Last year was prolific for pop music, and 2025 is shaping up to be similar, as artists chime in with their different perspectives on the current over-documented, hyper-individualized era.Streaming diversified pop music by making listening a solitary activity. No longer did the genre that strives for a large listener base need to cater to being played in communal places. Instead, pop could imitate the artistic diversity that once separated it from other genres.
Economically, the niche-ification of pop has helped the music industry. Because the genre relies on a foundation of fans that will listen to “pop” music regardless of its popularity, it can experiment and reap the rewards when risks pay off.
Canadian singer Tate McRae’s third album, So Close to What, doesn’t take risks and doesn’t need to. Offering a reliable sound in an era of experimentation is its own radical statement. In the 2020s, stars gain credibility by appearing off-center, even if their output remains at the top of the charts. Billie Eilish‘s dark pop and Taylor Swift‘s flirtations with folk represent this trend.
McRae doesn’t concern herself with rebellion, crafting an album that harkens back to 2000s diva Britney Spears and mid-career Beyoncé. McRae locates a signature sound on So Close to What, after experimenting with bedroom pop on her debut album I Used to Think I Could Fly and the trap-inspired follow-up Think Later, which spawned the hit “Greedy”.
Although the album’s title phrase, “So Close to What”, is never mentioned in the lyrics, it bears thematic weight. Stumbling upon a more profound meaning resembles the ethos of pop music, which initially comes across as trivial. The title may sound vague, but it represents an emerging truth in the context of pop.
In 2024, Taylor Swift released the 31-track The Tortured Poets Department, and Charli XCX released the 16-track Brat, which soundtracked Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and became a double album of remixes. In this onslaught of new material, the question remains, “What is it all for?” By producing a successful, if uncomplicated, album, Tate McRae answers the question simply:“It’s for your entertainment.”
The opener “Miss Possessive” is a moody assertion of ownership. The clipped, catchy chorus emphasizes McRae’s strengths: disguising the familiarity of big pop hooks with a seductive aura. Stardom doesn’t lend itself to subtlety, but McRae’s intonation of the line, “Just keep your hands off him”, exudes quiet authority.
Tate McRae shows indifference on “It’s OK I’m OK”, punctuating a slick chorus with the phrase, “You can have him anyway.” Like her fellow divas, McRae has a knack for describing familiar male archetypes. Through her psychoanalysis of men, Swift has made their casual dismissal an acceptable act in pop music, and why shouldn’t it be?
Although McRae’s sound isn’t new, her assertion of sameness generates interest by pointing to the seismic shifts that have already occurred in pop. In an interview with influencer Jake Shane, McRae recalled listening to Swift’s “The 1” after a breakup and called “Style” a “perfect pop song”.
McRae’s ability to point to Swift as an inspiration, although their brands differ, proves that the act of being a pop star itself, regardless of the type of music one makes, is a job with its own distinguishing characteristics. Modern celebrities no longer need to portray their personal lives as unflinchingly glamorous to sell a glamorous product.
In “Purple Lace Bra”, McRae channels palpable emotion through a club-ready sound. The chorus is arresting and soft, casting a spell on the listener that recalls a drunken movie montage where a character stumbles through a strobe-lit room. The narrator, evoking intimacy and self-doubt, asks, “Would you hear me now if I whispered in your ear?”
However, a second attempt at a deep-cut “Nostalgia” doesn’t land as well. Its obviousness gives away its purpose as a staple slow song, recalling Katy Perry‘s “Wonder”, which failed to question anything.Small misses are forgiven, however, because So Close to What doesn’t market itself as a confessional record in the first place. The upbeat tracks are streamlined enough to survive on their own. Tate McRae’s brand of pop implies introspection in its creation, but doesn’t prompt much in the listener.
For collaborators, McRae enlisted Amy Allen, who co-wrote every song on Sabrina Carpenter‘s Short n’ Sweet, and One Republic’s Ryan Tedder. “I Know Love”, featuring the Kid Laroi, comes far enough into the album that the specter of vapidity hangs over it. However, the catchiness of its melody and the spareness of its writing break a pop song down to its essential parts, letting them serve their purpose without excessive pomp and circumstance.
“Sports Car” is the riskiest moment and greatest triumph, showing Tate McRae’s thoughtful approach to stardom. In the music video, McRae flirts with high fashion, working with stylist Brett Alan Nelson to handpick 12 looks, from archival Alexander McQueen to current ready-to-wear Versace.In the documentary The September Issue, Vogue editor Sally Singer said, “The supermodels trained a generation of celebrities to want to be supermodels.” McRae understands this foundational pillar of modern fame and adheres to it diligently.
“Sports Car” also proves that a singer doesn’t need Mariah Carey‘s vocals to hold an audience’s attention. By whispering the chorus, McRae cultivates a persona in the seductive style of Miley Cyrus but implies an ambivalence unique to her brand.
In “Run for the Hills” from 2023’s Think Later, Tate McRae channels melancholy that doesn’t exist on So Close to What. While it may not pick up previous threads, the new record’s commitment to its purpose allows it to succeed independently.The cover art of So Close to What captures McRae’s existence as an artist and commercial force. Facing away from the camera, the star stares at a projection of herself, witnessing her rise to fame. The album title captures this anticipation, coupled with uncertainty.
The tabloid culture of the 2000s created rebels in the 2010s: Lady Gaga asserted that fame is a monster, and Swift wrote an allegorical album comparing fame to an asylum. On her third LP, McRae avoids speculation altogether. “That just isn’t the way I express myself,” McRae told Vogue, regarding writing a song about a specific person.
However, “I Know Love” featuring the Kid Laroi, McRae’s real-life boyfriend, nods to her personal life in the style of Sabrina Carpenter, who included then-boyfriend Barry Keoghan in the 2024 “Please Please Please” music video. These acts reference Jennifer Lopez, who set a precedent by including Ben Affleck in the “Jenny From the Block” music video in 2002.
The renaissance of 2000s angst shifts pop away from the circumstances that initially created that sound. By avoiding celebrity trappings, singers highlight their craft’s purpose: to create a communal listening experience that captures individual memories.
Yet, a final stamp of validation can feel far away. McRae said to Rolling Stone, “[I] keep setting these goals and get to a point where…[I’m] still not satisfied with [myself].” So Close to What is Tate McRae’s moment of heightened tension before the central part of her career sets in. After trying on different sounds across three albums to varying degrees of success, let’s hope she’s a little closer to knowing what that may be.
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