Tate McRae Is Pop Music's Biggest Stan

With her sophomore album, 'Think Later', the Canadian singer-songwriter has found her footing in the music industry.

Despite considering herself an introvert, Tate McRae knows how to put on a show. It's apparent in the bubbly, elongated “Hiii!!” she delivers at the start of our Zoom call, and also in the high-energy stage presence she brings to every show. Like most 21-year-olds, McRae is in her self-discovery phase. Yet, with the release of her second studio album, Think Later, and an ongoing sold-out global tour, she seems to know exactly who she is.

McRae’s newfound sense of self gives way to a palpable confidence that has launched the singer-songwriter-dancer to pop superstardom. With viral hits like "greedy" (which has amassed more than 1 billion streams), bouncy on-stage choreography, fully-produced music videos, and sporty-glam style, she's considered a pop icon in the making. Below, she discusses music, personal style, and how she got here.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

InStyle: Your style is sport, sexy, and Y2K. How does your style enhance your pop persona?
Tate McRae: Number one is honestly just comfort. Whatever I can dance in and feel good in, I throw on, whether that's something super baggy and chill, or that's something a little sparkly or fancy. It really depends on my day, whether I want to feel feminine or more masculine. It depends on my mood. I like to mix it up. I definitely lean towards sporty because I'm dancing all the time and want to be able to do whatever I want on stage.

InStyle: Who are your style icons?
TM: I make a lot of mood boards on Pinterest and look at outfits. I look at a lot of old Aaliyah outfits. I look at old Britney [Spears] outfits. Also, lots of Bella Hadid I look at—I think she's amazing.

InStyle: You've been widely denoted as one of pop music's biggest new players. Do you feel pressure or responsibility with that?
TM: Less from an external place and more from myself. The hardest thing is if someone else is commenting on it or saying it or putting pressure on it, it's probably already been thought through in my own head. I've always been a perfectionist my entire life, coming from competition, dancing, and my mom being my dance teacher. The pressure is all from within to do better, make better music, and do a better performance—just trying to one-up yourself every time you get on stage.

InStyle: What is your definition of a quintessential pop star?
TM: Obviously, the music—good music. But I think it's charisma; seeing a spark within someone. My favorite thing is watching someone who loves to perform. Someone who doesn't take themselves too seriously and just puts on a good show. All of my favorite idols have a passion and fire within them that when [they] perform, it’s like, “Oh, my gosh! You look like a totally different person up there.” I admire that a lot in a performer.

InStyle: Who are some of your pop idols?
TM: Obviously, Britney Spears is a huge one. There's so many pop girlies today, like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, who I absolutely adore. Christina Aguilera. I remember watching all those VMA performances. Beyoncé. They all have the aura that I love.

InStyle: Is there anything that you feel pop music is missing?
TM: Pop music is killing it right now. It has a lot of diversity right now. You never really know what's going to come out in a pop song today. You can't really pin down a perfect pop song. It's all over the place, which is really cool for experimenting. But I also feel like that's what pop is meant to be. It's meant to be a mix of every single style coming together, and that's what I love about it.

InStyle: What genres or musical styles do you hope to experiment with in the future?
TM: I listen to so much different music. It's sometimes hard to narrow in on what my sound is because sometimes I'm like, "I want to write a folk song, and then I want to write a more hip-hop influenced song, and then I want to write a straight pop song." It really depends on what I'm listening to. I listen to a lot of country and folk music, and that inspires lyrically where my head's at a lot, but then I have more of a pop music taste when it comes to production and sonics.

InStyle: With your first album, I Used To Think I Could Fly, you spoke about experiencing a big identity crisis. How has the making of your sophomore album shaped your identity and sense of self?
TM: I felt like I had just settled into my skin a lot more in my second album. The difference from 18 to 20 [years old] is a massive jump in being a girl. I was really insecure when I first moved out to L.A. and had no idea what I was doing or who I was. Last year, when I was writing the album, I had way more of an idea of what kind of music I liked, who I was, what my style was, what I wanted to say. That led to a lot of the decisions I made.

InStyle: You’re three months into your sold-out global tour, and in the past, you’ve talked about struggling with imposter syndrome. Do you still feel that way? How do you—or your feisty alter ego Tatiana—manage that?
TM: Imposter syndrome is something that I deal with a lot, and I think a lot of people deal with it more than we think. It's interesting, because if I'm not tapped into the right headspace, I can feel like, “Oh, my goodness, there's so many people looking at me right now” and [I] can do a crazy self analysis while [I’m] on stage, which is the worst place to be in.

But the majority of the time I feel like, when I'm on stage, it's something I'm really passionate about and love to do. I kind of black out and just have fun with it. That's when I feel the most confident—when I can be there with the fans and be able to sing songs and be appreciative. Imposter syndrome is something I deal with a lot more when I’m writing music or when I'm going to events or doing more everyday things—when I'm not fully locked into my alter ego.

InStyle: You recently partnered with Invisalign. Why is the brand important to you?
TM: Invisalign Aligners completely changed my teeth. I've been an Invisalign girl for a very long time, so it just felt really natural and right. I feel like straightening my teeth and having a great smile has helped tremendously with a lot of things in my life, including my confidence, so it was really important for me.

InStyle: What or who has made you smile the most lately?
TM: My dancers on tour are so fucking funny, and they make me laugh 24/7. We have a ball on tour.

InStyle: Who is on your summer playlist? What's your song of the summer?
TM: There's so many good songs out right now. Obviously, a lot of Sabrina [Carpenter]. She's been killing it. I think Chappell [Roan] has been killing it. My playlist is kind of all over the place, though. It's been old music; after Coachella, I listened to Lana [Del Rey] for, like, a month straight.

InStyle: You have become close with some of your peers in the music industry, such as Olivia Rodrigo. How has having a supportive girl group helped you navigate fame and success?
TM: Having a good girl group is everything. Honestly, having good friends that you can trust and rely on in this industry is hard to find, so I feel really lucky to have girls like that in my life. It is really cool, though, because I think we're in a time where girls are way more supportive of each other. All of us are just rooting for each other and want the best, and want to go see everyone's concerts and hang out. It's really fun, and I feel very lucky to be around such inspiring women.

InStyle: In the past, you’ve said you're a big goal setter. What is on your goal list for the near future?
TM: To be a bit more present. I'm doing things in my life right now that I've been wanting to do for so long, and I think it's so easy to keep focusing on the next thing. So, just trying to take in these next couple of months on tour and experience it fully and just be like, “Wow, this is what I get to do.” I’ve also wanted to work on experimenting with music and trying new shit in the studio and pushing my taste and getting out of my comfort zone with sounds.

InStyle: What has been the biggest highlight from being on tour? And what are you most looking forward to?
TM: Just the high of being on stage. Last night, I played a show in San Francisco. Just the feeling of running through the crowd. The most exciting part is reacting off of the audience, because you never really know what you're going to be presented with any night. You just have to go with the flow and go with the challenges of what's going on behind the scenes. That's always an adrenaline rush, which I live for.

And then, I'm playing some venues this year that I'm so stoked for. In Toronto. I'm playing to 16,000 people, which is so cool to be in my home country playing such a big show like that. I'm looking forward to being in these venues that I've seen all my favorite artists play in for a long time.

InStyle: What is that feeling like, seeing a crowd of people singing back at you?
TM: It's the best feeling of all time, mostly because you write [songs] from such an insecure place and such a personal place, [a place] you're very isolated in. Hearing other people sing, you're like, “Oh, we all go through the exact same thing.” It's a very comforting feeling.

InStyle: What advice would you give little Tate?
TM: I'm still working on this, but stop listening to so many opinions. Chill out on asking for everyone's opinion. You know what you want, so just, do it. Anytime that I've second-guessed something, I always try to ask everyone who's near me what I should do. And I always know what I want, and my gut always knows what I should do. So, just trust yourself.

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