Tate McRae is taking over. In the few months since the release of her sophomore album Think Later, the Canadian pop princess has taken zero breaks, proving she has what it takes to become the next big thing in music. From her SNL debut to a mashup-on-ice for the NHL All-Stars halftime show and a breakthrough performance at this year’s Brit Awards, collecting main pop-girl moments seems to come naturally to the 20-year-old star.
Her highly anticipated Think Later world tour kicks off in April, so PAPER sat down with McRae to talk about tour prep, when we can expect new music and how Essentia Hydroboost is an it-girl essential.
I’m a huge fan of Think Later and I'm really excited for your upcoming tour. How has it been since the album’s been out, what’s the fan reaction been like?
Oh, it has been so exciting. It all came together very quickly. The last five months of my life have just been very chaotic and busy. But you know, so exciting. Some of my biggest dreams ever. So it's been a very fun process.
Congratulations. I'm so excited for you! Tell me about the tour coming up and what people can expect from that?
We are just in the process of putting it together creatively and getting ready for my European tour, which starts in a month. I’m just getting into the headspace of starting to train and starting to get my head right and eat healthy and drink lots of Essentia. Honestly, just trying to get my body as healthy as possible to make sure I can survive on the road.
What does that look like? Are you training every day?
Right now I'm easing into it. But yeah, I like to work and dance and make sure my body's moving.
I'm sure the tour will involve a lot of dancing — that seems to be your thing.
Yeah, totally. It's so fun. I feel like the songwriter part of me and the dancer are two different entities. It's very fun to be able to put them together and see what we can do creatively on this tour to showcase the more subtle moments and also the more pop dancing moments.
What's it been like to combine the songwriter and dancer part of yourself? How’s that been artistically and physically?
It's such a learning curve. As a singer you approach things differently than how you approach things as a dancer. Honestly, it’s been me figuring out how to do both at the same time and having a bunch of dancers around me for the first time. And then also doing these award shows for the first time and experiencing things firsthand. It's been a very fun process and very quick, and things kind of come out of nowhere. So it's been very cool.
So what do you love about Essentia? And tell me a little bit about the Hydroboost.
I've been an Essentia partner for years. It's the best water ever. I think it's crucial for me because, being a dancer, I am working my body so much. And on tour, honestly, the only thing that keeps you alive is staying hydrated, especially when traveling all over the world. I'm really excited about the launch of the Hydroboost. I feel like it's a fun way to stay hydrated and also, it's very clean. There are no artificial flavors or colors, which is great.
I feel like Essentia is definitely an it-girl water.
It's definitely an it-girl water.
Can you tell us anything fans can expect as far as upcoming music?
I just got back into the studio. I think it's just figuring out what I want, while I'm preparing for tour. Honestly, I’m just getting stories out and writing and seeing what first comes to mind right now, especially since it's so quickly after my album just dropped. I'm feeling out the water and seeing what it feels like to get back in again.
Things have happening so fast for you this year. What are some of the other goals you have for 2024?
So many, I'm very goal-driven. I write everything down and work towards it. I have an athlete's mentality. I like to set goals and see how far I go or what happens. Touring is my number-one priority this year, just because it's in some of the biggest rooms I've ever played. I'm playing MSG this year, which is so exciting. We have some really cool performances and little festivals and I’m playing my hometown [Calgary] for the first time this year. It'll be it'll be a fun year. I'm very pumped.
I’m really excited for you. And I'm really excited to try a Hydroboost.
You should try it! It's very good.
Good luck on everything you have going on. I will be keeping up from a distance! Thank you so much for talking and so nice to meet you!
So nice to meet you too!
Photography: Beth Saravo for Essentia® Water
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