IN CONVERSATION WITH VIKTOR & ROLF
“We want to surprise ourselves:” …
Interview by Sina Braetz
WEEKEND MUSIC PT. 11: TATE MCRAE
It seem like nothing can stop the rise of young Popstar Tate McRae at the moment – and the release for her first studio album is only in one week.
But the Canadian-born singer and dancer has already attracted a lot of attention with her talent in the past two years, the album “I used to think i could fly” will be the icing on the cake of her success.
She is part of a new generation of pop musicians who are not afraid to process their deepest feelings and experiences of their teenage years. Emotional lyrics paired with electrifying melodies, that’s what Tate McRae is known for – or maybe even more for her carefully choreographed music videos.
As your album is coming very out soon, what was the best thing you learned while working on it?
Patience… Everything takes time. It took me a second to feel settled in the writing process of the album, but once I found the right people, the album began to fall into place.
What is the story behind the album title?
“I used to think i could fly” describes the fearlessness and confidence that kids have, and how so much of that can be stripped away from you as you get older and are exposed to more of the world.
With touring around the world, being nominated and performing at awards shows, hitting platinum status, what helps you staying grounded and focussed?
By making sure that I know what I want, and surrounding myself by motivated and inspiring people. Whoever you’re in a room with can greatly influence your mental state and how you approach your goals.
Where do you picture the people listening to your music?
Hopefully everywhere! I hope people can connect to my music all around the world.
How much courage does it need to be so open in your lyrics, especially mental health problems?
I honestly think of my music as my safe place – where I can talk about anything and not feel embarrassed or scared. If it’s real to me, I usually WANT to talk about it and get it off my mind through the songs.
You sing about fake friends and competition between girls, how do you deal with this in the music industry?
If you live your life comparing yourself to everyone around you, you are never going to be happy. In the music industry or anywhere else, jealousy can be the death of anything good within yourself. You have to stay focused and keep your head straight on.
Who inspired you growing up?
So many artists. It can be hard to narrow down to only a few. Like JLo, Janet Jackson, Britney, etc – obviously all of the artists that danced onstage always got me very excited.
