Tate McRae Talks All Things, From Going Viral On TikTok To Her Spot On Forbes 30 Under 30

Here at The Honey Pop, we are huge fans of Tate McRae, likewise to so many of you.

Tate McRae is taking the world by storm. Throughout this year that has been undoubtedly hard, and yet Tate has just continued to kill it. With her song ‘You Broke Me First’ going viral on TikTok and releasing her smash ‘r u ok,’ she’s unstoppable. 

Tate’s latest release, ‘Rubberband,’ has been on repeat since its release. It’s everything that makes a genuinely good pop song. And that’s a theme throughout Tate’s music. Her discography is a masterclass on how to succeed at making the absolute best pop music. She’s young and writes these lyrics that so many people relate to, and that has made people flock to her. She has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon and we are so grateful for that.

The Honey Pop was lucky enough to get to talk with Tate about her whirlwind of a career so far! We hope you enjoy the interview!

We love your song ‘you broke me first’ and it’s been quite the success! What is it about that song that you think captivated so many people?
The lyrics in this song are genuinely super real and honest. I really connected with it when the first version of it came back, so it makes me super happy that other people are connecting with the song too.

You’ve said that ‘r u ok’ is a song you never thought you’d write, what changed that? Can you take us through the writing process? How did it come to be and what inspired you to write the song?
“r u ok” is honestly just so sassy, and I love it. I wrote it with this writer, Lowell, and we had such a fun time putting it together – on zoom, with her ukulele, just chilling on my bed.

‘r u ok’ is quite appealing and feels like a true follow up to ‘you broke me first’. What’s the connection between the two that inspired you to weave a story through the lyrics?
It felt like I had told the same story of “you broke me first” from a completely different perspective in “r u ok”. I would say it’s like the continued story of it – going into depth about the relationship, from a person who’s completely moved on.

And we just have to talk about your song ‘stupid,’ it’s one of those lovey-dovey tracks that is going to be used to in compilation videos forevermore, what or who gave you the inspiration to write this track?
“stupid” was written about this dude that I liked at the time. It was one of those scenarios where if I didn’t write about how I felt, I would’ve never stopped thinking about it. I wrote it in a room with some of my favorite writers and was obsessed with it from the beginning.

You’re talented in many assets, from singing and songwriting to dancing. Out of these, what’s the closest to your heart, and what do you enjoy doing the most? Are there any passions or hobbies that you want to or are planning to explore in the future?
I could never decide. I couldn’t drop any one of them — they all give me some sort of escape in different ways.

And you’re still so young! With having new experiences every day in both your personal and professional life, how do you think that reflects on your creative mindset? How does it inspire your music and songwriting?
Being so young definitely forces me to really push my creative brain. The fact that I haven’t experienced certain things, leaves me putting myself in other people’s shoes a lot of the time and really digging into writing stories.

Despite 2020 being unfavorable for many, you managed to achieve quite a lot! What would you say is your most surreal, “pinch me I’m dreaming” moment?  And you’ve gained success fairly quickly, what are ways that help you stay grounded?
Definitely when I performed at the European Music Awards right after Alicia Keys… I was dying. Hearing my name beside all of my idols in one show was a serious dream.

Forbes 30 under 30 is a huge deal and you were the youngest musician to make the list, congratulations! So many dream of being on that list, what was your reaction to finding out you’d made it?
It was just such an honor. I was definitely shocked to see my face beside all of the incredible artists, and to be the youngest musician of this year was also quite mind-blowing. I also am a huge fan of Taylor Swift and think that she is one of the greatest songwriters, so when I heard that she was one of the judges – I freaked out.

You do fundraiser livestreams over on your YouTube, and you did one a couple of weeks ago to raise money for a COVID-19 relief fund! What gave you the idea to not only connect with your fans but also use your platform to raise money for things important to you? What other charities have you donated to through the help of your fans?
I want to make sure I am always making the most out of the platform I have. I thought it was a great idea to livestream with fans while educating myself and donating to a new non-profit organization each month. I’d obviously donated to COVID relief throughout this pandemic, as well as mental health/suicide prevention non-profit organizations, etc.

Many artists have been using social media to connect with fans during this time? What’s been your favorite platform to use over quarantine? And have you seen some of the creative ways that ‘you broke me first’ has been used on TikTok? What’s it like having a song go viral on there?
I would say my favorite apps have been tiktok and instagram throughout quarantine because I feel like I can connect to my fans the most there. It’s been really cool to see all of the different interpretations of my song “you broke me first” on tik tok, and I am so grateful that people have connected and focused on the lyrics/ meaning behind it.

We loved getting to talk to Tate McRae! There is no doubt that 2021 is going to be another huge year for her!

We would love to hear from you! What did you think of our chat with Tate McRae? Let us know by commenting down below or tweeting us @TheHoneyPOP! We are also on Facebook and Instagram!

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