Calgarians are getting some international spotlight this week!
Tate McRae, a quickly rising popstar who grew up in Cowtown, has been hitting some high notes in the last few weeks, and she’ll be repping her hometown even more when her new album is released on December 8.
McRae’s new album features a song with the moniker “Calgary” and one called “Messier,” with people speculating on a possible reference to the former Oilers player.
Ooooo.
Events over the last month have spiked Tate’s popularity and made her THE NEW NAME in pop.
Saturday Night’s Alright!
Last week, the 20-year-old singer debuted on the iconic Saturday Night Live Show.
She was introduced by the swoon-worthy “Aquaman” host Jason Momoa to perform her viral top ten hit “Greedy” as well as a new song, “Grave.”
Featuring live instrumentals and impressive choreography put together by the famous American dancer Sean Bankhead, Tate dances her heart out.
This should come as no surprise because, at the age of thirteen, she gained prominence as the first Canadian finalist on the American reality TV show So You Think You Can Dance
Tate has all the makings of a pop phenomenon.
Producers at the Billboard Music Awards clearly think so as well, as they aired the performance of “Greedy” at the Moxy Hotel in Los Angeles during their awards show the next day.
Spotify Sensation?
Spotify just released their much anticipated “Spotify Wrapped,” an annual campaign that shows users their most-played artists, songs, albums, and podcasts.
Spotify uses an interactive slideshow to show users how many minutes they spent listening to specific music genres and how dedicated they were to listening to their favourite artists.
Most users share this slideshow on Instagram Stories, and guess what? Tate McRae graced a lot of them.
Last month, Tate stirred up a social media sensation when reporters noted that she has had more monthly listeners on Spotify than Beyoncé… now that’s a feat!
Tate McRae had 51.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, while Beyoncé had 46.8 million.
Talk about a small-town legend going big!
Is Tate the next Taylor?
She might be getting more popular in the last few months, but Tate has had an extremely loyal fanbase for years.
Much like the last big popstar out of Canada, Justin Beiber, Tate started off on YouTube as a teen, and her audience grew from there.
In terms of a Canadian starlet, she’s soaring to the top, up there with fellow Canadians Avril Lavigne and Nelly Furtado.
She overtook Taylor Swift on Spotify last month with the number-one song globally.
In case you didn’t know, American Taylor Swift is the most-streamed woman on Spotify, the highest-grossing female performer ever and the first billionaire with music as the main source of income.
Watch out, Taylor; our own Tate is headed your way!
Alberta Highlighted?
In anticipation of her upcoming album “Think Later” and especially the song “Calgary,” fans are going wild on X, particularly local ones excited to see Alberta represented on a world stage.
It’s awesome to see a local getting some world recognition, and we can’t wait to see where this wave takes her.
Maybe if Danielle Smith wants to share the “Alberta Story” worldwide, the Premier should start practicing her dance moves to be in McRae’s next viral video!
Just sayin’.
