Tate McRae is one of this year’s stars that have risen to fame after years of contributing to the music industry, and she had a unique approach in doing this. McRae’s viral 2020 hit, “you broke me first” was a brief and kickstarting moment for her. This single allowed her to reach a broader audience and draw in more people, thus, allowing her to embrace the genuinity to her increasingly improved music. McRae advertised a sample of “you broke me first” on TikTok, and continues this strategy with new material. Such as her newly-released single, “2 hands” which she started promoting this October, which was released on November 14. McRae’s specialty is dancing, which she embraces during performances, and it is a skill most fans rave about. After all, she started off as a dancer. McRae participated in and earned third place in the hit TV show, “So You Think You Can Dance” in its thirteenth season. Additionally, McRae has intensively danced since age six, and continues to imply this element into every performance on tour.
Following McRae’s musical outbreak, she released her debut album, “i used to think i could fly” on May 27, 2022, two years after her music became popular. This album was a quiet release, as many disregard it as some fail to recognize it is her because of the youthful sound to her vocals. Yet, it consists of some of her most popular songs, like “she’s all i wanna be.” However, this album received negative reviews, and left fans looking for more. McRae introduced the “Are We Flying Tour” in the fall of 2023, which would eventually lead to another staple addition for McRae’s reputation. Merely halfway into this tour, McRae released her new lead single “greedy,” which soon would become even bigger than “you broke me first,” Once again, the lead single went viral on TikTok, and drew in many more new fans who were begging for new music from McRae. A month later, McRae announced her sophomore album “think later,” which was released on Dec 8, 2023. Another single, titled “exes,” was to be released the following Friday.
When “think later” was released, it received many more positive remarks and many stated and acknowledged McRae’s improvement lyrically and artistically. The album marked a monumental moment for McRae, containing some of her most genuine, vulnerable melodies, as well as feel-good, danceable hits. However, the album in whole was still not broadly appreciated. Similar to the rollout of her debut album, McRae followed the album’s release with another tour; however, this time it was a world tour, rather than just a North American tour. McRae was bigger than ever before, with clips from the “Think Later World Tour” going viral, mainly of her stunning vocals and flawless dance break to her hit song, “exes.” On Aug. 22, the tour had its final stop of the USA leg in New York, at the famous Madison Square Garden. In the show’s encore, McRae performed her unreleased song, “It’s ok I’m ok,” which was later released Sept. 12, and is now a TikTok sensation.
Most recently, on Nov. 14, 2024, McRae announced her new album titled “So Close to What”, which is set to be released Feb. 21, 2025 consisting of 15 new hits. She also announced a new arena concert tour called “Miss Possessive Tour”, which McRae will embark on this coming March, premiering in Mexico City.
Overall, McRae is a unique artist with the ability to let her fans see her true colors, which many other artists struggle to do. While allowing for her and her audience to have a good time at her tours; and even just listening to her music.
