Tate McRae is on a roll. At just 20 years old, the child dancer-turned-global pop sensation is racking up high-profile career moments like infinity stones, one major venue, event, and music chart at a time. Currently, she’s prepping for her highly-anticipated Think Later world tour which kicks off next month (April 17, to be exact!) in Dublin, Ireland. But don’t get it twisted; That’s hardly the only thing the singer-songwriter has been focused on. In the last four months, Tate made her SNL debut, performed at NHL All-Stars Weekend in Canada (where she also got to hang out with thee Justin Bieber. More on that later!), and sang at the Brit Awards. And somehow in between it all, she found time to partner with Essentia on its first-ever flavored water, Hydroboost. Tate is a busy gal!
Despite her jam-packed schedule, the star still found time to chat with Cosmopolitan about what her whirlwind life has been like from her POV. I mean, who else has been vicariously living through her Instagram and TikTok content? (It’s me, hi.) Tate filled us in on her partnership with Essentia’s Hydroboost launch, how she’s getting ready for tour, experimenting with song genres, and if fans can expect a collab with Justin Bieber one day….
You’re no stranger to tour life. What have you learned from previous tour experiences that you wanna take with you (or leave behind) this time around?
I feel like getting a routine down for tour is one of the most difficult things ever. You can definitely go down a slippery slope if you don’t pay attention to your health when you’re on tour, because you’re gone for literally so long and you’re by yourself. You can get run down so quickly. The biggest thing has been making sure that I stay healthy and work out and stay hydrated. I’ve been an Essentia partner for three years now, and it’s really important because I notice a difference when I don’t eat healthy.
How would you describe your sound right now?
My sound is constantly evolving because my taste in music has changed so much in the past four years. Right now, I lean into the pop world—especially at the end of last year. I’m trying to be a bit more experimental in the studio now and push my sonics with what I’m comfortable with, especially production-wise.
With the major success of Think Later, does that up the pressure you put on yourself for future projects?
There is always internal pressure—mostly from myself. I grew up as a dancer and as a perfectionist, so there’s a constant desire to wanna do better and to wanna put out better music. I think that’s every artist, though. They’re very hyper-critical of past work and wanna make sure their work is better than their last one.
How does the business feel different now vs. when you were a kid dancer in the industry?
Your perspective changes a lot. I started in this industry when I was 16. I was such a baby and still in high school, and I didn’t really know anything about the music industry. Now I’m 20, and I feel like I make my own decisions. I feel like I’m stepping into my body a little more.
Who would you say you make music for? How do you want people to feel when they listen to you?
I make music for myself. It is extremely therapeutic for me. The one thing that will get me through the year is my ability to find perspective in life through writing. If I didn’t do it for myself, I would find no point in it. What I search for when I listen to music is to find the words I don’t know how to say. I just hope other people feel the same way with my music.
A lot of artists occasionally dip into genres that aren’t their usual sound, per se. Would you be interested in experimenting with other ones?
Of course! I try not to box myself into too many genres because pop music is a combination of everything. I listen to so much R&B, rap, and country music, and that all kind of inspires my writing.
You’re a booked and busy, gal! Talk me through your ideal self-care/unwind time.
My alone time and self-care is so crucial. I need to be by myself and re-charge. I think that’s getting into a routine that includes staying hydrated (aka having Essentia and Hydroboost with me all the time), making sure I’m working out, and keeping my body healthy. If my body feels healthy and feels like I’m protecting it, I’m mentally okay.
We saw you with Justin Bieber at NHL All-Stars. Can fans expect a collab one day with him (or with anybody else for that matter)?
Hopefully I do a collab in the near future. It’s one of the next things I wanna do in my career. Justin has been an inspiration of mine for so long, it was such a cool experience to hang out with him and get to know him. He’s a really nice guy.
What are your specific tour must-haves? The weirder, the better.
My rider is the weirdest thing ever. It consists of hard-boiled eggs, dark chocolate, peanut butter, rice cakes, and Essentia. Oh! And sliced turkey. It was partially made by my mom. If I didn’t have this, I’d be eating hot Cheetos every day.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
