Tate McRae Reveals Her ‘Pinch-Me’ Career Moments as She Preps for ‘Think Later’ Tour (Exclusive)

Tate McRae is embracing all the “surreal” moments as the breakout star prepares to kick off her Think Later tour next month. The “Greedy” singer, who released her sophomore album in December, opened up to PopCulture.com about preparing for the international tour as she finds “inspiration” for new music. 

Coming off of her BRIT Awards performance, where she was nominated for International Song of the Year, McRae revealed she’s been getting into the creative design and choreography for her tour, which starts in Dublin, Ireland, before making stops at venues around the globe. 

“[There are] lots of boiling ideas that I’m really excited about,” the “Exes” singer told PopCulture. “I’m surrounded by some really incredible creatives, so honestly, I think it’s just making the album feel like it comes to life on stage and making it feel like a full performance and show – and getting ready into training shape and getting healthy and getting hydrated and making sure that I’m ready for Europe in a month.”

There have been so many “pinch-me” career milestones over the last year, McRae gushed, from her performances on Saturday Night Live and the Billboard Music Awards in November to her upcoming headlining performance at Madison Square Garden. “There’s been so many moments that I’ve just been like, ‘How is this real life?’” she shared, revealing that her performance at the iconic New York venue came “out of the blue.”

“I remember in November when they were like, ‘You’re going to be headlining Madison Square Garden,’ I’m like, there’s no chance that we’re going to be able to do that and headline that on my own,” she recalled. “Now, it’s coming and it’s a very surreal feeling, and I just feel very grateful that people are wanting to come to my shows.”

With all the demands of a global tour, McRae is happy to be partnering with Essentia Water, which is launching its first-ever flavored line called Essentia Hydroboost, featuring a blend of B-complex vitamins as well as 400 mg. of electrolytes that McRae gushes keep her hydrated without drinking something that’s “filled with sugar and a whole bunch of artificial flavors.”

“I think the closer I get to tour, the healthier [I] have to get. You have to get your sleep. You have to make sure you’re eating right,” the “Run for the Hills” artist told PopCulture. “I am partnered with Essentia, and I feel like it’s so helpful as a dancer, just because when you’re traveling around the world and going from place to place and meeting a lot of people and exuding a lot of energy, [so] staying hydrated is the number one key to making sure I don’t get sick and making sure I can perform my best on stage.”

In addition to staying hydrated, McRae makes sure she’s “staying mentally right” by meditating and taking time for herself. “I think it’s just getting in the right mindset because you’re meeting so many different people every single day. It’s making sure that you keep your own sanity throughout the process.” 

Fans can come face-to-face with McRae through her Essentia partnership giveaway, which features a chance to win a meet-and-greet with the star, plus two tickets to the first U.S. stop on her tour and a year’s supply of Hydroboost. For details on how to enter, visit HydroboostExperience.EssentiaWater.com.

Even with her tour on the horizon, McRae said she’s still keeping her eye on creating new music and getting back in the studio. “I think as much as I’m putting out, I’m also living a life as well that I have to talk about and write about and find perspective on,” she shared. “So, I think [I’m] finding time to just figure out what my next message is and where I want to go in my career.” There have been “a few little inspiration moments,” she teased, but most of her creative process starts with the music. “I think it’s getting in and just trying a whole bunch of things and failing at a whole bunch of things,” McRae said, “and then eventually figuring out what the hell you just said along that whole process.”