While Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo have produced great tracks for our heartbroken 4-am playlists, a hidden gem is now beginning to shine. Tate McRae is joining the selected artists who show up in the Spotify Wrap of the heartbroken, misunderstood, and those of us who just appreciate the emotions in and behind a song. You may know her as the girl who wrote the famous ‘not friends, but not more than friends’ song “That way”, or you may not know her at all, so here’s a look into Tate McRae!
A trained ballerina since age 6, McRae grew up crafting YouTube videos and filling up her time with competitions and galas. Her television debut began with a successful audition in the famous reality-tv show, “So You Think You Can Dance”, followed by a backup dancing gig in a one-off Canadian Justin Bieber concert.
Thinking this was her life, she channelled her passion for dance into a YouTube channel, “Create with Tate”. Fresh out of ideas for a post and determined to maintain her rigorous schedule, McRae released a song, “One day”, written in 20 minutes. This 14-year-old Tate showcased her art for capturing cameo emotions of things such as tragic, unrequited love. With lyrics like, “I think about a hundred thoughts, and you are 99”, there was an early indication that McRae’s singing and songwriting career was only just beginning.
Thirty-six million views, and two years later, McRae had offers from 11 different record labels. Her outlet of pouring wonderfully poignant lyrics at the end of the week turned into her releasing her first single, written by Billie Eilish and Finneas. However, her breakthrough hit was one of her own and one that held together broken hearts worldwide – You Broke Me First. Her raspy vocals add a layer of texture to the song that landed 10th in the UK and was streamed over a billion times during the rancid lockdown.
McRae thinks of herself as a sponge, absorbing the emotions of others and blowing them up with flowery metaphors and melancholic lyrics that touch our souls. Her first EP, contradicting everything in it, is titled “Too Young To Be Sad” and features six songs of doomed relationships drawn from those of herself and those around her. “Killer”, a startlingly fast-paced pop anthem, features an I-can’t-give-you-up chorus: “I’ve got this rubber band/on my wrist/and I snap it every time/that I think about your lips.”
This EP cemented McRae’s position as one of the most promising new talents. Her latest songs prove why she’s a part of the industry with compelling rhythms and all too relatable lyrics. Her most recent single, “She’s all I wanna be”, treads along similar lines to Rodrigo’s “Jealousy, Jealousy”. It highlights the complex feeling of thinking that everyone around you is interested in anyone but yourself. Sound familiar? A powerful burst of energy to scream in the car and expel your worries! McRae has delivered nothing short of perfection, and what she does ahead will prove her place in pop sadness royalty.
