TATE MCRAE ELEVATES HER ANTHEM “SHE’S ALL I WANNA BE” INTO AN HONEST, DARK BALLAD FOR VEVO STUDIO PERFORMANCE

18-year-old Tate McRae has been called many things since her music debut in 2017 — the Canadian answer to Billie Eilish, pop’s brightest hope, the teen dancer who turned pop idol. Her smash-hit single and music video, “she’s all i wanna be,” was released in February to critical and commercial acclaim, deservedly so, and cemented her as one of the biggest rising stars in the music industry. Yet even more impressively, McRae recently released a Vevo Studio Performance which boosts the track to even greater heights:

For all the comparisons to and collaborations with multiple musical artists, McRae shows off herself more than ever in this intimate, pared-down version of “she’s all i wanna be.” McRae has stated that the song was originally intended as a ballad, before the chaotic pop-punk energy was added to the final version. And while that single and its video are filled with frenetic angst and an infectious beat, there’s something about McRae’s Vevo performance that makes listeners feel as if they’re really hearing her for the first time.

The song in this version is slowed down, giving listeners a chance to really hear the lyrics and take in their meaning. When McRae sings, “I know you’ll go and change your mind / One day wake up and be bored with mine / She’s got everything that I don’t have / And she’s all I wanna be / All I wanna be so bad,” it’s hard not to feel for her. In addition to singing and dancing, McRae is incredibly effective at drawing out subtle emotions that make one want to lean in and learn more. There’s a darkness and authenticity in McRae’s live performance that’s brought out from under the pop-infusion of her studio single — a righteous anger about how she cannot compete with someone who superficially has “more” than herself. Indeed, McRae states that the song was born out of such intense feelings:

“I was hating everything about myself … I was comparing myself to every single girl, and it literally left me the most bitter taste in my mouth.”

McRae has been called one of the most authentic voices in pop music today, with a mature, distinctive voice all her own. And with her Vevo Studio Performance of “she’s all i wanna be,” it’s all the more clear why she will likely be a positive mainstay in music for the foreseeable future. Tate McRae’s debut studio album, I Used to Think I Could Fly, will release May 27 through RCA Records. You can listen to the studio track and watch the official music video for its third single, “she’s all i wanna be,” below now!