Tate McRae Bio
Tate Rosner McRae, born July 1, 2003, in Calgary, Alberta, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and dancer whose career bridges contemporary pop, alternative pop, and dance-driven performance. She first drew international attention as a finalist on the American reality series So You Think You Can Dance in 2016, before pivoting toward music and signing with RCA Records in 2019. Her catalog includes the studio albums I Used to Think I Could Fly (2022), Think Later (2023), and So Close to What (2025), along with global hits such as “You Broke Me First,” “Greedy,” and “Sports Car.”
McRae is widely recognized for pairing confessional pop songwriting with sharp choreography, a combination that has earned her two Juno Award wins, a Grammy Award nomination, and acclaim from outlets including Billboard, i-D, and Notion. Based in New York as of 2025, she continues to expand her reach as a recording artist while maintaining strong ties to her dance roots.
Early Life and Background
Tate Rosner McRae was born in Calgary, Alberta, on July 1, 2003, the daughter of Tanja Rosner, a German dance instructor, and Todd McRae, a lawyer for oil and gas companies who has Scottish ancestry. When she was two years old, the family relocated to Oman for her father’s work, where she lived for three years and attended The American International School Muscat. She returned to Calgary as a young child and, by the age of six, had begun recreational dance training that would shape much of her early life.
After settling back in Calgary, McRae began training more intensively in dance at age eight, competing with Drewitz Dance Productions. From age 11, she trained across multiple dance styles at YYC Dance Project, a company owned by her mother, and also undertook ballet training at the School of Alberta Ballet, the training school for the Alberta Ballet Company. She attended Western Canada High School, from which she graduated online in 2021 as her music career accelerated.
Path to Music
McRae built her early reputation as a competitive dancer, winning Mini Best Female Dancer at the 2013 Dance Awards in New York City and earning a two-week scholarship at the Berlin State Ballet after placing at the 2015 Youth America Grand Prix. She performed at Justin Bieber’s Purpose World Tour stop in Calgary in 2016 and later that year placed third on the thirteenth season of So You Think You Can Dance, advancing further than any other Canadian contestant in the show’s history. These experiences cemented her profile as a rising dance talent before she shifted focus to songwriting.
In 2017, McRae launched a YouTube video series featuring original songs written and recorded in her bedroom, and the debut track “One Day” drew more than 40 million views. Independent singles followed between 2017 and 2019, leading YouTube to name her Artist on the Rise and catching the attention of major record labels. That momentum set the stage for her signing with RCA Records in August 2019 and her transition into a full-time recording artist.
Tate McRae Career
Early Career (2017-2020)
Following her signing with RCA Records in August 2019, McRae released the singles “Tear Myself Apart,” “All My Friends Are Fake,” and “Stupid,” the last of which charted in Canada and earned gold certification. She released her debut EP, All the Things I Never Said, on January 24, 2020, and supported it with a sold-out headlining tour across Europe and North America. That same year, she was named the youngest artist on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 music list and one of Rolling Stone’s top ten biggest breakthrough artists.
In April 2020, McRae released “You Broke Me First,” which became her breakthrough single and her first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song spent 38 weeks on the Hot 100, the longest chart run by a female artist in 2020, and topped the Mediabase Top 40 chart after a 28-week climb. A string of additional singles and a worldwide publishing deal with Sony/ATV closed out a pivotal 2020 for the young artist.
Breakthrough (2021-2023)
In March 2021, McRae released her second EP, Too Young to Be Sad, which became the most streamed EP by a female artist on Spotify that year, surpassing one billion streams. The project earned nominations for Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year at the 2022 Juno Awards and was preceded by “You Broke Me First.” Her November 2021 single “Feel Like Shit” and February 2022 follow-up “She’s All I Wanna Be” set up her debut studio album.
I Used to Think I Could Fly arrived on May 27, 2022, debuting at number three in Canada and number 13 in the United States. McRae then embraced a more pop-leaning direction and, in September 2023, released “Greedy,” which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped year-end charts in multiple countries. Her second studio album, Think Later, followed on December 8, 2023, debuting in the top five worldwide and earning her first top-ten album in the United States.
Notable Works and Milestones
McRae’s signature releases include the EPs All the Things I Never Said and Too Young to Be Sad, the studio albums I Used to Think I Could Fly, Think Later, and So Close to What, and the singles “You Broke Me First” and “Greedy.” In 2024, she won Juno Awards for Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for “Greedy,” and in 2025 she earned her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording with “Just Keep Watching.”
Tate McRae Award Nominations
McRae has earned recognition from major music institutions throughout her career. At the 2022 Juno Awards, she received two nominations, including for Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year for Too Young to Be Sad. She was nominated for the Social Star Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards and for Push Best New Artist at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2020, and she later earned her first Grammy Award nomination in 2025 for Best Dance Pop Recording with “Just Keep Watching.”
Tate McRae Awards Won
McRae has secured two Juno Award wins during her career. She took home Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for “Greedy” at the 2024 Juno Awards, capping the breakout success of Think Later. Earlier in her career, she also claimed multiple Best Female Dancer honors at the Dance Awards in New York City and Las Vegas, becoming the first dancer to win across the mini, junior, and teen categories.
Tate McRae Family
McRae is the daughter of Todd McRae, a lawyer for oil and gas companies with Scottish ancestry, and Tanja Rosner, a German dance instructor who owns YYC Dance Project in Calgary. Her mother’s background in dance played a central role in shaping McRae’s early training and stage presence. The family lived briefly in Oman during her father’s work assignments before settling in Calgary.
Personal Life
McRae has been open about a few of her relationships. From late 2021 to early 2023, she dated Columbus Blue Jackets player Cole Sillinger. She later confirmed a relationship with Australian rapper and singer the Kid Laroi in April 2024, with the couple collaborating on “I Know Love” from So Close to What before splitting in July 2025. In late 2025, she began dating New Jersey Devils player Jack Hughes. As of 2025, McRae lives in New York.