How Tate McRae Is Going 'SAVAGE' in Her 'Good Girl Gone Bad' Era (Exclusive)
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00:00 Tate McRae, it is so good to see you.
00:02 Thanks for letting us hang out on tour backstage with you.
00:05 Of course, oh my god.
00:07 How is everything going?
00:09 How are you feeling?
00:10 So good.
00:11 Thankfully, "Greedy" is out.
00:13 I'm on tour, getting to play it.
00:15 ♪ So sure of yourself ♪
00:17 ♪ Baby don't keep greedy ♪
00:19 It's been a blast.
00:20 It's been, like, just like, feel very relieved
00:22 with the video and everything's like finally out
00:24 after so much time away.
00:26 That's major, and being out on tour,
00:27 I mean, how much does that contribute to your happiness?
00:29 It's huge.
00:31 I mean, I think this is why I do it,
00:34 is to see the fans and to see them sing back the music.
00:38 And so I just, I think it's all very validating.
00:40 At the end of the day, I think if you were ever questioned,
00:42 like, what do you do it for?
00:44 It's like, for this.
00:45 It's our dream job.
00:46 It's very special, and I just feel very lucky
00:48 that they all come and support me so much.
00:50 It just feels very crazy.
00:52 Does it still, like, when you see your name
00:55 outside of a venue, on a sign, and see fans lining up,
00:59 are you still like, what is my life?
01:01 This is wild.
01:02 Yeah, it's nuts.
01:05 I think, yeah, I mean, just like being on a sold out tour,
01:08 and I feel like with the fans being as engaged as they are,
01:11 like, I feel like we're all like best friends,
01:13 and we're all just like having fun and partying on stage,
01:15 and it's so much fun.
01:17 But yeah, I just feel very fortunate.
01:18 I think I have this, like, always like this disbelief
01:21 that literally anyone's gonna show up.
01:23 So it is very crazy when that doesn't happen,
01:27 and they're all singing back my lyrics.
01:29 It's very cool.
01:29 ♪ Trying my best to be brutally honest ♪
01:33 ♪ My body's exchanging ♪
01:36 ♪ Would be this exhausting ♪
01:38 When was like that first moment for you that you're like,
01:41 oh my God, wait, like, this is happening?
01:43 It's interesting 'cause it's happened like in a couple spots.
01:46 Like when my first ever, like, video went viral on YouTube,
01:49 I was 13.
01:50 And then I think another thing happened
01:52 when "You Broke Me First" happened during the pandemic.
01:54 ♪ When you broke me first ♪
01:58 ♪ You broke me first ♪
02:02 And that was weird 'cause I was still at home.
02:04 So the song was like around the world,
02:05 but I was still at home, so I couldn't really feel it.
02:08 Then I moved to LA and did all the festivals,
02:10 and I was like, holy (beep)
02:11 - Different vibe.
02:12 - I was like, this is real.
02:13 And then honestly, like, the past couple weeks
02:15 have been really crazy.
02:18 It just feels like a bit of a whirlwind.
02:19 And then seeing it all happen like live,
02:21 I mean, I premiered the song like as it dropped,
02:23 and they knew like every single lyric.
02:25 It was nuts.
02:26 ♪ I will run my style from day to day ♪
02:30 ♪ I will hit the ground ♪
02:32 ♪ No, yeah, yeah ♪
02:34 - What is, like, being out on tour,
02:35 what is like a typical day in the life for you?
02:39 - I'm trying really hard to keep a routine.
02:41 - Okay, what is your routine?
02:43 - I mean, I've been going to Barry's bootcamp.
02:45 - Good for you!
02:46 - I've gone three times.
02:48 - Okay, still good!
02:50 Three times more than I have, so.
02:51 - Three or four times.
02:52 I try to fit it in.
02:55 I should be working out more, but I--
02:58 - Well, when you dance the way you do,
03:00 like night after night too, that is also a workout,
03:02 so give yourself some credit.
03:04 - Yeah, I basically, like, I have like
03:06 a little meditation I do.
03:07 I try to read my book, try to go to,
03:09 I find a new coffee shop every city I'm in.
03:11 - That's amazing.
03:12 - Bring my book, and I'll like listen to meditation music,
03:15 and you know, journal and stuff.
03:17 And then I usually go back to the venue,
03:18 we do sound check, meet and greet.
03:20 I do a little acoustic set every day.
03:22 - Some ET interviews.
03:23 - Some ET interviews.
03:25 And then, yeah, we get ready for the show.
03:27 - What are the tour must-haves?
03:28 Like, if we went into your green room,
03:30 what would we find night after night, show after show?
03:33 - It's so weird.
03:35 You would see turkey.
03:37 - Turkey!
03:38 Like, lunch meat turkey!
03:38 - You would see lunch meat turkey.
03:40 You'd see hard-boiled eggs.
03:43 You'd see--
03:43 - She likes protein!
03:44 - You would see pineapple.
03:47 Dark chocolate, and Colombe coffee.
03:52 - Okay.
03:52 This is quite the palette you have.
03:54 - I know, very refined.
03:56 - There's a lot of pressure, and this business,
03:59 it's a grind.
04:00 How are you balancing it all?
04:02 Your personal life, your professional life.
04:05 It's all one at this point, basically, too, right?
04:07 - Yeah, it's difficult because your personal life
04:11 as a writer is very intertwined with.
04:14 So I think it's difficult.
04:15 I'm trying to find the balance between being like,
04:17 how do I experience life, and then write all about it,
04:20 and not sabotage my whole life?
04:24 Because this is my job.
04:26 And I think that's just the balance
04:27 of keeping your circle small.
04:30 - I was gonna say, too, having that core group,
04:32 especially being so young, and knowing what's ahead of you,
04:34 that's that number one thing that keeps you--
04:38 - For sure. - Around at that.
04:39 - Especially in L.A.
04:40 It's good to have real people.
04:42 - Yeah. - Yeah.
04:43 - How would you describe the chapter you're in right now?
04:46 I know you are so happy, but also, this music girl.
04:49 I feel like this is your sexy era, too!
04:51 Like, you are really--
04:52 - My good girl, bad girl.
04:53 - Yes, the good girl, bad girl era.
04:55 Like, you're growing into yourself
04:56 more and more through your music.
04:57 Are you feeling more and more comfortable
04:59 as you progress, too?
05:00 - For sure.
05:01 I think, I feel like, I mean, I've been watching myself
05:05 grow up online, because my writing has been since I was 13,
05:09 and now I feel like I'm 20, and I'm like,
05:11 well, I have totally different things I wanna say now.
05:13 - Yeah. - I'm a totally
05:14 different person.
05:15 And also, yeah, I feel like I'm in a more playful
05:19 time of my life, where I'm just writing about riskier,
05:22 and just more foreign concepts that I've literally
05:26 never talked about before, so it's very fun.
05:27 ♪ Can't tell if you love me, Amy ♪
05:30 ♪ Never met someone like that ♪
05:32 - So now that you're talking about it,
05:34 and it's going out into the world,
05:36 how are you feeling about it?
05:37 Are you relieved that it's out?
05:39 Is it nerve-wracking?
05:40 Like, what are all of the emotions?
05:42 - It's nerve-wracking because it's ballsy for me.
05:44 And I think when you put your whole self into a song,
05:48 and it's like a statement, everyone's gonna have
05:51 an opinion on it.
05:51 So yeah, I've heard everything.
05:53 Everyone has different theories, and different ideas
05:56 of what they think my songs are about,
05:57 and what I do my videos about,
05:59 and it's very funny to watch.
06:01 ♪ Did you know you got that effect ♪
06:04 ♪ I said, let me check, yeah ♪
06:07 - But you're exuding this confidence,
06:08 and I feel like we saw it so much too
06:11 in the "Greedy" music video.
06:12 I mean, girl, where do we even begin?
06:15 The zampone, the dancing, the thighs.
06:19 Girl, your muscles on like, you're--
06:21 - The Barry's Boot Camp, I noticed that first thing.
06:24 Going into that music video, I mean,
06:26 how much fun did you have with that?
06:28 - We had a blast. - Oh my gosh.
06:30 - Honestly, the day was so easy and fun.
06:32 I mean, the dancers in that music video are exceptional.
06:35 So it was just like, felt very cool and challenging
06:37 because they're like, killing it behind me.
06:40 So I'm like, I have to like, reach that level.
06:42 And it was just a really fun day.
06:44 We were so playful with everything.
06:46 Everything was like, on the fly.
06:47 Like, oh, go over here, and you know, mess around here,
06:49 and go stand on a workout table, and do (beep)
06:52 - Do your thing.
06:53 - So we just like, played around.
06:54 - How important is it for you as an artist
06:56 to like, make sure though, that you are keeping that dance,
07:00 the art of dance in your videos, on the stage, all of that?
07:05 'Cause you're a killer dancer.
07:06 - Thank you.
07:07 Honestly, it's been a bit of a challenge
07:09 because I've been trying to do it for years now.
07:12 And I feel like I've been skewed
07:14 by like, other opinions a lot of the time.
07:16 And for the first time, actually,
07:17 the "Greedy" music video feels like
07:19 it's like, truly, 100%, my style, my vision.
07:22 - And then you look at your content too,
07:24 that you put out on social media.
07:25 Everything is, it's your style, it's your vibe, your vision.
07:29 - I mean, a lot of it's just like, whatever I wanna post.
07:31 - The video where you had to like,
07:33 tape your heels on for a scene, that just like, had me sent.
07:38 What is the craziest like, hack you've ever had to do
07:41 for wardrobe, or something like behind the scenes
07:43 that's just bizarre?
07:45 - Lots of duct tape in this last music video.
07:47 - Really?
07:48 - Oh no, now I gotta go back through it.
07:49 - Oh yeah.
07:50 (laughing)
07:50 No, especially those heels.
07:51 Like, I was literally like,
07:52 these heels are not staying on,
07:53 and we just like, thought it looked cool.
07:55 Basically, my hairdresser that day like, forgot,
07:58 or his hair blower, or his hair dryer like, died,
08:01 or something, so he used like, a leaf blower in my hair.
08:04 I'm like, are you kidding me?
08:05 - Never a dull moment.
08:06 - Literally never a dull moment.
08:07 I'm like--
08:08 - Glitz and glam, folks.
08:09 - No, yeah, I'm really professional.
08:10 - But again, you have that confidence,
08:12 you're feeling, you know.
08:13 - It's a little savage, like, it's a little rebellious,
08:16 I would say.
08:17 - Yeah.
08:18 - Can you give me like, maybe just like,
08:20 one line that like, encompasses, like, super savage.
08:24 - I would say savage would be like--
08:25 - Okay, savage, there, that's the line.
08:26 - There's a few songs that are a little savage.
08:28 - Okay.
08:29 - Yeah.
08:30 - Oh, I'm so into it.
08:31 Have you and Olivia written together yet?
08:32 - No.
08:33 - Not yet, okay.
08:34 I feel like the world would implode if that happened.
08:35 - Yeah, I was just saying like, you know when you like,
08:38 we would never even think about like,
08:39 whipping out a piano or a guitar while we hang out.
08:42 - Okay.
08:43 - Because we're just like, that's like,
08:44 we always wanna talk about just like, nothing.
08:46 - Where do all the ideas come to you?
08:49 It's so interesting to hear artists answer that question,
08:51 'cause some are like, when I'm sleeping,
08:53 when I'm in the bathroom, like--
08:55 - What is it like for you?
08:56 - All the time.
08:57 It happens a lot in the night, which is unfortunate,
09:00 'cause I'm--
09:01 - Turn the brain off!
09:02 - I'm like, literally go to bed.
09:03 It happens a lot at night when I'm like, emotional,
09:05 and I'm like, whatever, in my feelings, and it's just silent.
09:09 But I get a lot of ideas in the shower,
09:11 and I'll like, write full songs in the shower
09:13 and be like, singing and then--
09:14 - And then sing, like you actually give meaning
09:16 to singing in the shower.
09:17 - No, I've had to like, turn off the whatever,
09:20 what is it like, the--
09:21 - Faucet!
09:21 - The faucet.
09:22 - Yeah.
09:23 - I turn off the faucet and literally grab my phone
09:24 and like, voice memo it while I'm like, in the shower.
09:26 - What's the inspiration for these songs
09:28 that are some of the newer things you've been working on?
09:31 - Very different sound palette.
09:35 I think it's a lot more pop than anything I've ever done.
09:38 It feels like, grungy and heavy and hard pop,
09:44 which is really cool, 'cause I feel like I can like,
09:46 get down and like, dance to it.
09:48 But also, it feels like it's like,
09:49 the more feistier side of my personality coming out,
09:51 instead of the more vulnerable side, I would say.
09:54 It's a bit of a switch, which is exciting.
09:57 ♪ So show love yourself ♪
09:59 ♪ Baby don't be greedy ♪
10:01 ♪ That shit won't end well ♪