Tate McRae joins Bru in Los Angeles to talk about her new album, 'So Close To What.'
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00:00Have you mastered the running and singing yet?
00:02No.
00:03Like Beyonce when she's sprinting down the stage?
00:05So impressive.
00:09No, I'm an awful runner.
00:10So honestly, just getting on a treadmill.
00:13I can't do anything.
00:18Your highest debuting song of your career on the Billboard Hot 100?
00:22Crazy.
00:22Sports car has over a million TikTok creations.
00:25That's like a whole city.
00:26Well, it's like a stats list.
00:27Yeah, her new mile record was four minutes and 30 seconds.
00:32And then you're embarking on your Miss Possessive tour
00:34spanning South America, Europe, UK, and North America.
00:37And we're so lucky to have you in our studio today.
00:40Tate McRae.
00:40Thanks for having me.
00:41How was that?
00:42That was great.
00:42Pretty good?
00:43Got it down.
00:44Oh my gosh.
00:44How tired are you right now?
00:45You've been all over.
00:46Ah, we're tired.
00:48We're all tired.
00:49The team is tired.
00:51But this is the time to go because everything's out.
00:53And I mean, you got to jump on it.
00:55Everyone's so excited.
00:56How is the response been?
00:57It's only been a day.
00:58It is album release day.
00:59Yeah, I dropped last night, which is crazy.
01:02Congrats.
01:02It's like such an overstimulating thing because you're like,
01:06I don't want to look at my phone because if I scroll too far,
01:10you're bound to see something that's scary.
01:13But I've been also wanting to see if the fans like it.
01:16So it's been fun.
01:17Of course.
01:17I mean, talk about the grind back to back to back
01:19because it feels like it's been album, album, album
01:21in the past three years.
01:23Yeah.
01:23I mean, how is it like going from one after the other?
01:26Do you have a chance to process it at all?
01:27Or you still like feel like you're on the same wave
01:30as when you put that first album out?
01:32Well, the first album, that feels like ages ago.
01:37I was 17 when I started writing that.
01:40And then I feel like I took a break from writing
01:44or from touring and wrote for a full year.
01:47So I felt like that was like a separate thing.
01:49But think later in this album had been really tight.
01:52Like album, tour, album.
01:55And it's just felt natural.
01:57I've just been writing a lot.
01:58I've been inspired.
01:59I love to hear it.
02:00What is motivating you the most right now, you think?
02:05I think, well, I've been saying this last year
02:07was the first time that I've ever danced, danced on tour.
02:11So to feel that response and be like,
02:14oh, this is what I need to do on tour to, you know,
02:18want to perform and want to feel good with my dancers on stage.
02:21And I think that inspired a lot of the writing for this album.
02:25When you say dance, you definitely danced before,
02:27but you're talking about the high scale choreography?
02:29Like on tour, I never danced before.
02:31What did you do before?
02:32I just sang.
02:35I just like stood and walked around.
02:37Interesting.
02:37Which is so weird.
02:38Especially coming from dancing, you know, like that makes no sense.
02:40I feel like you'd be like uncomfortable in your body.
02:42I was uncomfortable.
02:43I didn't know how to move my body.
02:46I was like, I was so like physical.
02:49But yeah, I was just, yeah, I don't know.
02:51It's a weird thing.
02:52It's got to be on stage and like being comfortable to like everyone's watching.
02:56You got to look like you're, you know, smooth with every single thing.
02:59Yeah.
02:59Have you mastered the running and singing yet?
03:02No.
03:02Like Beyonce when she's sprinting down the stage?
03:05So impressive.
03:05The Fergie flip?
03:06Miley, like, no, I'm an awful runner.
03:10So honestly, just getting on a treadmill, I can't do anything.
03:14So singing and running would be a bad idea for me.
03:18Yeah.
03:19What had you like most hyped on this album?
03:21Was it a song, a collab, a moment in the creating process?
03:24You're like, oh, let's go.
03:25This is like, it's coming together.
03:28I mean, yeah, I feel like the final stages, I wrote two songs in the final stages and
03:34that was blood on my hands and like I do.
03:36And it kind of felt like it like tied the whole album together and was like the final
03:40little blow.
03:40And I wrote it in New York like three weeks ago.
03:42So it was really last minute and it really was a satisfying feeling.
03:46I love it.
03:46Yeah.
03:47You are hitting the point where it's like you have your corner of pop music, which
03:51is so cool to see.
03:51Like you are established, you're in it.
03:53Do you?
03:54I'm always just curious.
03:55And do you have like imposter syndrome at all?
03:58Do you really?
03:59The worst case of imposter syndrome.
04:01No.
04:03Even last night, like, I was just like, I hope people show up.
04:08Like, no one's gonna want to come to a parking lot.
04:10Like, and so every time I come on stage, I have like this look on my face where I look
04:16really shocked just because I actually genuinely I'm like, I can't believe people showed up.
04:20It's really crazy.
04:21No way.
04:21I mean, I think everyone has some of it for sure.
04:24And no matter what you do, I'm sure there's accountants out there.
04:26We're like, I don't know if I'm the best.
04:28I don't know if I'm gonna pay their guys's taxes on time.
04:31But even like hearing Rihanna say she had it.
04:32It's like, okay, if she has it, everyone's gonna have some of that.
04:36So yeah, for sure.
04:38But it finally happened.
04:39It's so cool to have a song with Kid LAROI on your album.
04:43Tell me about making that song and how it went.
04:46I mean, honestly, it started because I had another record that he loved.
04:51And I was like looking for a feature.
04:53And he was like, let me just cut a verse on it.
04:55And I've been a fan of him for so long.
04:58So I was like, sure.
04:59It's such a funny thing to be like, I'm just looking for someone to be on this song.
05:03I'm an artist.
05:05Oh, I can do this.
05:07Yeah, it was funny.
05:08So he tracked the verse on this.
05:09And then, of course, you like analyze everything.
05:12We were like, let's try and beat this.
05:13We wrote another song.
05:14And it was, yeah, it was a fun process.
05:17It was cool to see him be creative in the studio.
05:20Yeah, I know, love.
05:22Is it a thing where you're just like the trust is there to be like, do what you're gonna do?
05:25And I'm sure it's great.
05:26Or do you feel comfortable with like feedback?
05:28I think with his verse, I was just like, you do your thing.
05:32I've actually loved his music since I was like 16.
05:36So I was excited to hear his verse and hear what he was gonna do.
05:40That's so wild.
05:41You just like rap in front of him, like his own songs.
05:43You know what I mean?
05:45Yeah, you know what?
05:45For the first actually month of us dating, I would wake up singing his songs every morning.
05:50That was really weird.
05:52It was really like uncomfortable, actually.
05:54I think I can't stop.
05:56Then you have to because it's like, oh, no, it's a relationship.
06:00It's so cool to see you come into your own.
06:02I mean, do you feel like you're in a new level of like having your own creative control and
06:05direction with these projects?
06:06Because early on, I feel like you have those people to soundboard on and kind of have that
06:10feedback that you trust.
06:11But now being able to kind of go off your own instincts, do you feel that like more
06:15than ever?
06:16I do feel like I'm getting more control in a creative sense in my shows, in my music,
06:24in my performances.
06:25I think I'm just starting to really narrow in on what I like and my taste of things,
06:31which I think sometimes when you're younger can be a little confusing and foggy and you
06:35change your mind every second.
06:37So it feels a lot more clear.
06:38I can't wait to see more dancing on the tour.
06:40Congrats on that, by the way.
06:42We're kicking off soon.
06:43But how much does the choreography play into the like creating process?
06:47Like is the song you're working on the song first or are you thinking like mid song of
06:51how it's going to be performed?
06:53Well, usually I'll hear the beat and the drums determine a lot because that's a weird
07:00drum.
07:00You're going to do a weird move like you need to like it needs to be like in the pocket
07:03of a dancer.
07:05But when it comes to the songwriting and the lyrics, that's a different story.
07:09I think that's where you just got to tune into your emotions.
07:12You can't really think about how you're going to dance to it.
07:15Totally kind of crazy.
07:16Like I'm going to hit this note because this move is going to look really good.
07:20Yeah, people are.
07:21I mean, I'm sure you've seen online already people talking about how it's some of their
07:25favorite work from you already, which is amazing.
07:27I mean, you put singles out from the album, but just going through it all.
07:29They're like, wow, this is so great.
07:31You feel that way, too.
07:32It's like one of your favorite bodies of work.
07:34Yeah, I'm really I'm really proud of this album.
07:36I think it feels cohesive.
07:39I think it feels the most me coded the most like my taste of music, my favorite sound.
07:47So I hope people like it.
07:50Yeah, I've been loving it.
07:51Sports car was the first song out.
07:54She's been asked a million times.
07:55Are you a car person in the sense that like you have a dream sports car?
07:59I'm actually not.
08:00Ironically enough, I'm not a sports car person at all.
08:04I really know nothing about cars.
08:06But I do like like Lamborghinis.
08:08There we go.
08:09Or like Ferraris.
08:10Yeah, I know Ferraris.
08:13BMWs.
08:13Anybody that ring a bell like those?
08:15I feel like those are a few brands.
08:17Yeah.
08:17How about driving?
08:18You a road rage person?
08:20I don't have road rage.
08:21I think I just either.
08:23Same with me in life.
08:24I either go really fast or really slow.
08:26Yeah, I'm no like consistent driver.
08:29OK, never like the most dangerous ones on the highway.
08:32Just going 40.
08:33Hey, that's what I felt like today.
08:35I don't road rage.
08:35I have road reactions.
08:36If it's your fault, that's how I'm going to do it.
08:38Exactly.
08:39It's so funny.
08:41And then Revolving Door.
08:42I've been loving to just from listening to the whole album today and getting everything
08:45that feels like it's next on our to playlist.
08:48Is that your favorite song right now or on the project?
08:50What's your I'm sure it's going to change like every so often.
08:53What's your favorite song?
08:54Well, Revolving Door felt very perfect with the music video that we had made with it.
09:00It's just I think one of my favorite music videos I've done,
09:03mostly because it's in this it's very simple.
09:06It's in this white room with 15 doors to represent all the tracks on the album.
09:10And it's this very like normal music video at the beginning.
09:16And then it moves into this like eerie land of just like being drained and exhausted and
09:20then like killing yourself for the art of dance and music.
09:25And I thought it was really fun to film that.
09:28So that's why Revolving Door is one of my favorites because of the video.
09:31But I think Purple Lace Bra is my favorite right now.
09:34So good.
09:34And when you hit the road with the Miss Possessive tour,
09:37you're getting to a point where you have like a long setlist.
09:39We're going to have to start like chopping it down.
09:41What's your thoughts going into it?
09:42And how are you going to like, you know, whittle it to what you want it to be?
09:48We're curating the setlist right now.
09:52And it is a difficult process because obviously you work with your MD who does all the musical
09:58direction of the show.
10:00And he has his opinions.
10:01And he so wants to keep some songs.
10:03And I'm like, I'm definitely not doing that song again.
10:05We just have different opinions.
10:07And then you all have to come together and be like, this is the best flow.
10:10Because the flow is all that matters, really.
10:12That's so interesting.
10:13So is it more like they know what will, I don't know, keep the flow going?
10:17And that's what they kind of base it off of?
10:19Well, yeah, because a song can feel different at different times in the show.
10:23If it's at the right time in the show, it can feel like the biggest song in the world.
10:27Wow.
10:28But if it is at the wrong time and it's like a dip in the show or it's been too high energy
10:33for too long, you can like, it just feels like you burn them out.
10:36Yeah.
10:37That's so interesting.
10:37Burn people's eyes and ears out.
10:39So you have to be really...
10:41Oh, Tate, please.
10:42We need a break.
10:43Yeah, that's so funny.
10:45She's had lasers for 17 minutes straight.
10:49But yeah, you have to be very specific on the flow so people don't get bored or can
10:54feel things a certain way.
10:56Yeah, you hate to have a song be like a bathroom song.
10:58You're like, all right, time to go.
11:00Of course, yeah.
11:00Speaking of journeys, you're all over.
11:02You're going to New York soon for, obviously, the Tonight Show and SNL.
11:06How does preparing for that go?
11:08Because it feels like a tougher environment where it's like maybe tighter and there's
11:12like a live audience that's kind of all packed in.
11:14It's your second time, so.
11:16Yeah, I'll start rehearsing this week.
11:19We'll learn it this week.
11:20And yeah, it is a very tight stage.
11:25And you can hear a pin drop in that room.
11:29It's like the vocals.
11:30You can hear the click of the microphone.
11:33It's really crazy.
11:34You have to be really on.
11:37But the energy in that building is unlike anything I've ever experienced.
11:42It's very magical.
11:42So you just have to be present and just take it on.
11:46Thank you so much, Tate.
11:47It's always good to see you.
11:48You too.
11:48Congrats on the album, the tour, and all the good things coming your way.
11:51It's always a blast catching up with you.
11:53And can't wait to see what else you predict for the future.
11:56Nice.