Tate McRae Sometimes Pictures This Late Pop Icon Standing Next to Her to Combat Stage Fright
Tate McRae at Lollapalooza 2026 held at Grant Park on Aug. 2, 2026, in Chicago. Victoria Sanders/Rolling Stone
Tate McRae still gets stage fright sometimes, but with the help of pop heroes such as Michael Jackson, she knows how to beat it.
In her W cover story published Tuesday (Oct. 13), the pop star talked about some of the supernatural she possesses along with her mom. “She is a witch — so intuitive,” the Calgary, Canada, native told the publication. “I’m a witch, too.”
Her powers apparently include being able to “see things” in dreams, “predict” outcomes and read people’s “energies” — and in that same vein, W also wrote that before McRae goes on stage, she sometimes pictures “idols such as Michael Jackson standing beside her” until her pre-show nerves disappear.
“I usually black out on stage, but something comes through me,” she shared, noting that her 2026 set at Lollapalooza — during which she dipped herself in gold paint — was particularly anxiety-inducing.
“I have one chance to do this correctly,” she recalled thinking to herself leading up to the golden moment. “Every intrusive thought goes through your brain.”
McRae’s interview comes as she’s gearing up to launch her next era with the release of new single “Housewife” on Thursday (Oct. 15). “It’s kind of about a woman that can’t be contained,” she recently teased on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The track will follow her 2025 album, So Close To What, which debuted atop the Billboard 200, marking her first-ever No. 1 on the chart. The star is also fresh off the release of TATE 01, her debut fragrance.
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