‘Feeling Sexy in My Own Body’: Tate McRae on Confidence, Creativity, and Finding Her Voice

At just 21 years old, Tate McRae has already experienced remarkable highs in her career, from her breakout debut, 'you broke me first' (now 4x Platinum) to the overwhelming success of her latest album, think later. But behind the polished performances and chart-topping hits lies a journey of self-discovery, self-doubt, and a hard-fought battle to reclaim her voice. In her Think Later YouTube/Vevo short film, Tate gives fans a raw, intimate look into her world, breaking down her experiences between live performances of “exes,” “we’re not alike,” and “hurt my feelings.”

"Things come at you really fast.."

“Li kont preżenti fil-mument kienet waħda mill-affarijiet li kont irrid niftaħar fiha fl-aħħar sena jew żewġ snin, għax l-affarijiet jiġu lejja b'mod mgħaġġel ħafna,” tiddejjaq. Din ir-riflessjoni tpoġġi t-ton għall-konversazzjoni kollha—Tate is learning to navigate the fast pace of fame, the pressures of the industry, and the delicate balance of staying grounded.

One of the most striking moments in the interview is TateTate McRae’s admission of how, for years, she wasn’t living on her own terms. “For so many years, I feel like I went listening to everyone and what they wanted me to be and what they wanted me to say,” she reveals. For someone who entered the music industry at just 15, the pressure to conform was overwhelming. Her confession speaks to a common struggle for young artists, especially those trying to maintain a sense of identity in a world eager to mold them.

"I really figured out...what I want to feel when I’m on the stage—how I feel, feeling sexy in my own body."

But breaking free from those voices wasn’t easy. It was a slow, sometimes painful process of rediscovering her own voice and learning to trust her instincts again. Now, Tate reclaiming in-narrazzjoni tagħha. “Verament naf li f’liema stil nagħmel, x’jien inktib dwaru, u x’jien nixtieq li nħoss meta nkun fuq il-palk - kif nħoss, nħoss sesswali fil-ġisem tiegħi stess.” Din ir-velazzjoni turi mara li qed taħbat fil-poter tagħha, konfidenti fil-għażliet kreattivi tagħha. recent single, “it’s ok, i’m ok,” is a result of this transformation, with its bold lyrics and infectious rhythm showcasing Tate at her most self-assured.

Tatevulnerabilità spiss tħajjar il-proċess kreattiv tagħha, u f'ħafna modi, huwa meta tħalli l-gwardja tagħha 'l isfel li seħħ il-maġija. "Dejjem kelli żmien diffiċli nitkellem dwar affarijiet ferħana u tajbin fil-ħajja għax normalment kitbieti jiġu minn post doloruż," hija tammitt. Huwa din l-onestà raw li qaleb il-fans. Tracks bħal "exes", li hija tperforma fil-film qasir, jixhru l-abilità tagħha li tibdel il-pain personali f'art. Ironikament, madankollu, il-kanzunetta kważi ma seħħitx.

“'exes' was so funny because we were finishing up the tracklist of the album. We had all the songs down, and my label was like, ‘Do not write another song,’” she recalls with a laugh. But Tate u l-produttur Ryan Tedder ma setax jirresisti l-ħolqien kreattiv ieħor. “Morfna f’kamra oħra, bidna nkittbu kanzunett, u ħrugna bi kanzunett kompletament prodott, irreġistrat, u miktub fi 60 minuta. Kienet tant casuali—saħansitra ma konnax nistenniha xejn.” Din is-spontanjetà tħares lejn temi rikorrenti fi Tate’s work—her best creations come when she stops overthinking and lets the process flow naturally.

“greedy,” the lead single from think later, tixhed din il-mixtura ta' vulnerabilità u spontanijietà. Il-kanzunetta kisbet aktar minn 1.4 biljun streaming fuq Spotify, u l-video mużikali vibranti tagħha ġabu aktar minn 152 miljun views. Wara, "exes" ġabu aktar minn 414 miljun streaming, bi 38 miljun views fuq YouTube. Ċarament, Tate’s ability to channel her raw emotions into music is striking a chord with listeners worldwide.

"You never get an instruction manual on how to do any of this or who you should be.."

Amid the highs of creative success, Tate kienet ukoll iltaqgħet ma' realtajiet qattius ta' navigazzjoni ta' relazzjonijiet toksiċi fl-industrija. "Huwa kollu ħafna ta' prova u żball, il-laqgħa ta' nies ħżiena biex issib nies tajbin," hija tammitt, il-vuċi tagħha tqila bl-esperjenza. Huwa parti doloruża, imma komuni wisq, tal-vjaġġ għal ħafna artisti. Imma permezz ta' dawn il-laqgħat diffiċli, Tate ħarġet iktar b'saħħitha, bi viżjoni iktar ċara ta' x'inhi trid u, l-aktar importanti, in-nies tal-right biex tgħinhallha tasal għaliha.

Highlight importanti għal Tate fl-aħħar sena kien il-ħames tal-tim kreattiv ċar. "Għall-ewwel darba din is-sena, sibt grupp konsistenti ta' nies li setgħu jeżekutaw il-viżjoni li kont il-biedja għal żmien twil u biss ma kontx naf xi jkun kif nagħmel biex nikkonċettaw," hija tixher. Dan it-tim, inkluż id-direttur kreattiv Bradley J. Calder, għenu biex jiġu ħajja l-ideat tagħha: "Nħoss li sibt ħafna nies fl-aħħar sena li se jkunu ħabibin jew sħab ma' ħajja kreativa, speċjalment id-direttur kreattiv tiegħi Bradley. Hu verament jifhem li qed jiġri fil-moħħi u jaf kif jiġi biex jiġi ħajja mingħajr ma jiġi mibdul jew inklinat mod ieħor."

Tate titkellem b'mod pożittiv dwar ix-xogħol ma' Ryan Tedder u Amy Allen, it-tnejn li huma tħobbhom għall-ħiliet tagħhom fis-scribbija tal-kanzunetti: "Li kont parti minn kanzunett, tgħallimt minn huma, u kombinati t-tekniki tagħna tal-kitba kienet interessanti ħafna."

This newfound creative freedom is one of the key reasons McRae’s work feels more authentic than ever.

is-segment finali tal-intervista jifakkar fuq il-vjaġġ ta' Tate, kemm bħala artista u bħala persuna. "Qatt ma tixtieqx manwal ta' istruzzjonijiet dwar kif tagħmel xi ħaġa minn dawn jew li inti għandek tkun, allura inti biss għandek tifrah lil min ma jaħdimx u mbagħad lil min jaħdem."

"I am so young, and this is the coolest thing ever!"

As Tate McRae tifakkar fuq il-vjaġġ tagħha, hija konxja ħafna kemm il-ħwejjeġ ġraw b'rapidezza. "Huwa diffiċli tifakkar fuq affarijiet meta qed jiġru b'rapidezza," hija tammitt, żieda li spiss taqbadha fiż-żona ta' nofs performaġġ jew meta hija mdawra minn nies li hija tħobb. "Hawn jien, nagħmel dan, u jien żgħira ħafna, u dan huwa l-aktar ħaġa kewla."

With think later continuing to dominate our playlists and minds and her latest single, “it’s ok, i’m ok,” embodying her newfound power and sexuality, it’s clear that Tate McRae għadha biss qed tibda tħawwad il-potenzjal tagħha kollu. Il-vjaġġ tagħha ta' skoperta ta' rajha, rżiljenza, u awtentiċità bla skusa qiegħed jiġri b'mod qawwi ma' miljuni, u jibqa' jgħidilna kollha l-importanza ta' li nibqgħu preżenti u veraci lejn rajna nfusna—l-ebda biss kemm il-ħajja tiġi lejna.