Tate McRae is no stranger to early success. Her fire was originally ignited through dance at the age of six. The classically trained ballerina won numerous competitions and performed with elite dance companies throughout the world. At 12, McRae won a spot as a backup dancer for Justin Bieber for a one-night show in her native Canada. She reached a wider audience in 2016 with an appearance on TV's "So You Think You Can Dance." Later that year, McRae launched a YouTube channel focused on choreography, but serendipity led her to singing. When her camera broke, the then-14-year-old retreated to her bedroom, wrote, recorded, and uploaded the song, "One Day." Forty-million views later, the record labels started calling. Out of eleven offers, McRae chose RCA, who agreed to let her focus on both music and dance.
Tate McRae's moody and melodramatic vocals bring to mind Billie Eilish. In fact, Eilish and her producer brother Finneas wrote McRae's first single on RCA, "Tear Myself Apart." But McRae's own "You Broke Me First" became her first hit, streaming more than a billion times last year. No wonder Forbes added McRae to its "30 Under 30" list while she was just 17.
Lyrically, McRae paints a picture of the universal heartbreak all teenagers face. She sees herself as an emotional sponge, acquiring stories from others, and readily admits she's never been in love. Always pushing herself to the next level, McRae shot the music video -- her first -- during the pandemic, armed only with an iPhone, box of tissues and her mother's car. Making do with what she has lets McRae's vulnerability and humanity shine through her work. She is looking forward to touring Canada with one of her idols, Shawn Mendes, on his Summer of Love tour.