- Hi, everyone, welcome to a new episode of The Lowdown.
I'm Jenna Ezarik.
And today we have a very special guest, Tate McRae.
- Hello.
- Let's lock it up and roll camera.
- We are actually on set now
for your campaign with the LinkBuds S.
How's it going?
- It's going great.
We have so many different setups here.
It's wild what Sony has done.
The concept of it is so crazy
and I honestly have no idea how we're gonna pull it off.
- [Attendee] Yeah Tate!
- [Jenna] So your album, congratulations.
- Thank you. - It's gonna be
coming out soon.
- [Jenna] I have been jamming
to some of the singles that were out
and I can't wait to listen to the full thing.
- Thank you.
- What was the process like,
kind of coming up with the songs and writing this album?
- It was very stressful
because honestly you have a 100 million songs
that you're choosing from,
and then you have to basically narrow it down
to 12 of your favorites.
12 that are the most cohesive.
I think I'm very proud of it.
- So what is your creative process like
when it comes to writing a song?
- It's like weird because you consider it work
when you go into a studio,
but it can't be like that at all,
because you have to really feel something super strongly
in order to write anything.
Or at least, in my opinion.
So usually it's like when I'm having a mental breakdown
that's when I write my best stuff.
- [Jenna] So let's kind of take it back to the start.
You were a dancer from a very young age.
- Yes.
- When did the crossover of dancing
to singing kind of start?
- I genuinely thought I was gonna be
a backup dancer when I grew up.
I honestly don't know what quite happened.
I just know that I was a huge fan of writing and poetry
and I would always write stories.
And then one day, when I was 13
I just posted an original song on my YouTube channel
and it kind of blew up.
And then I got signed by a label
and kept on writing.
And it feels surreal now
because since the pandemic has happened
I'm finally able to be an artist for the first time.
But it's weird 'cause my whole life
has flipped around in the last two and a half years.
I don't even feel like the same person.
- [Jenna] So you have been on tour.
So, what was your first performance like?
Were you scared?
- Yeah, of course.
I mean, my biggest fear
is that no one's gonna show up like always.
- That's not gonna happen, don't worry.
- I mean, the whole tour's been sold out
and it's been the loudest and craziest crowds
I could have ever imagined.
I honestly just love every single one of them so much.
And I'm just very, very grateful for them.
- [Jenna] What would you say
the hardest thing of transitioning
from making content into your room,
to being in the spotlight in front of 1000s of people?
- It's crazy because everyone thinks
that it's so much different,
but I think the most difficult part is not losing that.
The authenticity of literally just what you started it as
as a hobby or just doing it as something you love.
That's something that is really hard to carry through,
especially with the opinions of every single person in LA
and whatever the industry.
So I think it's keeping that original spark
that made you love it in the first place.
Because then it's like, that's what's gonna light it up
on stage and make people connect to it.
- [Jenna] So what is your favorite song from the new album?
- One song that I like closes the album
is this really classical piano piece
that I wrote with FINNEAS.
- That's amazing.
- Oh, it's so beautiful.
I told him I want it to sound like the end of a movie
like the credits are rolling.
And he came back and made the most magical ending ever
to the album.
So I think that's what I'm loving right now
but there's so many favorites.
- That's amazing, okay, so you've had the chance, obviously,
to use the LinkBuds S.
- Yeah. - How are they?
- They're amazing, I mean, I always listen to music
like every second.
So wherever I'm going, wherever I am,
I'm always listening to music.
- Yeah, I'm sure it's nice too
to be able to kind of have the noise cancellation
just kind of take you out of the craziness.
'Cause sometimes it's nice - Especially on
to shut things out on the tour bus.
- Oh, I bet, yeah. - Just so many people around.
- [Jenna] When do you think the, "I made it," moment
really was for you?
When did it hit home?
- I think there's some special moments
that gave me full body chills.
And I was like, "This is crazy that this is even my life."
I mean, the first time I performed
after two years in a pandemic,
when my song kind of took off,
it was at Lollapalooza.
The last time I performed was for 150 people.
And I walked out onto the festival stage
like never had been to a festival before,
and there were like 30,000 people in audience.
And I was like, "Whoa!"
No one told me what a festival was like.
And it was so surreal
because it was the first time
that I had had this record that had blown up.
And I didn't even realize
that it had blown up as much as it did.
So it was crazy.
- Well, Tate, thank you so much for chatting with me.
I'm so excited
and I'm so proud of you. - Thanks.
You have been absolutely crushing it.
And this is just the beginning.
Is there anything that you want to say
to the YouTube audience?
- Probably, just check out my album.
I'm so excited, I've been working on it forever.
So go listen to that
and come see me on tour in September.
- I already have it on my calendar, so I will be there.
Thank you guys. - Hell yeah.
I've definitely be, maybe I'll make a sign.
of Tate it's me, it's me! - Make a sign.
- That would be perfect. - Oh my God, okay, great.
- Thank you guys so much for watching.
Make sure you check out Tate,
as well as subscribe to the YouTube channel.
And I will see you guys again
for another episode of The Lowdown.