"I was just so devastated' — Tate McRae opens up about her 'So Close to What' album leak

Canadian singer and songwriter Tate McRae’s album So Close to What was reportedly leaked prior to its release. The situation was difficult for the singer who said she was devastated during a Spotify listening party on February 18, 2025, according to Billboard. As seen in a video shared online, she said:

“Unfortunately, a lot of the album got leaked which was a f**king bummer and I think obviously that makes you look at the project differently, like you are just. I was telling Jake this the other day like I was just so devastated because I am like there is nothing I can do about this.”

She continued:

“The whole project is online and there’s, I, like from my problem-solving brain, I was just like there is nothing I can do now and all I did is just go to the studio, write a couple more songs.”

Tate McRae mentioned writing new songs such as Like I Do and Blood On My Hands. She said writing the songs helped her regain control, based on what she could do in that situation. The album will be launched on February 21, 2025.

At the event, Tate McRae reportedly discussed how the leaked versions of her songs included unfinished lyrics and production elements that were later refined. She explained that early demos often felt incomplete, and hearing them circulate before they were fully polished was frustrating.

According to BillBoard, the album wraps up with Nostalgia, an emotional and reflective track. It serves as a conclusion to a project that takes listeners through a journey of ups and downs.

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Tate McRae also collaborates with partner The Kid LAROI and rapper Flo Milli for the album

One of the tracks from the album, I Know Love, is a collaboration with her partner, The Kid LAROI. Tate McRae admitted that working with a romantic partner on music felt a bit awkward at first, especially since they had never taken each other too seriously in that setting.

She noted that casually singing around each other in a relationship is different from recording together in a studio, but ultimately, she enjoyed seeing his creative process up close. During an interview on Therapuss with Jake Shane, Shane asked Tate McRae about the title of the album, to which she replied:

“I am not great at titling things. The problem with titles is like it’s hard to capture a whole body of work in like three words or one word and I think I just felt like at some point in the album, I always have to have some sort of epiphany about life. I need to have some sort of like reason for why I am doing anything otherwise I feel like I am driving towards nothing.”

She explained that the title So Close to What, summed her feeling about how she was driving towards nothing. Besides LAROI, Flo Milli is also another collaborator on the album. Tate McRae shared her excitement about working with Flo Milli, praising her unique voice.

She revealed that the track with Flo Milli was her first attempt at a Miami bass-style song and was the last one added to the album. Initially, she had only written a second verse while in New York, but later decided to bring in a rapper. Flo Milli wrote her part, and the song was completed just two weeks before the album's final submission.