The Stunning Transformation Of Tate McRae

It may seem as though Tate McRae achieved success overnight with three successful studio albums under her belt by the age of 21 and fans from all walks of life streaming her music and watching her perform all over the world. But the pop sensation began performing at a very young age, with a focus on classical ballet. The combination of her natural talent and her dedication earned her many accolades as a child, and kept the momentum of her fledgling career going.

In addition to dance, McRae branched out into voice acting, a job she landed while juggling academics and training for myriad dance competitions. It seems McRae has always been an overachiever, so when she started up her own YouTube channel as a teenager, it was only a matter of time before she was discovered. While many of her peers were scribbling away in journals, McRae expressed her emotions through songwriting, with results that impressed a multitude of record executives vying to work with her.

Now 22 years old as of this publication, the Calgary native has appeared on "SNL" twice as a musical guest, and has been nominated for a slew of awards for her musical prowess. She has rarely missed the mark, and she's just getting started. Read on to learn more about the stunning transformation of Tate McRae from tiny dancer to global pop superstar.

Tate McRae was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on July 1, 2003. When she was just 4 years old, her family relocated to Oman, a country bordered by Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. The multitalented performer lived in Oman for three years, and spent a lot of time traveling with her family.

"I got to explore Oman, as well as many places around there," McRae told The Chicago Tribune. "We went to Dubai in the UAE, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt and then explored a lot of countries in Europe." According to McRae, these early experiences helped shape her understanding of the world and opened her mind to different ways of life. When asked what she'd learned from her exotic upbringing, McRae explained, "Be openminded and take everything in. Cultures are all so diverse and different and you can learn so much from the people."

McRae traveled quite a bit as a child, and now as a pop superstar she performs all over the world. But the singer still has so much love for her native Canada. "I love traveling to new places around the world, but I always like going to our cabin in Invermere (British Columbia)," she revealed. "I love boating, surfing and just hanging out with my family and friends."

It became clear that Tate McRae was innately talented at a young age, as she began serious ballet training at the age of 6. McRae honed her professionalism and her focus while studying dance at the renowned Alberta Ballet School, and took additional lessons in rhythmic gymnastics. The performer often trained for 11 hours per day, and her intense dedication led her to new opportunities and rocketed her to the top of many competitions.

When McRae was 11 years old she received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Berlin State Ballet in Germany, and in 2015 she took home the silver medal at the Youth America Grand Prix. The award was no small feat for the young dancer as the Grand Prix is the largest student ballet audition in the world.

Because of her extensive training, McRae naturally assumed that she would eventually become a professional dancer. "I definitely thought I would become a backup dancer or part of a company," she shared with Today. The idea that she'd shift her focus onto pop stardom was not something she'd even considered. "I never really thought that becoming a singer and doing this was a career option because it feels like such a far-fetched thing," McRae said.

Somehow, between taking ballet classes and performing in dance competitions the world over, Tate McRae found the time to branch out into a different form of entertainment. In 2013 she landed a gig voicing a character on the popular children's animated series "Lalaloopsy." Between 2013 and 2015, McRae lent her voice to the character Spot Splatter Splash both on "Lalaloopsy" and "Lalaloopsy Ponies: The Big Show." She also voiced Princess Nutmeg in "Lala-Oopsies: A Sew Magical Tale."

McRae had been trying her hand at musical theater before she became a voice actor, but it was through her foray into music that she landed the opportunity. "I love musical theater and had to learn to develop characters for my songs," she explained to Entertainment LA during a 2015 interview. "Then, the same day I got an agent I booked a job doing voice overs for the show "Lalaloopsy!" McRae said that the fun of the job came with some challenges as well. "It is hard recording voice-overs. You are the only one in the recording booth and there are lots of people online from the states directing you," she shared. "I usually got a 30-page script one to two days before we recorded."

Even at age 12, McRae had a very mature outlook on show business, and expressed the importance of balancing her voice acting gigs with dance as well as school. And she was humble about her success, despite excelling in every area of the arts that she'd tried. "I do not really think of myself as having a career yet," McRae explained. "I am learning and getting amazing opportunities that I can hopefully turn into a career when I am older!"

When Tate McRae was 12 years old, she got an opportunity that other kids her age could only have dreamed of. In 2016, McRae performed onstage as a dancer for Justin Bieber during the Calgary stop of his Purpose Tour. As reported by CBC, McRae was chosen to share the stage with Bieber after submitting an audition video showcasing the choreography that she'd taught herself.

When McRae achieved her own pop stardom years later, she set the record straight as her time working as a backup dancer had become exaggerated. "It's like this rumor online that I danced onstage with him, and I did, it was like one time," the singer told E! News. "But I was like 12 and it was a whole Wikipedia thing," McRae explained.

The singer also shared that when she eventually reconnected with Bieber, he recalled that she had performed with him as a preteen. "He did bring it up and I was so embarrassed," she revealed. "But it was funny, he's great, he's the sweetest guy ever so it was very cool."

Tate McRae was a busy kid at age 12. In addition to school, ballet training, voice acting, and all of her other pursuits, the performer auditioned for "So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation." McRae showed her maturity and poise even before the audition began in a clip during which she introduced herself to viewers. She explained that she was a student and a serious ballet dancer, and that her family was supportive. Her mother, a dance teacher, her father, a lawyer, and her older brother, a hockey player, all appeared in the clip.

"I'm hoping to show the judges that I'm a dancer who loves to dance from her heart and give it my all," McRae said. "I want to show them that I work so hard every single day." Her audition was a flawless contemporary dance routine with elements of ballet, and the judges, Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul, and Jason Derulo, were beyond impressed. "I wish there was a word that would describe how much you touched me," an emotional Abdul commented after the performance, calling the dance "perfection." "You are a gift from God," Abdul concluded, and after more praise, Lythgoe delivered the news that McRae would absolutely be moving on to the next round. She won audiences over throughout the show's season and ultimately came in third place.

"The fact that it was on national television made it a lot more nerve-racking, but as soon as I got on stage and started dancing, I just felt like I was living in the moment and doing what I love," McRae shared with CBC about her time on the show.

In 2017, Tate McRae started her own YouTube channel which was initially meant to showcase her dancing and choreography skills. But one day, on a lark, she decided to post a video of herself singing a song that she'd written, which would kick off her journey to pop stardom. "I put it out there, I wasn't expecting anything," McRae told the Calgary Herald. "But it kind of blew up overnight. I didn't even have a title, I just called it 'I wrote a song.' That's how it all started."

She began recording more videos in which she performed her original songs for her "Create with Tate" series, and within a year, the channel had over 2 million subscribers. Record labels took notice and contacted her parents, and the teen ended up signing with RCA. At 16 years old, McRae dropped her debut EP titled "all the things I never said," which she saw as a new beginning in terms of her music.

"It's pretty cool because I feel all my songs right now that I have on YouTube are so random," she shared with 1883. "This is the first time I'm able to release work that I put a lot of time and thought into."

Tate McRae's debut EP was a roaring success, but the timing of its release coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, which made touring nearly impossible. Although her singles were climbing up the charts, McRae didn't quite feel like the star she was quickly becoming. "When you're in your room, and your mom and dad next door are like, 'All right, you're in normal life for a normal kid.' Nothing feels like it's actually happening," she shared with Ottawa City News.

So, when Covid restrictions were lifted and the singer was able to set out on tour, it was an especially thrilling experience. McRae was 18 years old when she embarked on her first headlining tour, with shows across the U.S. and Europe. "I think my fans are louder than I could have ever expected. The crowds are bigger than I thought," she shared with Seventeen. "I thought no one was gonna show up and they all showed up. It's been so wild; I think everyone's been having a blast on tour and it's been incredible."

In addition to playing her own shows, McRae also got the opportunity to open for one of her favorite artists, Shawn Mendes. The singer began following McRae on TikTok, and when he asked her to join him onstage she was shocked. "I feel like he's been an idol of mine forever," she revealed. "I didn't know that he knew who I was at all."

In 2022, Tate McRae thrilled fans when she released her debut album, "I Used to Think I Could Fly," featuring the hit singles "She's All I Wanna Be" and "Feel Like Sh—." The latter was accompanied by a music video that showcased McRae's superior dancing skills and garnered over 25 million views on YouTube.

As for the album's title, it had a special meaning for McRae. "I've always been kind of obsessed with the concept of flying," the singer told Variety. "When I was younger, people would always say, 'What do you want to do when you grow up?' And when I was a baby, I'm like, 'I want to learn how to fly.'"

McRae was used to being honest and vulnerable in her songwriting, but for her debut album she dug even deeper into some difficult emotional territory. The single "Hate Myself," for example, was written amid the demise of one of McRae's relationships. "It was a really hard and intense song for me to write, because I wrote it the night that I went through a break-up," she revealed.

While Tate McRae released many songs about relationships and heartbreak, she has kept pretty mum about the details of her personal life. But in 2024, rumors began swirling that the pop star had struck up a budding romance with Australian rapper The Kid LAROI.

People reported that the pair were spotted having dinner together in Los Angeles in January 2024, and the following month the couple was seen holding hands at the NHL All-Star Game. Further fuel for the rumor mill was the fact that McRae had spoken very highly of LAROI during an interview with Zane Lowe. "He's so in love with music," she said. "Even talking to him, I really admire him," she continued. "I think he's just such an unreal artist."

Sometimes there is truth to a rumor, and that appears to have been the case with McRae and LAROI. In July 2024, the rapper posted a pic of him and McRae kissing on her 21^st birthday, making the relationship Instagram official. "Happy 21st birthday," LAROI wrote (via People), punctuating it with a heart emoji. "You make me better! I love yoooouuu @tatemcrae." McRae later reposted the cute pic to her own stories.

While Tate McRae's personal life was thriving, she was also keeping busy writing and performing new music. She followed up the success of "I Used to Think I Could Fly" with "Think Later" which she promoted with her debut appearance on "Saturday Night Live" in November of 2023.

In 2025, McRae released her third studio album, "So Close to What" on February 21, 2025, but weeks before its official release the entire album was leaked online. It was not something McRae took lightly, telling Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show," "It was devastating." She went on to explain that she had been taking a bath when she got a DM from a fan telling her what happened. "They were just like, 'here's the link to the whole album.'"

McRae was so upset she called both her mother and her therapist to help her cope with the news. "It's just hard because I feel like it takes away all your control as an artist," the singer shared. But after the initial shock wore off, McRae went back into the studio, added more songs, and tried to make the best of it. "I think that's the only thing you can really do in a situation like this is just take advantage of it," she explained.

From an early age, Tate McRae learned the value of hard work and discipline and it has paid off in spades. She garnered legions of loyal fans over the course of her career trajectory, and she was not shy about showing favoritism towards one fanbase in particular.

During an interview with Pride following the release of "So Close to What," McRae admitted that her LGBTQ fans are the best. "They're my favorite. No one beats them. Nobody is better than them. My whole team is gay!" she enthusiastically shared. And her sentiment was not hollow in the least. The singer went on to explain that her fans in the gay community give her the exact kind of feedback that she looks for.

"I feel lucky that I have their opinion," she said. "We want to do the most and push the boundaries, but it's also the most brutally honest advice." McRae went on to recall one of her favorite live performances that took place at the G-A-Y & Heaven Nightclub in London in 2023. "I ditched the mic and just started dancing. There was only like 150 people in the room and it was some of the craziest, loudest energy I've ever felt," she revealed.