Tate McRae and Iris Apatow on Malls, Manifesting, and Moving to New York

How does a Calgary teen go from competitive dance to pop stardom? For 21-year-old Tate McRae, it’s all about manifestation. After a So You Think You Can Dance breakout in 2016, she started uploading ballads on YouTube, catching the attention of industry execs with her undeniable talent. Two albums in, she’s drawing Y2K-era Britney comparisons—born for the spotlight and built to own it. Before kicking off the tour for her new record So Close to What, McRae chats with friend Iris Apatow about her new NYC pad, going home, and staying sane in the chaos.

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THURSDAY 11:05 AM MARCH 6, 2025 L.A.

IRIS APATOW: Tate? My sweet girl! I missed you. Wait, are you not in New York anymore?

TATE MCRAE: No, I’m in L.A.

APATOW: That’s so fun. We were like two ships in the night at that party the other night.

MCRAE: We got there so late. Everyone already left.

APATOW: I know. I can’t survive that long at those parties. Clearly my voice is completely gone.

MCRAE: Yeah.

APATOW: How was SNL? That’s my first question, as a friend.

MCRAE: [Laughs] It was so fun. SNL is always a blast.

APATOW: I feel like you’re one of the more grounded people I know, but in those horrifying moments, what do you do to relax before you go out there?

MCRAE: I mean, the only way that I can bypass nerves that intense is genuinely getting excited and being like, “Holy fuck, look where I am. If I miss this moment, I’m going to be so upset with myself.”

APATOW: That’s so present of you!

MCRAE: [Laughs]

APATOW: I wish I could be like that.

MCRAE: But it’s true. Sometimes your nerves can take over your whole body and it feels like—

APATOW: Like, it teeters. You can either be so nervous or so excited and they’re essentially the same thing.

MCRAE: They are.

APATOW: So when do you start your tour?

MCRAE: I start the tour for South America next week.

APATOW: Oh my god.

MCRAE: I know.

APATOW: What’s—this is a very official question.

MCRAE: Okay. [Laughs]

APATOW: What’s the biggest challenge moving into major arena performances? How is that going to change for you? You’re such a badass. That question is pointless, because I feel like you’ve got it.

MCRAE: The biggest thing will be elevating the show to make it feel as big as the place that I’m in. Because last year I was going from 1,000-cap venues to venues with 18,000 people, so our show was in this weird spot of like—we have to try and fit this into any venue and make sure we have everyone’s attention for an hour and a half in that big of a room.

APATOW: Oh, you got their attention. Don’t worry about it. I’m so excited to see it. Also, I haven’t talked to you in person about it, but the album is so fucking good. The whole thing is on my playlist right now. And also the song with [The Kid] Laroi [McRae’s boyfriend] is incredible. How was it making that with him?

MCRAE: Umm. It was fun. You know how it is, just—

APATOW: I’m dating an actor. It’s actor on actor, musician on musician. It’s a whole thing.

MCRAE: I feel like, because we’re so serious in our lives, to be serious in front of your partner is the last thing you want to do.

APATOW: It’s a challenge, but it’s so cool and it turned out so great, but I totally get it. I’ve never had to work with Sam [Nivola, Apatow’s boyfriend] and I probably… [Laughs] Yeah, it’s a challenge.

MCRAE: Do you guys ever rehearse lines together?

APATOW: Just this month, I let him do a self-tape with me, because I’m like, “I don’t want to know what your notes are.” I just can’t. My fragile little heart can’t take it because I respect—

MCRAE: Yeah. Their opinion matters the most.

APATOW: I know. It stings the hardest if they don’t approve. But I always think about that. I’m like, that would be such a challenge, but at the end of the day, you can look back on it and be like, “I’m so glad we did that.”

MCRAE: Yeah.

APATOW: Would you ever move to New York? I did just get a guest room. It’s perfectly made for you.

MCRAE: Well, actually, I just bought the apartment.

APATOW: Shut up.

MCRAE: Yeah.

APATOW: No!

MCRAE: I’m a New York resident now. [Laughs]

APATOW: Oh my god.

MCRAE: So now I’m going to start getting furniture. Next year I’m planning on being in New York as much as I can.

APATOW: That’s so exciting!

MCRAE: I won’t be on tour and all of us can hang out.

APATOW: Wow. That brings a tear to my eye. See, now you’ve got to convince the other girls to stay in New York. Some people are trying to leave.

MCRAE: I know.

APATOW: I recommend it. I lived in L.A. for 21 years—but I guess you’re Canadian.

MCRAE: I feel more connected to New York anyway. I’ve been in L.A. for five years now and I still feel like I’m visiting.

APATOW: And you’ve lived in the same place for the whole time?

MCRAE: Yeah.

APATOW: We used to live in the same building, in fact. How does it feel when you go back to Calgary?

MCRAE: It’s nice to be a part of a culture that has nothing to do with the entertainment business.

APATOW: So nice. It’s such a luxury.

MCRAE: It’s so normal. When I go back for Christmas, it’s just bonfires, ice skating, going on walks with my dog in the park, and going to the mall.

APATOW: That’s the dream. I feel like in New York and L.A. nobody can go three minutes without talking about the music industry or the film industry. Sometimes you just want to sit and have a bonfire, go to the mall, and see a movie with your friends.

MCRAE: Yeah, you want to know that other things exist in life. It can feel very all-consuming.

APATOW: That’s my next question: What is your happy place? Or where are you happiest and most soothed? Maybe Calgary, it seems.

MCRAE: Actually, I don’t know if I’m most soothed there. [Laughs] That’s when you revert back into your 16-year-old body and your parents are like—

APATOW: Yeah, I know the feeling. They start coming into your room without knocking again.

MCRAE: Like, “Are you sleeping in?” I’m like, “Yes, I’m sleeping in.” [Laughs]

APATOW: It’s none of your business.

MCRAE: I don’t know if that’s my soothing place, but I really do feel most alive in New York. I think maybe because I’m so busy when I go there and my favorite moments of my career usually take place there. Honestly, being onstage is probably the least anxiety I feel in my life.

APATOW: Wow. That is not what I thought you were going to say. You really are just such a natural performer. Obviously you’ve danced all your life, but seriously, it’s so impressive. Okay, next question. What comes easier? Choreo or songwriting?

MCRAE: Well, I don’t choreograph my own stuff, but I’m so quick at learning choreography, and songwriting is just a process. You have to be in the right mind-frame to write a song and feel good about it, whereas at any moment I could learn choreo.

APATOW: See, that is art.

MCRAE: You can almost be detached. Like, you just do the moves. It’s kind of like working out. You just kind of do it.

APATOW: Oh my god, I could never; it’s so cool. I’m obsessed with it.

MCRAE: I also don’t understand how you memorize lines. I can’t memorize lines.

APATOW: Well, it’s the same thing as dance. I’ve been doing it since I was a little baby, so you just learn to go really fast. Um. Let’s see here. I literally just thought, if you were me, what question would l ask you? That was my next thing.

MCRAE: [Laughs] Are you out of questions?

APATOW: What about, what are you watching right now?

MCRAE: I’m watching Severance. Which–

APATOW: Wait, are you caught up?

MCRAE: I am caught up.

APATOW: It’s insane.

MCRAE: We’re obsessed with it. It’s one of the most confusing shows ever, but-

APATOW: Oh no, l understand nothing.

MCRAE: It’s so hard. My favorite part is watching YouTube recaps of all the conspiracies.

APATOW: Are there people online who can explain it to me?

MCRAE: [Laughs] I’m pretty sure you can find a random thread on Reddit and you’ll get the whole thing.

APATOW: Reddit is hard to navigate, I’ve learned.

MCRAE: But yeah, I’m watching Severance and I’m watching Love is Blind, always.

APATOW: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

MCRAE: Honestly, anything with Leonardo DiCaprio is just like–

APATOW: Fair enough. Have you ever seen Catch Me If You Can?

MCRAE: Catch Me If You Can and Wolf of Wall Street are two of my faves.

APATOW: I mean, Wolf of Wall Street, I could weirdly watch that a million times and I usually don’t love boy-centered movies.

MCRAE: Same! I think it’s just how alive the movie makes me feel.

APATOW: Yeah, it’s moving constantly. Um, going into a more serious question, what role has faith and therapy had in your life?

MCRAE: [Laughs] Great question, Iris.

APATOW: Yeah.

MCRAE: You know what? Therapy and also connecting with a higher power is one of the only things that gets me through everyday life. When I was 17 and first moved to L.A., I was so confused by this industry. I thought it was fucking crazy how you have to try and figure it all out and no one gives you an instruction manual on how to do it. And the only thing that has made me feel normal, and made me feel like things are possible, is meditating, praying, journaling, manifesting.

APATOW: Do you feel like there’s been a lot of people in the industry that have taken you in and given you good advice that has helped you through these kinds of stressors?

MCRAE: Yeah. I’ve met a lot of people. Even all of our friends, we’re all doing the same thing.

APATOW: Yeah. I don’t know why I’m asking, because I know you do have that.

MCRAE: But what I think is really great is that all of our friends are a bunch of dreamers who want to do something great in life. It’s a privilege to have friends like that because a lot of people don’t live their life with the idea that they can follow their dreams, or that they want to do something bigger than them. It’s such an inspiring—

APATOW: It really is. We have such a great group of friends. You never know. You sometimes fall into bad groups. But speaking of faith, the only time I’ve ever done anything like that is when we were on vacation and we would say grace. [Laughs]

MCRAE: Serious? I forgot we did that.

APATOW: [Laughs] I think we only did it once, but I was like, “Wow, I’m really in touch with god.”

MCRAE: We were such cute little grateful adults.

APATOW: I know. That was such a wonderful time. Now I’m stuck in the frigid New York air. We were so lucky to go on that vacation.

MCRAE: [Laughs] I forgot that we did that before meals. That’s so funny.

APATOW: I mean seriously, we have a lot to be grateful for.

MCRAE: The funniest moment was at that waterfall when all of us were just spinning and crying and—

APATOW: Literally. We went to the most beautiful waterfall. I was stressed and had tears in my eyes as I was climbing, because we had no shoes on and we’re climbing up these rocks-that was the most beautiful thing I think I’ve ever seen.

MCRAE: It was very spiritual. All the boys were doing cannonballs into the waterfall and all of us girls were just sitting there crying.

APATOW: That’s a true core memory in my life.

MCRAE: Truly.

APATOW: I miss that so much. What else? Did any funny things happen when we were there that we can disclose? Did anybody fall down stairs or something?

MCRAE: [Laughs] Well, that boat ride was fucking miserable.

APATOW: Everybody was flying off the side.

MCRAE: I felt like I was going to vomit.

APATOW: That’s the worst feeling, when you’re on the verge for 30 minutes. There’s pictures of us under towels shivering, and I just remember us being surrounded by turtles constantly crawling all over our rooms.

MCRAE: Yeah, they were huge.

APATOW: I felt like Cinderella. Okay. I don’t know how much time we have left, but I’ll ask you one more question.

MCRAE: Okay.

APATOW: What’s your relationship with the media and how does it affect you when-I’m trying to think of the right way to word this. I’m not going to do one. That’s not a good question.

MCRAE: Okay. [Laughs]

APATOW: What are you manifesting right now? That’ll be my last question.

MCRAE: I am manifesting a happy and healthy tour, and I’m also manifesting a bit of a Sex and the City summer.

APATOW: And we will be having it. I’ll make sure.

MCRAE: In July.

APATOW: Oh, I can’t wait. I think this summer is going to be when we peak.

MCRAE: [Laughs] I think so, too.

APATOW: Well, I love you so much and thank you for letting me be your interviewer.

MCRAE: I love you, Iris. Thank you so much for doing this.

APATOW: Of course–it’s been so wonderful watching you grow as an artist. You’re just such a badass and I’m so proud of you.

MCRAE: Thanks, Iris. I feel the same about you. We’re really good.

APATOW: I know. I’m such a good dancer. [Laughs]

MCRAE: You’ve really grown into your dancing shoes. [Laughs] I love you, Iris. Have a good day.

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Hair: Iggy Rosales using Verb Products at Forward Artists.

Makeup: Lilly Keys using MAC Cosmetics at A-Frame Agency.

Nails: Ginger Lopez using V Beauty Pure at Opus Beauty.

Photography Assistants: Kurt Mangum and Liam O’Herlihy.

Fashion Assistants: Anabelle Hernandez and Hannah Loewen.

Production Coordination: Anthony Huffnagle.

Production Assistant: Alex Dewey.

Post-production: Camerin Stoldt.

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