McRae's debut studio album,I Used to Think I Could Fly (2022), peaked at number three on theCanadian music charts and spawned the top-10 single "She's All I Wanna Be". After developing a morepop-oriented sound, her 2023 single "Greedy" was released to worldwide commercial success, peaking atop both theBillboard Global 200 and the Canadian Hot 100, as well as peaking at number three on theBillboard Hot 100. The song preceded McRae's second studio album,Think Later (2023), which debuted in the top five of several countries.
Tate Rosner McRae[1] was born inCalgary, Alberta, on July 1, 2003, the daughter of Tanja Rosner, aGerman dance instructor, and Todd McRae, a lawyer for oil and gas companies who hasScottish ancestry.[2][3][4][5] At the age of two she moved with her family toOman, on account of her father's work; she lived there for three years.[6][7] During her time in Oman, McRae attendedThe American International School Muscat (TAISM).[8] McRae began recreational dance training at age six.[6][9] Having returned to Calgary, at the age of eight, she began to train more intensively in dance[10] and competed with Drewitz Dance Productions. From age 11, she began training in all styles of dance at YYC Dance Project, a dance company owned by her mother,[11] and underwent ballet training at the School of Alberta Ballet, the training school for theAlberta Ballet Company.[12][9][13]McRae attendedWestern Canada High School and graduatedonline in 2021.[14][15]
Career
2013–2018: Dance career
McRae was awarded MiniBest Female Dancer at the2013 Dance Awards in New York City.[16] After gaining some prominence through social media,[17] she became a brand ambassador for the American dance shoes manufacturerCapezio.[6] She became a finalist at the New York City Dance Alliance's 2014 National Gala.[18] She also voiced Spot Splatter Splash for theLalaloopsy (2013–2015) franchise.[19]
In June 2016, she performed atJustin Bieber's concert in Calgary for thePurpose World Tour during Bieber's performance of "Children".[22] In April 2016, McRae performed onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show as part of the DancerPalooza troupe.[23] In June 2016, she took part in thethirteenth season of American television showSo You Think You Can Dance.[24] While competing for the America's Favorite Dancer title as a non-American, she was mentored by American dancer and actressKathryn McCormick.[25] She advanced further in the competition than any other Canadian in the show's history, placing third on the final episode.[26] Canadian TV hostMurtz Jaffer fromToronto Sun reacted, "The fact that Canadians couldn't vote for Tate makes her third-place finish all the more impressive. While she might not have been voted America's favorite dancer, she certainly might be Canada's".[27] She performed at the2016 Teen Choice Awards as a finalist from theSYTYCD cast.[28] She performed again onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2016 as part of the Jump Dance Convention troupe.[29]
She was featured on the cover ofDance Spirit magazine in April 2017.[30] In May 2017, she was featured in apas de deux in Alberta Ballet Company's production, "Our Canada" choreographed by Jean Grand-Maître.[31][32] In November 2017, after performing a dance toDemi Lovato's song "Tell Me You Love Me" she was invited by Lovato to rehearse with their dancers for their performance at theAmerican Music Awards.[33] For the third time, she won Best Female Dancer at the2018 Dance Awards in Las Vegas, this time in the Teen category,[34] making her the first dancer in the competition's history to win in all categories from mini to teen. In April 2018, she choreographed and danced in the music video for the song "Just Say When" by American rock bandNothing More.[35][36]
2017–2020: Music beginnings and "You Broke Me First"
Since its creation in 2011, McRae'sYouTube channel has featured primarily dance videos. However, in 2017, she began a video series showcasing original songs she wrote and recorded in her bedroom.[14] The first song she released as part of the series, "One Day", attracted over 40 million views, prompting her to self-release the song as her independent debut single.[37][4] The song would eventually be certified gold in Canada, marking her first certification.[38] From 2017 to 2019, McRae continued to upload and release independent singles leading to her being named YouTube's Artist on the Rise.[39] Her singles caught the attention of record labels.[14] In March 2019, she released the standalone single, "Kids Are Alright".[40]
McRae signed withRCA Records in August 2019,[40] and released the singles "Tear Myself Apart", "All My Friends Are Fake" and "Stupid".[41][42][43] The songs would become the only singles released from her then-forthcoming debut EP.[44] "Stupid" charted in Ireland and Canada, earning significant radio airplay performance in the latter, peaking within the top 15 of the Canadian pop radio charts.[45] "Stupid" was certified gold in Canada.[38] McRae released her debut EP,All the Things I Never Said, on January 24, 2020, and announced her All the Things I Never Said Tour, headlining Europe and North America.[41] Each stop on the tour was sold out.[46] The tour received positive reviews.[47]
In April 2020, McRae released the single "You Broke Me First" which retroactively became the lead single from her then-forthcoming second EP.[48][49] The song was an international success, peaking within the top ten of the charts in several countries, including Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, and becoming her first single to chart on theBillboard Hot 100 in the United States.[50] It was also the longest charting song released by a female artist in 2020 on theBillboard Hot 100, at 38 weeks.[51] It peaked at number one on theMediabase Top 40 chart, breaking the record for the longest climb to number one by a female solo artist at 28 weeks.[51] She also performed the song onJimmy Kimmel Live!,[52] andThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[53] Towards the end of the year, following the success of "You Broke Me First", she signed a worldwide publishing deal withSony/ATV.[54]
Throughout the rest of 2020, McRae released a string of standalone singles including "Vicious" featuring American rapperLil Mosey in June,[55] "Don't Be Sad" in August,[39] "Lie to Me" with Canadian singerAli Gatie in October,[56] and "R U OK" in December; the latter retroactively became the second single from her second EP.[57]
McRae's rise to mainstream popularity was unusual because much of it happened during early COVID-19 restrictions, which led David Friend, a music reporter atThe Canadian Press, to call her "a bonafide star of the lockdown".[73] Her performances on late night and awards shows were often done in isolation and studios, including the virtual edition of MTV's European music awards.[74] She said this led her to sometimes disassociate herself from the fame she was experiencing in isolation.[73]
2021–2022:I Used to Think I Could Fly
McRae performing in 2022
In January 2021, McRae released the song "Rubberband", which retroactively became the eventual third single from her then-upcoming second EP.[15] On March 3, 2021, alongside a promotional single titled "Slower", McRae announced that her second EP,Too Young to Be Sad, would be released on March 26, 2021.[75] Upon release, the EP received positive reviews, debuted at number 94 on the USBillboard 200.[76] At the end of 2021, the album amassed over one billion streams onSpotify, becoming the most streamed EP that year by a female artist.[77] The EP was nominated forAlbum of the Year andPop Album of the Year at the2022 Juno Awards.[78] McRae received twoJuno Award nominations,[79] and was announced as anApple MusicUp Next artist.[48]
In April, McRae featured on the song "You" alongsideRegard andTroye Sivan.[80] On May 8, 2021, McRae performed a global virtual show, "Too Young to Be Sad",[81] which was praised.[81] Later that month, McRae signed her first endorsement deal with Essentia Water,[82] was nominated for the Social Star Award at theiHeartRadio Music Awards,[83] and featured on the soundtrack of theAmazon original seriesPanic with the track "Darkest Hour".[84] In June, McRae was featured on the song "U Love U" byBlackbear,[85] and released the song "Working" withKhalid.[86] In October, she was featured on theBillboard 21 under 21 list for 2021[87] andPeople magazine's One to Watch list for 2021.[88] McRae was featured on the cover ofNuméro in November 2021.[89]
"That Way", a track from her debut EP, experienced a resurgence in late 2021 after going viral onTikTok and charted in the UK,[90] and Ireland.[91] In September 2021, McRae released a remix of "That Way" withJeremy Zucker.[92] In November 2021, McRae released "Feel Like Shit", the lead single off her then-forthcoming debut album which she began teasing earlier that same year.[93][94][95]
In February 2022, McRae released "She's All I Wanna Be", the second single from her then-forthcoming debut album.[96] The song found commercial success and reached the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, Norway, Singapore, and Belgium. It also charted in the top 40 in several countries. The song debuted at number 52 in the US, becoming her highest debut on the Hot 100 at the time.[97] That same month, McRae was announced as a brand ambassador forMaybelline and the face of their new Vinyl Ink liquid lip color.[98] McRae released "Chaotic" as the third single in March and released "What Would You Do?" as the fourth single in May.[99] McRae announced that her debut albumI Used to Think I Could Fly, would be released on May 27, 2022.[100] The album received positive reviews from music critics and debuted at number three in Canada and 13 in the US.[101]
In September 2022, McRae released the follow-up single "Uh Oh".[102] In November, she featured onTiësto's "10:35", released for the opening of the luxury resortAtlantis The Royal, Dubai.[103] Towards the end of 2022, McRae began to express interest in a morepop music-oriented sound, describing her forthcoming work a "new chapter".[104]
By August 2023, McRae began teasing a new song.[105] On September 15, 2023, she released her song "Greedy" which became her biggest debut on Spotify to date,[106] and her first top 10 on the Global Spotify Charts.[107] The song peaked at the top of theCanadian Hot 100, and debuted at the top of the charts in Denmark and Norway.[108][109] "Greedy" also topped the charts in several other countries, including Australia and the Netherlands, as well as theBillboard Global 200, making it her first official number one single worldwide. The song also peaked within the top ten in several countries, including France, Iceland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. "Greedy" also became her first song to chart within the top ten of theBillboard Hot 100 in the United States, peaking at number three.[110][111] It also became the year-end number one song of 2024 on the USPop Airplay chart after peaking at number one for eight weeks total.[112] The song was a commercial success and acted as the lead single off her then-upcoming sophomore studio album.[113] In November, she released a follow-up single titled "Exes", which also peaked top ten in Canada.[114]
McRae released her sophomore studio album,Think Later, on December 8, 2023.[115] The album received positive reviews and was described as a "career-defining shift" for McRae.[116][117] It debuted in the top five of the charts worldwide including number four on the USBillboard 200, earning 66,000album-equivalent units in its first week, of which 8,000 were pure album sales; This marked McRae's first top-ten album in the US.[118] McRae won theJuno Award for Artist of the Year, and Single of the Year for "Greedy" at the2024 Juno Awards.[119] In late 2023, McRae made herSaturday Night Live debut performing "Greedy" and a then-unreleased song titled "Grave".[120] Throughout the rest of 2023 and early 2024, McRae went on to perform "Greedy" at various award shows including theBillboard Music Awards,[121] the2024 NHL All-Star Game,[122] theBrit Awards,[123] and theiHeartRadio Music Awards.[124]
In September 2024, McRae released the single "It's OK I'm OK" which found commercial success, charting in several countries worldwide and becoming her highest charting debut on theBillboard Hot 100 at number 20.[125][126][127] She followed with a second single "2 Hands" in November which peaked at number 41 on the Hot 100 and 22 in Canada.[128][129][130] Alongside the second single, McRae announced her third studio album,So Close to What, released on February 21, 2025, along with plans for theMiss Possessive Tour, which commenced on March 18 of the same year.So Close to What became McRae's first number one album onBillboard 200.[131][132] Her third single, "Sports Car", was released on January 24, 2025. The song peaked at number nine on theCanadian Hot 100, and also peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.[133] McRae made her first couch appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on February 25, as an interview guest where she taught him how to do the "It's OK I'm OK" dance.[134] She returned toThe Tonight Show on March 5, 2025 to perform "Revolving Door", returning as a performer for the third time.[135] She performed onSaturday Night Live for the second time on March 1, performing "Sports Car" and "Dear God".[136]
From late 2021 to early 2023, McRae was in a relationship withColumbus Blue Jackets playerCole Sillinger.[148] In April 2024, Australian rapper and singerthe Kid Laroi confirmed he was in a relationship with McRae.[149] They collaborated on the song "I Know Love" from her 2025 albumSo Close to What.[150] The couple broke up in July 2025.[151][152]
McRae has been described as "the teen dance star turned future pop idol" byi-D,[174] "the new teen queen" byNotion,[167] "Canada's answer toBillie Eilish" byElle,[166] and "one of pop's bright young hopes" byThe Independent.[47] She has also been noted for her honest lyrics, "impressive" vocals and relatable music.[175][162] Additionally, McRae has received considerable acclaim as a dancer, and has been praised by artist, dancer and choreographerPaula Abdul who declared her a "gift from God",[43] and choreographers such asStacey Tookey andBlake McGrath, both of whom stated that she's talented beyond her years, with the latter describing her as "one of the best dancers he has ever worked with"[176][19] as well as two-time Emmy winnerTravis Wall,[177] who has named her as one of his muses.[178] Margaret Fuhrer ofDance Spirit magazine described her dancing as virtuosic both technically and artistically.[34] As of March 2024, her YouTube channel has amassed over 1.5 billion views and she has garnered more than 8.4 billion career streams across all platforms.[179][180]
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