Megan Brownell social media editor
Rising popstar, Tate McRae came out with her third studio album, “So Close to What” on Feb. 21. After her second album, “Think Later” had major success, her third album followed in even better suit. The album earned McRae her very first Billboard 200 #1 album, peaking there last week.
Even though I am early to listening to McRae, I really liked this album. It piqued my interest quickly, even though I already knew some of the singles from social media before. Most of her singles were quite popular on sites like TikTok, helping contribute to her growing fan base.
The first single for this album came out Sept. 24 of last year, titled, “It’s OK I’m OK.” It became an instant hit, peaking at 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is great, talking about her ex’s new girl bragging about him while she knows how better off she is now. The song brings out what Tate likes to call her alter ego, “Tatiana,” proving to be bolder and risk taking, especially in the music video for the song.
The next single was, “2 Hands,” coming out on Nov. 14 of last year. While not as big of a hit, it rose to number 41 on the Billboard charts. This is another great song from the album and is one to dance to. Danceable songs are a big thing with McRae, as she is actually a trained dancer. She is a fantastic performer on stage, doing fully choreographed dances while singing, showing both talents. This means she makes so many songs that make you want to dance, even wanting to learn the choreography she does.
The third and final single, which came out Jan. 24, was “Sports Car.” Another hit, this one debuted at 21 on the charts, and peaked at 16. This song is one of my current favorites from the album, having catchy lyrics and being one of those jam in the car too songs. “Sports Car” and “It’s OK I’m OK” both became popular on TikTok, helping grow McRae’s popularity before her album release.
Another song worth noting is “I know love,” featuring The Kid LAROI who is also McRae’s boyfriend. I love the fact that she has her own boyfriend as a feature on a love song, it is so cute to me and makes the song stronger. It overall is a good song, showing that she knows love because of him. I love it, and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites on the album.
Overall, the more I listen, the more I love the album. Getting to know the songs and being able to jam out to all of them is a strength, helping me get introduced to McRae’s great discography. To rate it, I give it a 9/10, allowing myself time to get to know it more. McRae has only grown more popular since the release, so it is exciting seeing the next generation of pop stars starting to rise.