Tate McRae‘s star is quickly on the rise. The musician — who is Billboard‘s latest cover star — is having a massive weekend, with her debut performances on both Saturday Night Live (Nov. 18) and at Sunday’s’s 2023 Billboard Music Awards (Nov. 19).
Ahead of her BBMAs debut, the 20-year-old caught up with Billboard to reflect on her current hit “Greedy” (which peaks at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week) and her breakthrough moment.
“I don’t think people really expected me to release a song like this. I didn’t expect me to release it. I was deciding for forever which song I wanted to come back from a 10-month break. I think also people weren’t expecting me to dance like I did in the music video, and I think it was just a little shocking,” she said of the track. “It also feels like a switch-up in my personality and I think my fans were ready to see a more confident bada– side of me. It feels very exciting starting the album with that kind of energy going into it.”
McRae, who is also fresh off the release of her new track “Exes,” hit up SNL on Saturday and then takes the stage of the Billboard Music Awards — something she admits has been “a bit of a whirlwind.”
“We just shot a music video a day ago. Billboard this weekend and Saturday Night Live, which has been like obviously on my bucket list for so long. Right now it feels like…stirred up in the moment,” she shared. “It’s very exciting because I really, really care about this project and I also feel like I’ve had such a hold on all the creative of everything and I just feel very proud of what I’m putting out so it feels very exciting to be able to share that on big shows like this.”
The Billboard Music Awards Presented by Marriott Bonvoy — where McRae has a nod in the top dance/electronic song category for her single “10:35” — can be viewed on BBMAs.watch or via the Billboard and BBMAs social media channels starting at 8 p.m. ET Sunday.
Watch McRae’s full interview in the video above.
