billboard cover story here.