Tate McRae’s Biggest Career Moments So Far

From a viral dance video to chart-topping hits, sold-out arenas and major festival stages, Tate McRae has quickly become one of pop’s most exciting young stars.

August 12, 2026: Tate McRae’s career may still be relatively young, but her list of achievements is already impressive.

The Canadian singer, songwriter and dancer has gone from posting performances online as a teenager to becoming a global pop star with major chart success, international tours and headline festival appearances.

Her journey has not happened overnight. Long before “greedy” became a worldwide hit, McRae was developing her skills as a dancer and performer. Each career milestone has gradually helped shape the artist fans know today.

And in 2026, she reached another major milestone when she headlined Lollapalooza in Chicago.

HOLR breaks down Tate McRae’s biggest career moments so far and how each one helped take her from internet discovery to international pop star.

Image Credit: Instagram @tatemcrae

Her Early Breakthrough on So You Think You Can Dance

McRae’s professional journey began with dance.

In 2016, at just 13 years old, she became the first Canadian finalist on the American competition series So You Think You Can Dance, finishing third in the competition.

The appearance introduced her to a much larger audience and demonstrated that her performance abilities went far beyond singing.

Dance would remain an important part of her identity even after she began focusing more heavily on music.

Years later, her sharp choreography and athletic performances would become one of the things separating McRae from many of her pop peers.

“One Day” Changed Her Online Presence

Before becoming a charting artist, McRae was already building an audience online.

In 2017, she began sharing original songs through YouTube, including “One Day.” The song attracted attention and eventually became a significant early moment in her development as a singer-songwriter.

Her online presence allowed audiences to discover her personality and songwriting before she had the backing of a major pop career.

That direct connection with listeners became an important part of McRae’s early story.

She was not introduced to audiences simply as a label-created pop star.

People had already watched her grow.

Signing With RCA Records

McRae’s growing online audience eventually led to a record deal with RCA Records.

Her first EP, All the Things I Never Said, arrived in 2020 and included “One Day” and other songs that established the emotional, confessional style that would become a recurring part of her music.

She followed it with Too Young to Be Sad in 2021.

The project included “You Broke Me First,” which became one of her biggest early international successes and helped establish McRae beyond the dance world.

The song’s success demonstrated that her songwriting could connect with listeners who had never seen her perform.

Image Credit: Instagram @tatemcrae

Her Debut Album Put Her on the Map

McRae released her debut studio album, I Used to Think I Could Fly, in 2022.

The album represented a major step because it allowed her to move beyond the short-form EP format and introduce a broader picture of her artistic identity.

It included songs such as “She’s All I Wanna Be” and “Feel Like Shit,” combining pop production with emotionally direct songwriting.

The album performed strongly, reaching No. 13 on the Billboard 200 in the United States and No. 3 in Canada.

For a young artist still establishing herself, it was an important foundation.

But her biggest breakthrough was still ahead.

“Greedy” Became the Song That Changed Everything

September 2023 marked the turning point.

McRae released “greedy,” a confident dance-pop track inspired by the sound and energy of earlier pop eras while still feeling distinctly modern.

The song quickly spread across social media and streaming platforms.

Its choreography became especially recognizable, allowing McRae’s dancing skills to become part of the song’s identity rather than simply an additional talent.

“greedy” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Global 200. It also became a No. 1 hit in several countries.

Suddenly, Tate McRae was no longer simply a promising young artist.

She was a genuine pop breakthrough.

Image Credit: Instagram @tatemcrae

Think Later Established Her New Era

“greedy” served as the lead single for McRae’s second studio album, Think Later, released in December 2023.

The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, giving McRae her first U.S. top-five album.

The project also showed that “greedy” was not simply a one-song success.

McRae followed it with singles including “exes,” continuing to build the confident, dance-focused sound that had become associated with her new era.

Her career was beginning to shift from emerging artist to international headliner.

Her First Arena Tour Was a Major Step

McRae’s growth became particularly visible onstage.

Her Miss Possessive Tour, supporting her third studio album, became her first arena tour. The tour expanded her performances from smaller venues into much larger spaces across multiple countries.

That transition is significant for any artist.

Selling a successful single is one thing.

Building a live show that can fill arenas is another.

McRae’s background as a dancer gave her performances a physical quality, while her songwriting allowed her to connect with audiences through more personal moments.

The combination became one of the defining features of her live identity.

Image Credit: Instagram @tatemcrae

So Close to What Became Her First No. 1 Album

In February 2025, McRae released her third studio album, So Close to What.

The album marked another major career achievement when it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

It became her first chart-topping album in the United States and showed just how dramatically her audience had expanded since I Used to Think I Could Fly.

The project included songs such as “Sports Car,” “2 Hands” and “It’s OK I’m OK.”

The album also allowed McRae to explore a more confident and mature pop identity while continuing to incorporate the dance influences that have been part of her career from the beginning.

“What I Want” Gave Her a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1

McRae reached another milestone in 2025 with “What I Want,” her collaboration with Morgan Wallen.

The song became her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

For McRae, it was a particularly significant achievement because it placed her at the top of the U.S. singles chart after she had already established herself with “greedy.”

The moment confirmed that her success was not limited to one particular sound or era.

She could move between dance-pop, emotional songwriting and a major country-pop collaboration while continuing to reach a mainstream audience.

Billboard Recognized Her as a Hitmaker

McRae’s rapid rise also received recognition from the music industry.

In 2026, Billboard named her its Hitmaker at the Billboard Women in Music event.

The honor reflected the scale of her recent success and her influence as a songwriter and performer.

By this point, McRae had accumulated billions of career streams, major chart achievements and a growing reputation for high-energy live performances.

Her position on Billboard’s 2025 year-end list of Greatest Pop Stars also reflected how much her profile had grown during that period.

Lollapalooza Became a Defining 2026 Moment

Then came Lollapalooza.

On August 2, 2026, McRae closed out the Chicago festival as a headliner, marking one of the biggest festival performances of her career.

The performance was designed as a full visual experience, combining choreography, fashion, stage design and music.

One of the night’s most talked-about moments came when McRae covered herself in gold paint during a dramatic performance of “Sports Car.”

The visual immediately became a viral talking point and demonstrated how much McRae has evolved as a performer.

She was no longer simply singing her biggest songs.

She was creating moments audiences would remember.

What Makes Tate McRae’s Career Different?

McRae’s career is interesting because her biggest strengths have developed together.

She is a singer.

She is a songwriter.

And she is a professionally trained dancer.

Rather than treating those skills as separate parts of her career, she has gradually combined them into one performance style.

That combination has helped her create an identity that feels recognizable.

From “greedy” choreography to the elaborate production of her arena tour and Lollapalooza performance, movement is central to how McRae communicates her music.

What Could Come Next?

At 23, McRae is already entering another stage of her career.

Following her major 2026 festival appearances, she has indicated that she is moving toward work on her fourth album.

That next project could reveal where she wants to take her sound after the success of So Close to What.

For now, though, her career has already followed an impressive path.

From a teenage dancer sharing videos online to a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 artist and Lollapalooza headliner, Tate McRae has built her career one milestone at a time.

HOLR breaks down Tate McRae’s biggest career moments so far, and perhaps the most exciting part is that her story is still being written.

FAQs

What was Tate McRae’s first big career breakthrough?

Her early breakthrough came through dance, including her appearance on So You Think You Can Dance. Her music career later gained major attention through songs such as “You Broke Me First.”