Tate McRae has spoken out about the backlash that followed her collaboration with Morgan Wallen. In a W Magazine cover interview published on Tuesday 13 October, the 23-year-old pop star said it was strange to think that a single song could define a whole person. Her comments are among her most direct on the subject so far.
The duet, What I Want, became McRae’s first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2025. Its success did not stop some fans objecting to the pairing, and the criticism soon turned into speculation about her political views. McRae told the magazine that around “three-quarters of my audience” know little about many sides of her personality, which she suggested made it easier for people to draw conclusions from one record. The song’s chart success meant the pairing reached an unusually wide audience.
It is not the first time she has addressed the subject. In an interview with Variety in August, she responded to claims that she supports MAGA. She said she shares her views through the organisations she supports and the atmosphere she creates on tour, and added that it should be “pretty obvious what kind of person I am”. Her W comments repeat that position while focusing on the duet itself. The repetition suggests she sees little need to change her stance.
McRae also reflected on the pressures of pop fame. She described it as the most overwhelming experience of her life and said people project many ideas onto her. She spoke about her viral Lollapalooza performance, during which she submerged herself in liquid on stage, saying she tends to black out while performing and that something takes over when she is in front of a crowd. She called the experience of being a pop singer the craziest of her life.
The cover was photographed by Juergen Teller. The interview arrives just before the release of McRae’s new single, Housewife, which comes out on Thursday 15 October. Her comments are likely to keep the debate about the Wallen duet going online, but she has made clear she does not intend to let one collaboration shape how she is seen. The new single will give fans a fresh reference point within days of the magazine’s release. The timing gives McRae a chance to move the conversation back to her own music.
