Tate McRae review – Britney-channelling, splits-deploying singer is impressively industrious
After going viral in the pandemic with bruised ballad You Broke Me First, 21-year-old Canadian YouTuber and professional dancer turned pop superstar Tate McRae has shifted through the gears at lightning speed. Her last two albums, 2023's Think Later and February's So Close to What, have produced a litany of trap-pop smashes slathered in Y2K influences, all paired with videos that throw back to a bygone era ruled by the choreographed precision of peak Britney.
On her first arena tour, McRae is keen to show how much work that's taken. During a lengthy ballad section on a small B-stage she introduces three older songs, some written when she was 13, with the weariness of a veteran, while 2022's piano-led Chaotic is about having a 'midlife crisis at 17'. Work is even part of the show's backdrop. Flanked by two giant yellow 'Tate'-emblazoned cranes, and with part of the stage raised on steel girders, it feels as if McRae and her eight back-up dancers are breaking several regulations on a building site – you half expect a foreman to show up and question the suitability of McRae's heeled boots.
A natural performer, McRae is in her happy place when she locks into elaborate choreography, relishing the dance break that anchors sugary recent single 2 Hands, or utilising pop's best prop, the chair, for the elastic, Pussycat Dolls-esque Sports Car. The climax of trap-adjacent kiss-off Exes, meanwhile, is McRae – resplendent in a leopard print leotard and matching flat cap – jumping into the splits, a move that elicits both cheers and gasps from the hopped-up, mainly female crowd.
The sheer amount of massed dancing, however, means McRae isn't always the show's main focus. Her charisma is showcased better when things get looser, as on the sugary new wave strut of She's All I Wanna Be, which has her skipping around the stage by herself. The atmospheric midtempo Siren Sounds is another solo highlight, McRae projecting its emotional and blown-out chorus to the rafters.
Slick, professional and clearly a fan of overtime, McRae's work rate is second to none. But while the results are impressive, she's still learning to make it all look effortless.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Exotic dancer allegedly paid by Sean 'Diddy' Combs to perform massages on Cassie Ventura describes the 'pinch yourself' moment he realised his burqa-wearing employer was the disgraced rap mogul on new Mail podcast
On the latest episode of the Mail's 'The Trial of Diddy' podcast, reporter Marjorie Hernandez interviews Sharay Hayes, a male exotic dancer who testified in court that he was paid to give sexual massages to Cassie Ventura while being watched by a masked Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Combs, 55, is currently on trial in New York facing sex trafficking and racketeering charges. If found guilty, the rap mogul could spend decades behind bars. Combs has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his music industry clout to commit abuse. Sharay 'The Punisher' Hayes, a male exotic dancer who was called as a witness for the prosecution earlier in the trial, told the podcast how he came to be in the employ of Combs and Ventura and what they wanted him to do for them. Using an alias, Hayes alleges that Ventura, Diddy's ex-girlfriend and one of two key victims in the trial, contacted him for a sexual dance in 2012. Upon arrival at the couple's hotel room, Hayes says he was greeted by a scantily clad Ventura and Combs wearing nothing apart from a 'burqa' to disguise his identity. Subscribe to The Crime Desk to hear exclusive coverage of the Diddy trial on The Trial+ Join here The dancer claims he began performing exotic massages for the couple's amusement. Hayes told reporter Marjorie Hernandez about his 'embarrassment' at not being able to figure out who his employers were for around a year. 'I had no idea who they were', he said. 'I knew I was with some high-profile couple, but I thought they were married. I did Google searches, trying to figure out who they were. But all the searches I did drew a blank. 'They called me for one more of these sessions and put me in a waiting room. I happened to turn on the TV and there was a welcome message on the screen which read: 'Essex House would like to welcome Mr Sean Combs.' 'It was a holy cr** moment – I had followed him on social media, and I still didn't realise.' 'I grew up in Harlem and in my age range, Diddy was my culture. Being in a room with him had a wow factor and I was doing something of a sexual nature with his partner. It blew me away – it was a pinch yourself moment.' Asked whether Hayes detected any coercive or violent behaviour from Combs towards Ventura, the exotic dancer said he 'did not see anything associated with what's going on in the trial'. He did however feel a sense of 'frustration' from Ventura at Diddy's particular and voyeuristic demands. Ventura has alleged Combs subjected her to rape, physical abuse, sex trafficking, and forced participation in sexual encounters with male sex workers called 'freak-offs' during their decade-long relationship. 'I did not see any indication of any issues between them', Hayes said. The Trial of Diddy: The No.1 True Crime podcast is back, covering all of the most shocking details from the Diddy case. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts 'It just seemed like a couple who were trying to expand their sex life in a kind of fetish way. 'The closest thing I noticed to what is going on in the trial – which I testified to – was that there were moments with Diddy's direction where maybe Cassie would sigh. I could see moments of frustration. 'Diddy could be very specific at times. Move the light here, turn a little bit more to the left – I did see some reactions to that specific direction.' Having heard Ventura's testimony which alleges Combs was abusive and violent towards her over several years, Hayes said he now feels 'terrible' about being involved in the couple's sex life. The exotic dancer said: 'The things Cassie testified to – those experiences show she was clearly in distress. 'It feels terrible to have been involved – period. I hope that, if she was in this difficult space, maybe her interaction with me wasn't too heavy on her. That it was tolerable. 'It is just rough looking back at it – understanding the circumstances. Even though I wasn't a part of it directly, I do not want to imagine what she could have been going through mentally. 'Maybe she was coerced without me knowing, which is just a terrible thing.' Listen to the full exclusive interview with Sharay 'The Punisher' Hayes by subscribing to the Crime Desk today.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Addison Rae: Addison review – 2025's most refreshing star revels in pop's shallow pleasures
When Madonna came to the height of her powers in the late 90s and early 00s, it felt as though she had perfected a new mode of pop stardom, making icy, complex and uncannily incisive records such as Ray of Light and Confessions on a Dance Floor. Those albums are powered by a gripping interplay between detachment and intensity; they sound, to me, like attempts to make pop albums without any sense of ego. As if she's saying: this isn't a Madonna record, it's a pop record. Addison Rae's exceptional debut album reminds me of that unimpeachable run of Madonna records, understanding that supreme confidence and exceptional taste can sell even the most unusual album. It's both familiar – Rae is an artist who unapologetically lives and dies by her references – and totally bold: I get the sense that she is less trying to say 'this is who I am' as much as 'this is what pop should be'. Rae's vision of pop is formally traditionalist – she loves big choruses, euphoric key changes, huge builds – but undeniably influenced by her past life as an inhabitant of content-creation HQ Hype House, after her dance videos made her one of the most-followed people on TikTok. The 24-year-old sees no cognitive dissonance in putting together seemingly mismatched aesthetic or emotional sensibilities, a quality that, to me, suggests supreme comfort with the practically dadaist experience of scrolling TikTok's For You page. Winsome opener New York explores frenetic Jersey club; on Headphones On, a warm-and-fuzzy 90s-style R&B track, she casually tosses off the lyric 'wish my mom and dad could've been in love' as if it was an intrusive thought she just had to let out. Although Addison covers a lot of ground musically, every song also sounds uncannily like it came out of the indie-electronica boom of the early 2010s; High Fashion, arguably the best song here, is a pitch-perfect throwback to early James Blake and second-album Mount Kimbie; Diet Pepsi is Lana Del Rey by way of Neon Indian. The record's remarkable coherence can be chalked up to the fact that Rae worked with the same writer-producer duo, Elvira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser, on every song – a rare feat for a major-label pop debut, made rarer by the fact that big-budget pop records made exclusively by women are practically nonexistent. But a quick scan of Anderfjärd and Kloser's credits suggests that Rae is in the driver's seat here; neither of them has ever made a song as laconically pretty as the EDM-scented Summer Forever, or as girlishly menacing as FameIs a Gun. If Addison has a mission statement, it's on the latter: 'Tell me who I am – do I provoke you with my tone of innocence?' she asks at its outset. 'Don't ask too many questions, that is my one suggestion.' It's an invitation to take Rae's music at face value – there's no self-conscious dip into wilful silliness or laborious camp. Most of the time, Rae is stringing together vague abstractions in a way that shuns overinterpretation, like when she sings: 'No matter what I try to do / In times like these, it's how it has to be', or returns to the phrase 'Life's no fun through clear waters'. Addison arrives at a fortuitous time: Rae resists the 2020s impulse to intellectualise every pop album and is unencumbered by ham-fisted concepts, Easter eggs or ultra-prescriptive 'lore' that tells listeners what to think. Its casually incisive tone suggests Rae might be a great pop flâneuse in the vein of Madonna or Janet Jackson, drifting through the scene with alluring ease and a gimlet eye. But she'd probably tell me I'm overthinking it.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
5 Father's Day gift ideas for gamers – presents to get your gamer dad
Struggling for gift ideas for the gamer dad in your life? Here are five potential presents that could go down really well! Father's Day is nearing, and if you haven't nailed down a present yet for the gamer dad in your life, we have some ideas for you to consider. What do you get for the dad who has everything? That's normally the question that comes up every year ahead of Father's Day, but if your dad is a gamer, there's good news, because there is always something they don't have that they probably really, really want! I can't guarantee he'll love all of the gift ideas below, but it should at least give you a few pointers about which direction to go! Here are five Father's Day gift ideas for gamer dads, at a variety of price points, albeit most are quite pricey (spoiler alert: gaming is an expensive hobby!). Introducing All Out Gaming, a dedicated gaming brand providing the best gaming news, reviews, previews, interviews and more! Make sure you don't miss out on our latest high-quality videos on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook, where we'll be posting our latest reviews, previews, interviews, and live streams! You can also subscribe to our free All Out Gaming newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories. Father's Day gift ideas for gamer dads Keychron K2 HE keyboard Keychron's latest offering is perfect for gamer dads, particularly because it doesn't really look like a gaming keyboard! Its sleek, classic and smart design won't look out of place in an office environment, with natural rosewood featured along the side being a really nice and unique design touch. But don't be fooled, because the K2 HE features Gateron double-rail magnetic switches, with customisable actuation points and dynamic rapid triggers, as well as SA profile double-shot PBT keycaps, making it perfect for sweaty gaming sessions too! It also has multiple connectivity options, including 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.1, and wired, and is compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux. A superb keyboard for office and gaming use. Keychron K2 HE Wireless Magnetic Switch Custom Keyboard - £153.99 Razer USB 4 Dock Okay, I know what you're thinking, a USB dock? But trust me, and I speak from experience here, dads can't have enough ports on their PCs. And this isn't just any USB dock, this is the daddy of all USB docks. It features 14 ports, including a MicroSD and SD Card slot, Microphone Headphone Combo Port (supports 7.1 surround), USB Type C 3.2 Gen 2 (with battery charging 20W), USB A 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s), upstream USB 4 Type C to host device, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, 1Gb ethernet port, two USB A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gb/s), one USB A 2.0 (480 Mb/s) and finally a dedicated USB port for 2.4 GHz Dongles (480 Mb/s). And there's more: It supports a 4K 120Hz output and includes a 180W power adapter that can provide 100W of laptop charging while powering the other connected devices! It's also compatible with PCS, Macs, iPads, and Chromebooks, making it incredibly versatile. Razer USB 4 Dock - £229.99 Moza Racing R3 Racin If your dad is the type who watches F1 and thinks he could match Max Verstappen, but hasn't tried sim racing yet, Moza's R3 bundle is the perfect gift to get him started on his sim racing journey. It's 3.9Nm direct drive servo motor gives enough feedback to provide an immersive driving experience, but not too much that it might be overwhelming for beginners, while the aviation-grade aluminium construction and durable ISF PU grips mean it'll last, at least until he wants to upgrade! You get a wheelbase, wheel and pedals in this bundle, which is compatible with PC and Xbox, which is a great starting point, and the price is very competitive too. Moza Racing R3 Racing Wheel and Pedals for Xbox and PC - £359.00 SanDisk microSD Express Memory Card (256 GB) With the Nintendo Switch 2 now out in the wild and in the hands of gamers, my first impressions of the console are very positive, and it seems to be better than the original in pretty much every conceivable way. But, with the games looking better than ever, and in a higher resolution than ever, that comes at the cost of bigger game sizes, so this 256 microSD Express Memory Card is looking pretty essential for those with a big game library! The Switch 2 only supports games launching from a microSD Express card, not a standard microSD, so this is a great option! SanDisk microSD Express Memory Card - £49.00 (Currys) Steam Deck And last but not least, for those gamer dads out there who haven't experienced the joy of handheld gaming yet, the Steam Deck is a superb device that allows you to play your beloved Steam games on the go. Whether he plays Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, Balatro, Red Dead Redemption 2 or Cyberpunk 2077, Valve's handheld can handle them all in 1280 x 800 resolution on its 7-inch display, which is surprisingly sharp given the lower than 1080p resolution. And, best of all, with the Steam Deck OLED also out now, the original Steam Deck is only £359 right now, making it cheaper than a Nintendo Switch 2! Steam Deck (256GB) - £359.00 And that's it. Hopefully, some of these ideas work out great, but if not, at least they might spark a present idea ahead of the big day.
