I Went To Tate McRae's So Close To What Early Listening Party
Chatting with BFF Jake Shane, the “Sports Car” singer also teased her Miss Possessive Tour.
Tate McRae is ready to make 2025 her year. The 21-year-old is set to release her third studio album, So Close to What, on Feb. 21. Ahead of the official drop date, Spotify invited some of McRae’s top listeners to get a sneak peek at the unreleased tracks at a private event on Feb. 18 in Los Angeles, California.
This isn’t the first time Spotify has given loyal fans exclusive opportunities with their fave artists. The streaming platform hosted a similar listening party with Gracie Abrams back in November 2024, where guests got to hear “That’s So True” live before the release of The Secret of Us (Deluxe). I also got to attend Spotify’s invite-only Billions Club Live concert with The Weeknd in December, but McRae’s intimate listening party felt very VIP with just 40 fans.
Not only did the “It’s OK I’m OK” singer play new songs like “Revolving Door” and “Dear God” straight from her phone (complete with a Rhode Lip Case), but she and best friend Jake Shane had a Q&A at the beginning of the evening. There, she shared insights into her writing process on the road, the inspiration behind a few tracks, and what to expect on the Miss Possessive Tour starting in March.
For fans who couldn’t make it, here’s everything you missed:
The Evening Started With Tate McRae Stanley Cups & Themed Cocktails
When doors opened at the private venue in Hollywood, I followed the crowd down an alley to the So Close to What photo op in the corner. On the way, I picked up a “Tate Takeaway” swag bag with an exclusive Stanley cup. Knowing how in-demand these Quenchers can be, this was such a cool gift to receive. Plus, it came with waterproof Tate-themed stickers to decorate however you’d like.
After taking a slightly awkward pic by myself, I made my way into the rustic main building with a bar, waiters handing out light bites, and cozy seats in front of the small stage. There was a themed cocktail menu with drinks like a “Gin & Tate,” “It’s OK, I’m Bubbly,” and “Sour Mouth.” They also had a “2 Fresh” mocktail with lime juice, sugar, mint, cucumber, and soda water. I grabbed a seat near the front, and enjoyed sipping on my Aperol Spritz and chowing down on wagyu beef skewers and tomato tarts while waiting for everything to start.
Tate Admitted Her Alter Ego, Tatiana, Wrote Many Songs On SCTW
McRae sat down for the Q&A portion of the evening with podcaster Jake Shane to discuss everything from collaborating with her boyfriend, The Kid LAROI, to experiencing the So Close to What leaks online.
The pop star said she wrote close to 40 songs before working on “Miss Possessive,” which is the first track on the record and the title of her upcoming tour. She didn’t know at the time that she was going to name the tour after “Miss Possessive,” but according to her, “it just felt right.”
Tatiana wrote like half of this album because I was on tour and I was living in this alter ego.
The song describes “a situation where a girl is going after your man.” “It was one of the more fun songs on the album to write,” McRae said. “Miss Possessive” is also a track McRae claims her onstage alter ego, Tatiana, wrote last year.
“Tatiana wrote like half of this album because I was on tour and I was living in this alter ego,” she said. Some other Tatiana songs on So Close to What include “Sports Car” and “Purple Lace Bra.”
The latter is a song she wrote about her love-hate relationship with the media. “It was the first time that I actually felt female rage in my life,” McRae said about people criticizing the way she looks and dresses. It’s also the song she was most scared to put on the album, because it was so personal.
It was a little stressful being in the studio singing and writing in front of him.
McRae was also nervous working with The Kid LAROI for the first time. “It was a little stressful being in the studio singing and writing in front of him, but it was a cool experience to watch him in his process,” she said. She collaborated with Flo Milli on “bloodonmyhands,” which she said came about because she “didn't have a second verse” for the song. She reached out to the 25-year-old rapper, who “cut it like a week later.”
Tate Wrote 2 More Songs For The Album After It Leaked
For the listening portion of the evening, guests were asked to put their phones in a sealed bag to prevent any leaks. Unfortunately, some of the demos from So Close to What were posted online in January, which McRae said felt like having something “stripped away from you in that moment.”
They're not done, they're not how I want them, and that was hard.
Talking about having her demos out in the world, she said, “There's so much missing at that point. They're not done, they're not how I want them, and that was hard.” That low point did inspire McRae to get back in the studio and write two more songs for the record. She also teased that there are more songs in the almost 40 she wrote, like “Siren Sounds,” that she was bummed to not include. This made me think a deluxe version might be possible in the future.
McRae may also have time to work on new music while on the road this spring for the Miss Possessive Tour. She’s just started rehearsing, but McRae said the tour will include a lot of dancing like the Think Later World Tour in 2024. She even teased a performance at her other listening party on Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
Jake Shane Has A Favorite Track On So Close To What
After the Q&A, McRae played seven unreleased tracks that included “Dear God,” “Purple Lace Bra,” “Revolving Door,” “Nostalgia,” and “bloodonmyhands (feat. Flo Milli).” My favorite of the night was “Green Light,” which McRae said sounds like “OG me” and is about the “terrified feeling of falling in love again.” The track is about being “at a green light and scared to go,” because it’s as if you’re cheating on your last relationship.
Another song I loved and could see going viral on the FYP is “Signs,” which is Shane’s favorite from So Close to What. There’s a key change that surprised me, and I can definitely see TikTokers coming up with a fun dance to go along with the chorus — especially now that Shane is in his dancing era.
TL;DR: 2025 Is Going To Be Tate McRae’s Year
I’m kind of sad I have to wait till Feb. 21 to listen to these bops again, but I will be adding them to my current car Spotify playlist and getting-ready mix ASAP. With So Close to What and the Miss Possessive Tour, I can only imagine McRae having a pop-it-girl year similar to Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter in 2024 — and I can’t wait.
