- Words Cal McIntyre
- Photography Phoebe Cowley
- Styling Olivia Jones
- Makeup Rebecca Hampson
- Hair Emily Chaplin
- Production Studio Notion
As she releases her new single, 'It's ok I'm ok', we revisit this classic interview with dancing pop princess Tate McRae.
This feature was originally published 9th December 2019.
Say hello to the new triple threat that’s here to rule the charts with kindness, our new girl next door, Tate McRae!
It’s never cool to talk about someone’s age in relation to their journey in life or experiences that they have had, especially in not a patronising type of way. But, damn – Tate McRae is undoubtedly kicking life’s butt at the minute and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Don’t be fooled by Tate’s age (she’s 16), but her career in almost every aspect of the arts thus far is absolutely killer. Let us give you a quick run-through of the life and slayage of Tate McRae so far. In 2016, the Canadian-born Tate somersaulted her way in the public’s heart with ease and grace on the classic ‘So You Think You Can Dance: Next Generation’ in 2016 and obviously made it past the auditions like it was no biggie. That’s the secret of Tate McRae – her talent appears to be completely effortless, but under the curtain, there is an entire backlog of blood, sweat and tears poured into Tate’s craft.
The fact that Tate McRae is also a mega-talented singer plus songwriter can leave your head dizzy at times. What’s really endearing about the teen is her ability to be prolific and vulnerable in her lyrics that don’t come off as if a teenager had written them. The songs that Tate is able to spin from her heart of gold are stanzas that show her ability to articulate her feelings whilst taking in the culture we live in. It’s no wonder why she has an army of fans around the world who relate to Tate like they’re best friends.
It must be kinda crazy for Tate to be taking in so much around her all the time, plus travelling the world on her soldout tour (no biggie!) – if anything, it shows that this is her life’s calling and boy is she good at it! We caught up with the teen dream, who is as humble and sweet as they come – whilst she was in London for a little chat and photoshoot. As the year comes to an end, it’s relieving to know that there is so much more of Tate to come, and what a dream that is for us.
See what Tate has to say and check out her newest single ‘stupid’ below – you’d be stupid not to!
- Jumper You Must Create
- Trousers Massimo Dutti
- Jacket Barena
- Jacket Barena
- Trousers Massimo Dutti
- Jumper You Must Create
- Shoes Weejuns
What is your creative process like when it comes to making music?
For me personally, when creating music it changes depending on the day. Sometimes ideas will come to me right on the spot, sometimes I have a melody in my head, or sometimes it’s all just my subconscious talking. It changes when I work with different people in writing sessions, but lyrics are always number one to me. If it doesn’t click with me, it’s probably never going to click with anyone else.
How does it feel to be putting music out into the world?
It’s crazy exciting. I feel so grateful to have such an amazing team behind me. Honestly makes me so happy to think I can put all of my most vulnerable thoughts out into the world and see who they connect with.
“If it doesn’t click with me, it’s probably never going to click with anyone else.”
How did you first get started within music?
Music has always been a massive part of my life. I’ve danced and sang since I was like 2, and I’ve never stopped. Writing songs and choreographing since I was so young, music has always been the one thing that always helps me figure out if I’m going in the right direction.
What is some advice you would give to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to stop being such a perfectionist. Stop overthinking every small thing and just do it. Honestly, there’s nothing I hate more than regret and I’ve always been so scared of messing up, that I’ve missed out on truly living a lot of moments in my life.
What has been one of the highlights of your year so far?
Ah, selling out my first headlining tour in less than 2 weeks was absolutely crazy! For real, I thought it would just be my mom and dad showing up. It was so surreal to me – to see that people actually wanted to come and watch me perform live. Never thought that would happen.
What else can we expect to come from you?
Lots and lots of new music, and videos, and performances. My mind works a mile a minute, so hoping to bring all of my visions to life in 2020.
“Music has always been the one thing that always helps me figure out if I’m going in the right direction.”
If you could choose one, what is one album that you could only listen to right now?
Any advice you have been given that has stayed with you?
- Jacket Barena
- Vest Madeline Thompson
What is one fact people may not know about you?
People probably don’t know that I was on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ when I was 13. I am a hardcore dancer and train every second when I’m not writing or singing. It’s such a huge part of my life and always will be.
What are some of your first memories of music?
My mom is a dance teacher, so I have vivid memories of her playing so many songs in the living room, and me just improving for hours and hours in front of my family. That’s when I first really fell in love with music.
Who are some of your heroes?
I feel like this is something that I haven’t even figured out myself. I’m 16, tryna make my way through my teenage years, and when I write it’s usually so I can wrap my mind around something that’s happening at that moment. I guess we’ll see what happens in the next year because I’ll definitely have some new songs to describe it.