How Tate McRae rose to major pop girl status

Before there was Tate McRae, the ultra-sophisticated pop performer, Tate McRae, a preteen from Calgary, Alberta, was writing songs at home and uploading them to YouTube.

And while McRae’s highly intricately choreographed performances and visually striking maximalist music videos are arguably the centerpiece of her public image today (she appears as a fiery alter ego she calls Tatiana), it’s another side of her. signboard has been honored as this year’s Women in Music hitmaker. He used to find solace in writing lyrics to sing alone in his bedroom rather than in front of 10,000 screaming fans. An underrated 22-year-old, Penn is as deadly as her performance ability. After making his debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2020 with “You Broke Me First,” a modest debut in the well-known genre of Gen Z pop melancholia, McRae joined fellow hitmakers Ryan Tedder and A. She enlisted the help of Mee Allen to help craft a genuine, radio-friendly pop banger that actually works, drawing on her background as a competitive dancer on stage and channeling past pop icons like Britney Spears. (Nowadays, he is often compared to her).

“Tate was dedicated and disciplined to be the absolute best,” acclaimed choreographer Sean Bankhead (Lil Nas “I’ve always wanted to create the next big pop girlie who can not only write great songs and sing live, but of course command every stage she steps on. And with Tate, we’ve achieved that in just two short years.”

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With her breakthrough in 2023; think about it laterand its 2025 sequel topped the Billboard 200. something very closeMcRae became a regular on the charts, with songs such as “Greedy,” “It’s Ok I’m Ok,” and the post-Kid Laroi anthem “Tit for Tat” all reaching the top 20 of the Hot 100. Last May, her collaboration with Morgan Wallen, “What I Want,” became her first No. 1 on the Hot 100, and despite departing from her now signature pop sound, the team-up didn’t feel “out of the ordinary” to McRae. “I was writing songs in the studio just playing guitar, so it felt natural,” she says. signboard Of course.

Now, on a drizzly Friday afternoon in February, she is between the two aforementioned Tates. As her stylists buzz around her, the allure of a freshly wrapped photo shoot is still there, but she chats freely about her growing love for Jersey City (near the home of rumored boyfriend Jack Hughes of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. hockey team) and whether she still has time to enjoy her favorite weather here in New York, where she currently lives. “Is it still raining?” she asked expectantly, tilting her head. “I love It’s raining! ”

As her fame has grown, the internet has been abuzz with speculation about her politics and personal life. And she has spoken in the past about her mixed feelings about the way the world sexualizes young female pop stars, following the proverbial “rebrand.” But she said she was coping with the problem by ditching social media and “romanticizing” real life instead. And with her $110.8 million box office (according to Billboard BoxScore) arena tour set to begin in November, she admits she’s drawn inspiration from everything from her recent trip to Paris to her newfound obsession with Scottish dream-pop legends the Cocteau Twins. (She plans to return to the road this summer as a headliner at Montreal’s Osheaga and Chicago’s Lollapalooza.)

She has no idea where her writing will take her next. But that’s perfectly fine with her. “I always try to create art that feels somehow timeless. [give] It’s a performance that I feel like ultimately can stand up to my favorite performances,” McRae says with a shrug.

“It definitely feels like a beginning,” she added. “Right now I feel like I’m looking at a blank page and thinking, ‘Where am I going to take this?'”

How do you define a hit song?

When writing, you have to think with the most extreme and open mind… [otherwise] This is the most boring work. Everything has been done before, every key played, every word used. All you have is your own unique perspective.

Which of your hit songs means the most to you?

“Sports Car” is one of my favorite songs. It was a really swinging song and a really fun song to write.

“Greedy” was a very meaningful song to me. When I think back to that stage of my life, I was so lost. I was 19 years old and this big singing career was very daunting for me and it felt like one of the first times I had genuine clarity and direction of where I wanted to go visually and sonically.

Who is your dream collaborator?

Lana Del Rey. I listen to Lana 24/7. I’m just a huge fan.

Who other women in the industry do you admire?

I love Olivia Dean and Sabrina [Carpenter]Gracie [Abrams]. olivia [Rodrigo] — so excited for her to drop music again. She’s an incredible songwriter. She is never afraid of brutal honesty or putting all her insecurities and emotions on the table. She’s like that as a friend too, she’s a very open and honest person.

I always look to Rihanna and think she has the best career ever. She is the coolest woman alive.

People love to talk about your “rebrand,” but what steps did you take to become the performer you are today?

I had a very specific vision. I remember thinking, “I want to be a pop star. I want Sean Bankhead. I want to write songs beyond this tempo. I want to do it in a hockey rink. I want this to be the aesthetic.” I could see everything in my head.

To make that happen, it was important to gather the right people around me. Sometimes you receive signs and messages about the direction you should go in life, but you ignore them. And in the end, it’s the most stabbing feeling in your gut, and you wake up and you’re like, “Okay, I don’t need to waste any more time.”

Have you ever felt misunderstood by the world?

There are so many different ways. As a woman, you have to understand that you’re always going to be under a microscope, which can be a really scary and overwhelming feeling at times. But on the optimistic side, there is scrutiny, opinion and people’s perception of you, which leads to great growth and doubling yourself.

I could say that people’s comments don’t affect me, but of course they do. I’m a girl. I have emotions, feelings, and insecurities. It’s the worst when people comment on your body, comment on who you are, and have a completely wrong perception.

But for me, I’m just here to make art. Trying to explain myself is a game I can never win.

This article appears in the April 18, 2026 issue of the magazine. signboard.