Tate McRae & the revitalisation of POP ☆

If you're a 90s/early 00s baby then YOU KNOW the nostalgia of The Pussy Cat Dolls and Britney Spears. Yes, I actually performed lunchtime dances outside my primary school classroom - my first tour being 'When I Grow Up' with my bootleg 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' perched on a ledge with a cowboy hat. I WAS A HIT: I had choreographed spectacular numbers and recruited a partner for dancing stardom. Looking back, I had about three people who would watch religiously, but I was happy to appease my seven-year-old audience. My teacher probably wondered about my indecent exposure to sultry Y2k pop. ALAS, this exposure has brought me a wealth of knowledge on pop culture and music, and we finally have a new ICON who exhibits 00s culture (authentically). 

I should preface by saying I hate wannabes. I do love it when people research and spend time on their craft, learning from the greats and showing homage to them. Tate McRae does exactly this! In a world so consumed with AI generation and copyright, Tate McRae has crafted a pop star personality that is HERS by using her dancing/performative gifts and hinting at the fabulous artists that came before her (circa 2004). Tate McRae started off as a dancer - she spent her childhood on dancing reality shows and later on she debuted singing in her parent's basement. I'm an OG fan (clearly). I watched her covers on her keyboard in front of a white brick wall, and watched the infamous self-made 'You Broke Me First'  music video (tenfold). McRae came from ingenuity, and this hard-earned success needs to be shouted from the rooftop. 

Tate dresses to her Gemini Venus - donning sports gear, playful prints and bold colour blocks! She's clever in her presentation and never misses the mark. Her recent release of 'Its Ok, I'm Ok' is a contemporary revolution and ode to The Pussy Cat Dolls: hanging from NYC scaffolding, alluding police, dance formations with denim/plaid layers and looking SEXY while doing it all. I have no notes and I cannot wait to see what she does next. 

I'll be seeing Tate McRae in November for her Auckland show. Bet your bottom dollar I'll be gasping for air the entire time, cue the inhaler.

THANK YOU TATE MCRAE FOR EXISTING XX