Tate McRae is again, and he or she’s baring all of it. The rising pop celebrity has formally entered her subsequent period along with her extremely anticipated third studio album, So Near What, out now by way of RCA Information (Feb. 21).
Greater than only a assortment of songs and dance-floor-ready beats, the album is a full-blown assertion—an unfiltered deep dive into the emotional chaos of younger maturity, wrapped in slick, addictive pop manufacturing. McRae doesn’t simply sing about love, heartbreak, and self-doubt; she lets listeners dwell contained in the turbulence along with her.
Main as much as the discharge, she constructed anticipation with viral singles like “It’s okay I’m okay,” which soared to No. 1 on Billboard’s Scorching Dance/Pop Songs chart, and “Sports activities Automotive,” which caught fireplace on TikTok with over one million creations. However So Near What isn’t only a assortment of hits—it’s a totally realized physique of labor that performs out like a cinematic journey, capturing each the frenzy and the wreckage of younger maturity.
The album leans into collaborations, including new textures to McRae’s signature sound. Whereas the colourful “Bloodonmyhands” feat. Flo Milli shakes issues up with a fiery, rap-infused vitality that cuts by McRae’s usually wistful supply, “I Know Love,” a duet along with her boyfriend, The Child Laroi, provides a extra intimate second—however recording it wasn’t as easy as one may assume.
“It was a very humorous course of, as a result of me and Laroi have by no means actually, like, taken one another critically,” she admitted with fun. “You already know if you’re in a relationship and also you sing round one another, however you don’t actually, like, sing? So it was somewhat traumatic being within the studio singing and writing in entrance of him, but it surely was a cool expertise to look at him in his course of.”
Sonically, the album finds its steadiness between high-energy confidence and uncooked introspection, because of shimmering pop manufacturing from hitmakers like Ryan Tedder, Julia Michaels, Grant Boutin, and Amy Allen. However at its core, So Near What isn’t nearly love and heartbreak—full-circle reflection on progress, self-discovery, and the chaos of life in your early 20s. McRae’s signature vulnerability remains to be right here, however there’s a noticeable shift in perspective.
The place her earlier album Suppose Later was all about reckless choices and residing within the second, So Near What sits within the messy aftermath—determining what all of it meant and who you’re as soon as the mud settles. That rigidity—between nostalgia and reluctant progress, impulsivity and hesitation—bleeds into each monitor, from the daring self-assurance of “Miss Possessive” to the eerie, dreamlike “Revolving Door.” The latter’s music video, directed by Aerin Moreno, visually mirrors this theme, trapping McRae in a surreal liminal area, dancing by doorways that lead nowhere.
With the album out, McRae is losing no time bringing it to life on stage. Her Miss Possessive Tour kicks off March 18 in Mexico Metropolis and can take her by Europe, Canada, and North America, with newly added reveals because of overwhelming demand. With Zara Larsson and Benee becoming a member of on choose dates, the tour is shaping as much as be one of many greatest pop spectacles of the yr. She’s already given followers a preview with a dynamic efficiency on The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon, and her upcoming Saturday Night time Stay debut on March 1 will solely add to the momentum.
Using the momentum of her sophomore album Suppose Later—which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and catapulted her into pop’s higher ranks with the smash hit “Grasping”—So Near What looks like Tate McRae’s most confident period but.
At simply 21, she’s already amassed billions of streams, a number of platinum hits, and high-profile collaborations, however this album looks like a defining second—one which proves she’s not only a one-hit marvel, however a mainstay. With So Near What, McRae isn’t simply knocking on the door of pop superstardom—she’s tearing it off its hinges.
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Which music from So Near What hits you the toughest? Drop your ideas (or unhinged monitor rankings) on X (previously Twitter) at @Celebmix—let’s speak all issues Tate McRae!
