Tate McRae has had many different lives. The Canadian pop star was once a ballerina, a contestant on “So You Think You Can Dance” and a musician constructing emotional songs on YouTube. As she’s grown up in the public eye, so has her music.

McRae, known for her elaborate dance breaks and impressive stage performances, has been topping the charts with her recent releases. In 2023, the singer’s sophomore album “Think Later” peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 200 during the same month of its release. Since then, several of her singles have proceeded to top the charts. Her highly anticipated album, “So Close to What” is no exception and certainly lives up to the hype.

The discography is intense, emotional and understandably the most mature collection she’s put out this far, but fans could’ve picked up on that from the singles that teased the album’s release. “It’s ok I’m ok,” a catchy song with an incredible dance routine and a viral music video, was released on Sept. 12, 2024. The song left fans in anticipation, waiting for what was to come next. The single was followed up with two more teasers, “2 hands” and “Sports car,” the latter of the two being the most sensual song the pop star has ever released. It was met with mostly good reviews, but no matter how fans felt about it, it certainly took over social media.

The album begins with “Miss Possessive,” the track from which her upcoming tour has taken  its title. “Miss Possessive” is a great opener for the album, boasting a cameo from Sydney Sweeney to at the start of the song. The intense  dance beat embodies the singer’s stage presence: commanding, fierce and fiery. A similar bold and confrontational sentiment is reflected in the album’s ninth track, “Like I do,” as McRae circles back to fake friends and jealousy.

McRae delves into her  thoughts towards relationships in this album, cycling through multiple stages of emotions. In “Revolving Door,” she sings about not wanting to go back to an ex, but always being drawn back in. The backing beat is reminiscent of the electropop dance music of Charli XCX’s “brat.” It’s hard to not feel yourself moving to the rhythm, despite the more emotionally heavy message behind the lyrics. Similar sentiments are brought out in the song “Dear God,” where she sings, “All my no good thoughts I pray about/Take away the way I still might want to.”

“So Close To What” has songs featuring both Flo Milli and McRae’s boyfriend, The Kid LAROI.  “Bloodonmyhands,” which features Flo Milli, is catchy and quick, tying in the sentiment that McRae is better off without her ex.  It’s easy to dance to and the “Beef Flo Mix” rapper’s voice is a great match for the singer.

“I Know Love,” featuring The Kid LAROI has been a long-anticipated collaboration between the two singers. They went public with their relationship about one year ago, and fans have been waiting for a song featuring both singers since. “I Know Love” satisfies those cravings and it’s a nice glimpse into their relationship that we haven’t seen before.

The fifth track on the album, “Purple Lace Bra,” calls out the way the media has continued to sexualize McRae and how she feels people often miss the messages of her songs because of that. It’s a very vocally adventurous song for the pop star. Its scattered tempo and bold lines such as “You only listen when I’m undressed/hear what you like and none of the rest.” grab your attention. The song boasts an all-female accreditation, which is very fitting for the song’s message.

The end of the album features a bonus track titled “Siren Sounds,” and it ties together the conflicting emotions that McRae covered in the entire discography. Since this bonus song was posted on social media, fans have been begging for its release, and it’s easy to see why. It balances the sound of the old Tate with the maturity and self-awareness of her older self, which is the kind of growth that fans are happy to see.

“So Close To What” is projected to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 200 list on March 8th, and it’s a well-deserved spot. As McRae has continued to grow and flourish in the spotlight, so has her music. To any fans waiting in anticipation for what might come next from their favorite multi-hyphenate, the best is surely yet to come, with the Miss Possessive tour starting in two weeks.

Ava Hebenstreit can be reached at [email protected]