How Tate McRae Evolved From A Dance Star To A 'Vicious' New Talent

Before she was a subterranean pop artist navigating the darker spaces on songs like "Vicious" and also you Broke Me First," Tate McRae was a dancer. She even appeared as as finalist on So Think You could Dance. Yet she learned how to play piano, and since then, McRae's been digging into her musical side.


"Music has sort of habitually surrounded me," the Canadian singer-songwriter told MTV recently, sitting in front of a dance award from her youth, in a segment she filmed from residence throughout quarantine. "As a dancer, once you're moving, you're listening to music so much because you're attempting to portray it with your body. You're dissecting a song way more than anyone would actually think you are."


That look into her past accommodates inform the artist on display right now, one who's collaborated with Lil Mosey, Audrey Mika, and Saygrace. McRae, the MTV Push artist for July 2020, mentioned she brings that same sort of emotional and mental energy into the studio to make her own music now.


"My preference way to get into the songwriting process is to get into the studio, and then generally, they play a loop of four chords, or something, or guitar, and then I just begin singing," she said.


McRae also said how her music comes straight out of her life and why she tries not to "overthink things." Although for "Vicious," that process was upended a little — she refers to it as one belonging to a version of herself called "Feisty Tate." "Last kiss, leave your lips blood red," she sings on the buoyant track. "Burning bridges, breaking dishes, look you made me something vicious."


Originally conceived as a much lusher tune complete with conga parts, McRae and producer Mark Nilan worked to strip it back and "switch up the vibe" categorize in attempt to pursue where she wants to head sonically, including where she could even visualize herself in a couple of years. Right now we've hit a place that I'm super excited with," she mentioned, calling the song "empowering" and even "badass."


Get to know McRae in the interview above, then watch her filmed-from-home efficiency of "Vicious" as well to be able to see how the song evolved.