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Tate Rosner McRae (born July 1, 2003) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and dancer. At the age of 13, she gained prominence as the first Canadian finalist on the American reality television series So You Think You Can Dance. McRae was signed by RCA Records in 2019 after her songs had gained traction online—including her 2017 viral hit "One Day"—and she released her debut extended play (EP), All the Things I Never Said (2020), in January of the following year. Her 2020 single, "You Broke Me First", became an international hit and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2021, McRae was the youngest musician to be featured on the Forbes' 30 Under 30 list.
Her second EP, Too Young to Be Sad (2021) was the most streamed female EP of 2021 on Spotify. Her debut studio album, I Used to Think I Could Fly (2022) was met with favorable critical response and peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard 200, also reaching the top ten in several countries. Developing a more pop-oriented image, McRae's 2023 single, "Greedy" saw her furthest commercial success; it peaked atop the Canadian Hot 100 and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Its follow-up, "Exes", peaked at numbers nine and 34 on the charts, respectively, and preceded the release of her second studio album, Think Later (2023), which debuted in the top five in various countries.
Early life and education
Tate Rosner McRae was born in Calgary, Alberta, on Canada Day in 2003, to a Canadian father of Scottish descent and mother of German descent. At the age of four, due to her father's work, she moved with her family to Oman, where her mother taught dance lessons, and she lived there for three years. During her time in Oman, McRae attended The American International School Muscat (TAISM). McRae began recreational dance training at age six. Having returned to Calgary, at the age of eight, she began to train more intensively in dance 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, and underwent ballet training at the School of Alberta Ballet, the training school for the Alberta Ballet Company. McRae attended Western Canada High School and graduated online in 2022.
Career
2013–2018: Dance career
McRae was awarded Mini Best Female Dancer at the 2013 Dance Awards in New York City. After gaining some prominence, she became a brand ambassador for the American dance manufacturer Capezio. She became a finalist at the New York City Dance Alliance's 2014 National Gala. She also voiced Spot Splatter Splash for the Lalaloopsy (2013-2015) franchise.
In 2015, McRae was awarded a two-week scholarship at the Berlin State Ballet company after winning the silver medal as a soloist and the bronze medal for her duet at the 2015 Youth America Grand Prix. She danced in the music video for Walk off the Earth's platinum-certified single "Rule The World". For the second time, McRae was awarded the Best Female Dancer award at the 2015 Dance Awards, this time in the Junior category.
In June 2016, she performed at Justin Bieber's concert in Calgary for the Purpose World Tour during Bieber's performance of "Children". In April 2016, McRae performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as part of the DancerPalooza troupe. In June 2016, she took part in the thirteenth season of American television show So You Think You Can Dance. While competing for the America's Favorite Dancer title as a non-American, she was mentored by American dancer and actress Kathryn McCormick. She advanced further in the competition than any other Canadian in the show's history, placing third on the final episode. Canadian TV host Murtz Jaffer from Toronto 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 favourite dancer, she certainly might be Canada's." She performed at the 2016 Teen Choice Awards as a finalist from the SYTYCD cast. She performed again on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2016 as part of the Jump Dance Convention troupe.
She was featured on the cover of Dance Spirit Magazine in April 2017. In May 2017, she was featured in a pas de deux in Alberta Ballet Company's production, "Our Canada" choreographed by Jean Grand-Maître. In November 2017, after performing a dance to Demi Lovato's song Tell Me You Love Me she was invited by Lovato to rehearse with their dancers for their performance at the American Music Awards. For the third time, she won Best Female Dancer at the 2018 Dance Awards in Las Vegas, this time in the Teen category, 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 band Nothing More.
2017–2019: Music career beginnings
Since its creation in 2011, McRae's YouTube channel has featured a fairly consistent stream of primarily dance videos. In 2017 she started Create With Tate, a video series, focused on showcasing original songs she wrote and recorded in her bedroom. Her upload of the series' first song "One Day" which she wrote at the age of 14, attracted over 40 million views, prompting her to self-release the song as an independent single. The song would eventually be certified gold in Canada, making it the first certification of her career. From 2017 to 2019, McRae continued to upload and release independent singles as part of her Create With Tate series. Notable songs include "Dear Ex Best Friend" which has over 50 million views and "Dear Parents" with over 20 million views. The series led to her being named a YouTube Artist on the Rise.
Her earlier upload of "One Day" caught the attention of 11 record labels. She eventually signed with RCA Records, in August 2019, because they supported her in maintaining a dance career alongside her music. Following her signing, McRae announced her debut EP All the Things I Never Said in December 2019. She released the five-track EP on January 24, 2020, and announced her first headlining tour of Europe and North America. Each stop on the tour was sold out. The tour received a four out of five star rating from Roisin O'Connor of The Independent who described McRae as an impressive performer.
The EP's lead single, "Tear Myself Apart", was co-written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell. The EP's final single, "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. "Stupid" was certified gold in Canada. "That Way", a track from the EP experienced a resurgence in 2021 after going viral on TikTok and charted in the UK and Ireland. McRae released a remix of "That Way" with Jeremy Zucker on September 3, 2021. By December 2023, the EP had amassed over 729 million streams on Spotify.
2020–2021: Too Young to Be Sad
In April 2020, McRae released the single "You Broke Me First" as the lead single for her second EP titled Too Young to Be Sad. The song was an international success, peaking within the top ten of the charts in several countries and becoming her first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also the longest charting song released by a female artist in 2020 on the Billboard Hot 100, at 38 weeks. It peaked at number 1 on the Mediabase Top 40 chart, breaking the record for the longest climb to number 1 by a female solo artist at 28 weeks.
McRae released the single "Vicious" featuring American rapper Lil Mosey in June 2020 and "Don't Be Sad" in August 2020. She was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Push Best New Artist, and performed "You Broke Me First" at the VMAs pre-show. In September 2020, she was featured on the cover of Dork Magazine.
McRae made her first late night TV appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October 21 performing "You Broke Me First". The same month, she released the single "Lie to Me" with Canadian singer Ali Gatie. She again performed "You Broke Me First" in November 2020 at the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards. She appeared on the cover of Notion in November 2020. In December 2020, she released "r u ok", the second single from her upcoming EP.
McRae gained notable recognition as a rising artist in 2020, being named YouTube's Artist on the Rise, MTV's Push Artist for July, and a Vevo DSCVR artist. She was featured in Billboard's 21 Under 21 One to Watch list and named by Pandora, The Independent, NME, Amazon Music, and Uproxx as an artist to watch in 2021. In December 2020, she was the youngest person listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the music category. In the same month, she was named one of Rolling Stone's top ten biggest breakthrough artists of 2020 and featured on TikTok's "The Come Up: Emerging Artists" list as one of the top emerging artists on the platform. She was also featured on Harper's Bazaar's On the Rise series. Towards the end of the year, following the success of "You Broke Me First", she signed a worldwide publishing deal with Sony/ATV.
In January 2021, McRae performed "You Broke Me First" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The following day, she released the song "Rubberband" as the third single from her upcoming EP. On March 3, 2021, she released the single "Slower" and announced her second EP called Too Young to Be Sad, which was released on March 26, 2021. On that same day, she was announced as an Apple Music Up Next artist. In March 2021, McRae appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! performing "Slower", and received two Juno Award nominations.
On April 16, 2021, McRae released the track "You" alongside Regard and Troye Sivan. On May 8, 2021, McRae performed a global virtual show, "Too Young to Be Sad". The show was praised by Ali Shutler of NME, who gave it a four star rating and described the show as slick, impressive, constant spectacle with pop star ambition. Later that month, she signed her first endorsement deal with Essentia Water. In May 2021, McRae was nominated for the Social Star Award at the IHeartRadio Music Awards, and performed "You" with Regard and Troye Sivan on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. At the end of the month, she was featured on the soundtrack of the Amazon original series Panic with the track "Darkest Hour".
In June 2021, she was featured on the song "U love U" by Blackbear, performed "Lie to Me" at the 2021 Juno Awards, and released the track "Working", a collaboration with Khalid. In August 2021, McRae was featured on the cover of Hunger. In October 2021, she was featured on Billboard's 21 under 21 list for 2021 and People's One to Watch list for 2021. McRae was featured on the cover of Numéro in November 2021. By the end of 2021, Too Young to Be Sad had amassed over 1 billion Spotify streams, becoming the most streamed EP of 2021 by a female artist on Spotify. The EP was nominated for Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year at the 2022 Juno Awards.
2021–2022: I Used to Think I Could Fly
On November 11, 2021, McRae released "Feel Like Shit", the lead single from her debut studio album I Used to Think I Could Fly, which was released on May 27, 2022. In January 2022, she was nominated for three iHeart Radio Awards.
"She's All I Wanna Be", the second single from the album, was released on February 4, 2022. The song reached the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, Norway, Singapore, and Belgium. It also charted in the Top 40 in several countries. It debuted at number 52 in the US, becoming her highest debut on the Hot 100 at the time. In February 2022, McRae was announced as a brand ambassador for Maybelline and the face of their new Vinyl Ink liquid lip color.
McRae released "Chaotic", the third single from the album on March 25, 2022, and released "What Would You Do?" as the fourth single on May 13, 2022. On June 3, 2022, Tate released a music video for her single "Don't Come Back" exclusively via TikTok, and later released the vertical version of the video on July 11, 2022, on YouTube.
In September 2022, McRae released the single "Uh Oh". In November 2022, Tate was featured on "10:35" by Tiësto, a promo-single for the opening of the luxury resort Atlantis The Royal, Dubai. The song became her second UK Top 10. It reached the Top 10 in ten other countries.
2023–present: Think Later
McRae was nominated for five Juno Awards in 2023, and performed at the show. In March 2023, McRae teamed up with MCM Worldwide for their Spring/Summer 2023 Campaign, performing "uh oh" and "She's All I Wanna Be". On September 15, 2023, she released "Greedy" as the lead single for her sophomore studio album Think Later. Greedy became her biggest debut to date on Spotify, and her first top 10 on the Global Spotify Charts. It debuted at number 1 in Norway and Denmark and peaked at number 1 in several countries including Canada, Denmark, Austria, and the Netherlands, as well as the Billboard Global 200, making it her first official number 1 single worldwide.
McRae’s second studio album Think Later was officially released on December 8, 2023. The album received mixed to positive appraisal from both fans and critics, with Rolling Stone noting M.I.A. and Ariana Grande’s influences on the project, stating that in terms of the latter, Think Later "represented a career-defining shift for McRae as she pulled herself from the rubble of grief, heartbreak, and internal turmoil."Think Later debuted in the top 5 of the charts in US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Belgium and Norway.
The second single from Think Later, "Exes", was released on November 17, 2023, and peaked in the top 10 in Canada and the Netherlands, top 20 in the UK and Australia, and top 40 in the US. On November 18, 2023, she performed "Greedy" and a then-unreleased song titled "Grave" on Saturday Night Live. She also made her debut American award show performance with "Greedy" at the Billboard Music Awards on November 19, 2023. McRae performed a medley at the 2024 NHL All-Star game in Toronto in February 2024. In March 2024, she made her debut performance at the Brit Awards with "Greedy" and subsequently performed a medley of "Greedy" and "Exes" at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in April. McRae won the Juno Award for Artist of the Year, and Single of the Year for "Greedy" at the 2024 Juno Awards.
On September 13, 2024, McRae released the song "It's OK I'm OK".
Personal life
McRae is a fan of the Calgary Flames of the NHL, and has attended numerous games.
From late 2021 to early 2023, McRae was in a relationship with Columbus Blue Jackets player Cole Sillinger. In April 2024, Australian rapper and singer the Kid Laroi confirmed his relationship with McRae.
Artistry and public image
McRae has named Post Malone, the Weeknd, Khalid, Jessie Reyez, Ariana Grande and Jeremy Zucker as her biggest musical influences. She cites Zendaya and Dua Lipa as all-around influences, and has described both women as her biggest idols, noting that she looks up to them in all aspects of life. She has also named Bruno Mars, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Ciara, Jennifer Lopez and Justin Timberlake as inspirations for bringing dance into her performances, while naming Taylor Swift, Julia Michaels and Alec Benjamin as songwriting inspirations. Further, McRae has called herself a "huge fan" of Swift and described her as "one of the greatest songwriters." McRae has also expressed an admiration for Billie Eilish and Rosalía.
McRae has been described as "the teen dance star turned future pop idol" by i-D, "the new teen queen" by Notion, "Canada's answer to Billie Eilish" by Elle, and "one of pop's bright young hopes" by The Independent. She has also been noted for her honest lyrics, “impressive” vocals and relatable music. Additionally, McRae has received considerable acclaim as a dancer, and has been praised by artist, dancer and choreographer Paula Abdul who declared her a "gift from God", and choreographers such as Stacey Tookey and Blake 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" as well as two-time Emmy winner Travis Wall, who has named her as one of his muses. Margaret Furher of Dance Spirit Magazine described her dancing as virtuosic both technically and artistically. 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.
Discography
Studio albums
- I Used to Think I Could Fly (2022)
- Think Later (2023)
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Lala-Oopsies: A Sew Magical Tale | Princess Nutmeg (voice) | |
| 2014 | Annie | Orphan #17 (uncredited) | |
| 2014 | Lalaloopsy Ponies: The Big Show | Spot Splatter Splash (voice) | |
| 2015 | Lalaloopsy: Band Together | Spot Splatter Splash (voice) |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–15 | Lalaloopsy | Spot Splatter Splash | 17 episodes | |
| 2014 | Dancing With The Stars | Self – Dancer | Episode: "The Finals" Part 1" | |
| 2016 | So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation | 13 episodes; 3rd place | ||
| 2016 Teen Choice Awards | Performing as SYTYCD finalist; uncredited | |||
| The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Episode date: "Apr 28, 2016"; uncredited | |||
| Episode date: "Oct 21, 2016"; uncredited | ||||
| 2020 | 2020 MTV Video Music Awards (pre-show) | Self – Performer | TV special | |
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Episode date: "Oct 21, 2020" | |||
| 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards | TV special | |||
| 2021 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Episode date: "Jan 19, 2021" | ||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Episode date: "March 30, 2021" | |||
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Episode date: May 19, 2021 | |||
| The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Self – Guest | Episode date: July 9, 2021 | ||
| Late Night with Seth Meyers | Self – Performer | Episode date: October 14, 2021 | ||
| 2022 | 2022 MTV Video Music Awards (pre-show) | Self – Host | TV special | |
| 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards | Self – Performer | |||
| 2023 | Saturday Night Live | Self – Performer | Episode Date: November 18, 2023 |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Music Awards | 2022 | Top Dance/Electronic Song | "You" | Nominated | |
| 2023 | "10:35" | Nominated | |||
| BMI Film & TV Awards | 2022 | Pop Music Award | "You" and "You Broke Me First" | Won | |
| Bravo Otto | 2020 | Newcomer/Breakthrough | Herself | Nominated | |
| BreakTudo Awards | 2021 | International Best New Artist | Herself | Nominated | |
| Brit Awards | 2024 | International song of the year | Greedy | Nominated | |
| Dance Awards | 2013 | Female Best Dancer (Mini) | "Swallow" | Won | |
| 2015 | Female Best Dancer (Junior) | "Isolated" | Won | ||
| 2018 | Female Best Dancer (Teen) | "Woman" | Won | ||
| Electronic Dance Music Awards | 2022 | Best Vocalist | Herself | Won | |
| Global Awards | 2022 | Rising Star Award | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | Rising Star Award | Won | |||
| Best Female | Nominated | ||||
| Best Pop | Nominated | ||||
| Best Song | "Greedy" | Nominated | |||
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2021 | Social Star Award | Herself | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Best New Pop Artist | Nominated | |||
| Dance Song of the Year | "You" | Nominated | |||
| Best Cover Song | "Heather" | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | Dance Song of the Year | "10:35" | Nominated | ||
| Best Lyrics | "Greedy" | Nominated | |||
| Industry Dance Awards | 2017 | Dancers Choice Awards: Favorite Dancer 17 & Under | Herself | Nominated | |
| Juno Award | 2021 | Breakthrough Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Fan Choice Award | Nominated | ||||
| 2022 | Album of the Year | "Too Young to be Sad" | Nominated | ||
| Pop Album of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| 2023 | Album of the Year | "I Used to Think I Could Fly" | Nominated | ||
| Pop Album of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Single of the Year | "She's All I Wanna Be" | Nominated | |||
| Songwriter of the Year | Herself | Nominated | |||
| Fan Choice Award | Nominated | ||||
| 2024 | Artist of the Year | Won | |||
| Fan Choice Award | Nominated | ||||
| Single of the Year | "Greedy" | Won | |||
| MTV Europe Music Awards | 2020 | Best Push Act | Herself | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Best Canadian Act | Nominated | |||
| 2022 | Nominated | ||||
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2020 | Push Best New Artist | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | Best Pop | Nominated | |||
| Best Choreography | "Greedy" | Nominated | |||
| People's Choice Awards | 2021 | The New Artist of 2021 | Herself | Nominated | |
| 2024 | The Pop Artist of the Year | Nominated | |||
| The Song of the Year | "Greedy" | Nominated | |||
| SOCAN Awards | 2021 | SOCAN Pop Music Award | Herself | Won | |
| SOCAN Breakout Songwriter Award | Won | ||||
| Western Canadian Music Awards | BreakOut Artist of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Pop Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Youth America Grand Prix | 2015 | Women – Pre Competitive Age Division | "Isolated" and "All The Night" | Silver | |
| Pas De Deux – All Ages | "Pas De Deux from William Tell" | Bronze | |||
| 2017 | Women – Contemporary – Junior Age Division (regionals) | "Porcelain" and "Stillness" | Won |
Listicles
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes | 2021 | 30 Under 30 | Placed | |
| Billboard | 2021 | 21 Under 21 | Placed | |
| 2022 | Placed | |||
| 2023 | Placed |
Tours
- All the Things I Never Said Tour (2020)
- Tate McRae Live Tour (2022)
- Are We Flying Tour (2023)
- Think Later World Tour (2024)
