In the beginning, God created heaven, earth, and Britney Spears.
OK – that’s a stretch, but Spears is largely responsible for inspiring the “Pop Star” archetype as we know it today. So when the international phenomenon agreed to interview Tate McRae, this issue’s cover star, it only confirmed the latter’s future as one of Pop’s biggest new players.
The 20-year-old Canadian has given several nods to Spears throughout her career, citing her as an inspiration for songs and music videos like McRae’s hit single “exes.” The applauded performer places the same emphasis on cho- reography as she does on the music itself, another similarity to Spears who—at exactly McRae’s age—was releasing “I’m a Slave 4 U” and “Overprotected,” thus cementing her place in the Pop pantheon the same way McRae is doing today.
McRae, who is currently on a massive, sold-out global tour, has already had a behemoth of a year with over a billion streams on her single “greedy,” plus the much-anticipated release of her sophomore album THINK LATER. With each new accolade, McRae makes one thing more and more clear: she’s here to show us what Pop’s been missing.
BRITNEY SPEARS: You’re an incredible performer. I’ve seen some of your performances and each one continues to top the next. Where do you find inspiration?
TATE MCRAE: Wow! Thank you so much. That means so much coming from you. I find that a lot of the inspiration comes from the musical arrangement. One of my favorite parts of the process is playing around and finding new variations of each song—I feel like that always inspires new choreography and a different feeling. However, looking back at iconic performances (like yours) is also very motivating.
BS: Your song, “you broke me first,” is one of my favorite songs. What is the story behind the song and what inspired you to write and record it?
TM: That means the world to me. I actually wrote “you broke me first” when I was 16 and had never experienced real heartbreak before— only on a small scale. It stemmed from a couple of different places, like taking inspiration from friendships or situation-ships, and they all left me with the same feeling—dealing with someone wanting your relationship back, after giving them your all and them not recognizing it. It’s a sad but empowering feeling afterward.
BS: How did you fall in love with music and dance?
TM: I’ve always been surrounded by music and dancing. My mom owned a dance studio when I was super young so I was constantly in the presence of older dancers who I admired. Becoming a performer was all I ever wanted to do, for as long as I can remember.
BS: What is the hardest part about being an artist of your stature at this point?
TM: I would say the pressure I put on myself. I have been a perfectionist my entire life, so sometimes the hyper-critical thoughts can fully consume you. I try to trust my gut as much as possible and not take in that many outside opinions.
Interview Britney Spears
Photography Alvaro Beamud Cortés
Fashion Nicola Formichetti
Creative Director Stephen Gan
GEN V Editor-in-Chief Mathias Rosenzweig
Editor Kevin Ponce
Makeup Lily Keys (A-Frame)
Hair Chad Wood
Manicure Sarah Chue (Exclusive Artists Management)
Executive producer Dana Brockman (viewFinders)
Producer Frank DeCaro (viewFinders)
Fashion coordinator Ernie Torres
Digital technician Dillon Padgette
Photo assistants Simone Triacca, James Mankoff
Stylist assistants Frankie Benkovic, Jeung Bok Holmquist, Adriana Gonzalez
Production assistant Trey Butler
Location Smashbox Studios
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