Tate McRae: How a ‘Very Sensitive, Very Introverted’ Singer Became a Pop Superstar
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How a Canadian Dancer Transformed Into One of 2025's Biggest Pop Sensations
At Madison Square Garden, 15,000 fans watch as Tate McRae commands the stage in cherry-red micro shorts and a matching bra. She's performing "Tit for Tat," her breakup anthem, with the kind of fierce choreography that showcases both her dance training and her evolution as a performer. Pyrotechnics explode in perfect sync as she and her backup dancers throw their hands skyward. The crowd—affectionately known as Tater Tots—screams and films every moment.
But the person they're watching isn't just Tate McRae. It's Tatiana, her alter ego: a fearless, badass superstar who's been dominating pop music all year, one impossibly flexible dance move at a time.
The Two Sides of Tate
"I started to black out onstage and become this person that I couldn't explain," McRae says about creating Tatiana. The 22-year-old Alberta native describes a striking paradox: she can perform confidently in front of 15,000 people but feels nervous at a dinner party with four.
Off stage, she's introspective, sensitive, and introverted—someone who wears a Sex Pistols sweatshirt (admitting she doesn't really know the band), worries about her acne, and needs to schedule her first blood work appointment. On stage, she transforms into a confident pop powerhouse who can nail a standing split while performing high-energy choreography.
"The contrast between the two is such a great way of showing how a person can be so multifaceted," she explains.
A Record-Breaking Year
2025 has been extraordinary for McRae. Her third album, So Close to What, debuted at Number One on the Billboard 200 in February. Her Miss Possessive Tour stretched for 88 dates, grossed $111 million, and sold out Madison Square Garden three times. She performed at the VMAs, earned her first Grammy nomination for "Just Keep Watching," and released a deluxe album edition titled SO CLOSE TO WHAT??? that spawned hits like "Tit for Tat" and "Nobody's Girl."
Even Taylor Swift became a fan, telling Jimmy Fallon she listens to "Tit for Tat" on full volume, over and over again. McRae's mom had predicted it a week earlier, telling her daughter she felt Swift was "in your ether right now."
From Dancer to Pop Star
McRae's journey began in Calgary, where she started dance training at age six. She spent 40 hours a week at the dance studio, studying everything from ballet to modern dance. At 12, she placed third on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation, performing live on television every Monday.
While contemplating a future with the Berlin State Ballet, McRae discovered songwriting. At 14, she posted a video called "Create With Tate" featuring her original song "One Day." The video went viral with over 42 million views, launching her music career. She signed with RCA in 2019, and "You Broke Me First" became a TikTok sensation in 2020.
But it wasn't until 2023 that everything clicked. "I'm going to be a dancing pop star," she decided. "I will make this happen." She studied pop culture obsessively—Beyoncé at the 2007 BET Awards, Madonna's documentaries, Lady Gaga's 2009 VMAs performance. "You start to see pop stars as superheroes," she says.
The result was "Greedy," released in September 2023, featuring McRae dancing through a hockey rink in a video that felt distinctly Canadian yet utterly confident. The track peaked at Number Three on the Billboard Hot 100 and introduced the world to Tatiana.
Heartbreak and Healing
Much of the deluxe album material stems from McRae's June breakup with Australian musician the Kid Laroi. While touring Europe afterward, she spent time reading poetry, journaling, and listening to Lana Del Rey while wandering parks in Prague and sitting by lakes in Zurich.
"Tit for Tat" became her response to Laroi's "A Cold Play," and the internet erupted with speculation about their split. "It was really scary and overwhelming," she admits. "I didn't realize how much it would affect me, the public knowing my private life—because no one knows the full story of anything, ever."
The vulnerability extends to tracks like "Nobody's Girl," where she reflects on turning 22 in the aftermath of heartbreak, and "Horseshoe," which contains the raw confession: "I'm not a pop star when I'm all alone." That line, she says, is about the alienation she felt despite living her dream. "When all the makeup and clothes come off, it's just you in your bedroom. You're like, 'OK, who am I?'"
The Scrutiny of Success
McRae has faced her share of controversies this year. When 600-plus songs leaked in January, including demos dating back to when she was 12, she felt devastated. A viral video appearing to show her lip-syncing led to online speculation, despite her commitment to singing live. And her collaboration with Morgan Wallen on "What I Want"—her first Number One hit—drew criticism given Wallen's past controversies.
Through it all, McRae maintains that humor and perspective are essential. "You have to have humor with it, otherwise you would go insane," she says about navigating online discourse.
She's particularly passionate about the double standards female performers face. Her song "Purple Lace Bra" addresses feeling confident and sexual for the first time, only to be sexualized and scrutinized by the media. "People always want girls to put themselves out there. And the second they do, they get ripped apart for it," she explains. "The scrutiny towards women is getting worse and worse."
Looking Ahead
After the grueling tour, McRae describes herself as physically exhausted but mentally the most herself she's felt in six years. She's moved to Manhattan, embraces her "woo-woo" side (consulting healers and psychics), and believes deeply in manifestation. "I believe your physical field can change at any second if you change your vibration towards it," she says.
For 2026, she plans to spend time with her "hearty, grounded girls and gays" and remain single. A tour documentary might be coming, or perhaps a poetry book. But when asked if she sees herself performing in her seventies, she's not sure. "Hopefully there's a cap and then I peace out, move to Italy, and just chill," she laughs.
For now, though, Tate McRae—and Tatiana—are just getting started. And whether she's the shy Canadian in sweatpants or the confident pop star in micro shorts, both versions are exactly who she needs to be.
The title of her deluxe album says it all: SO CLOSE TO WHAT??? Even McRae doesn't have all the answers yet. But with sold-out arenas, a Grammy nomination, and Taylor Swift on repeat, she's clearly close to something extraordinary.