Skip to content

Tate McRae: How a ‘Very Sensitive, Very Introverted’ Singer Became a Pop Superstar

Search

Lauren Spencer Smith

She writes from wherever she’s at, even if that means moving beyond what people expect.

Lauren Spencer Smith

Lauren Spencer Smith

Island Records / Universal Music Canada
Peony Hirwani
By Peony HirwaniJun 05, 2026
Peony Hirwani
See Full Bio

Raised in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, Lauren Spencer Smith started out posting covers online before a wider audience found her during her run on American Idol in 2020. But things really shifted in 2022, when “Fingers Crossed” took off globally after gaining traction on TikTok. The song didn’t just travel — it stuck, and quickly put her at the centre of a wave of emotionally direct pop.

She followed it up with tracks like “Flowers” and her debut album Mirror, leaning into the same kind of writing that first connected. Nothing about it feels overworked — it’s direct, personal, and comes from wherever she’s at in that moment. As things have grown, that approach hasn’t really changed.

If anything, it’s clearer now that this is the lane she’s choosing to stay in — say it as it is, don’t dress it up too much, and let people take what they need from it.

You broke through with a song that travelled globally very quickly. Has that changed how you approach releasing music now?

I think it definitely made me more aware of how quickly things can grow, but I try not to let that pressure change how I write or release music. The songs that connected the most were the ones that were the most honest and unfiltered, so I just try to stay in that space instead of overthinking what “might” work.

There’s clearly a demand right now for emotionally direct songwriting. Why do you think audiences are responding to that again?

I think people are craving honesty. Everything feels so curated and filtered now, so when someone says exactly what they’re feeling in a really raw way, it cuts through. It makes people feel less alone, and I think that’s what people really want from music.

You’ve moved from online momentum into a global career. What’s something about that transition people underestimate?

I think people underestimate how much your life changes personally, not just professionally. It’s amazing, but there’s also a lot of pressure and a lot of growing up really quickly. You’re figuring out who you are while everything around you is moving so fast, all while trying your best to stay relevant to your audience.

When a certain kind of song works at scale, it can define expectations. How do you avoid getting boxed into that?

I think it’s just about reminding myself why I started. If I only chase what’s already worked, I’m not really growing. I want to keep evolving and writing about different experiences, even if it surprises people a bit.

What’s something you’ve learned about yourself through your music that you didn’t expect people to hear?

I think I didn’t realize how deeply I feel things until I started writing and sharing my music. I always knew I was emotional, but putting it into songs and seeing how people connect to that made me understand that it’s actually a big part of who I am, not something I need to tone down.

Do you ever feel pressure to stay in a certain emotional space because that’s what people connect to most?


I don’t really feel like I’m choosing an emotion; I just write from wherever I am in my life. I feel things really deeply, and when I’m sad, I feel it strongly, so that naturally comes out in my music. But if I’m happy or in a different place, I want to be honest about that too. I’ve always just wanted to be myself in my songs. I’ve been through a lot of hard things and struggles in my life, so sometimes the so-called “sad emotion” feels like it overpowers the others within my songs overall.

What are your thoughts about the future of music in Canada?

I think it’s really exciting. There are so many unique artists coming out of Canada right now, and I feel like people are paying more attention globally. I also think what makes Canada special is how accepting it is of different cultures and backgrounds, and you can really hear that diversity in the music. It creates space for people to be themselves, which I think is why so many distinct voices are coming out of here.

Most Popular

SadBoi
Music Features

SadBoi

MICO
Music Features

MICO

Baby Nova
Music Features

Baby Nova

Sophia Stel
Music Features

Sophia Stel

Ikky
Music Features

Ikky

More Stories

BLOND:ISH

BLOND:ISH

Trenton Junior

BLOND:ISH

On any given night in Ibiza, the difference between a good set and a memorable one is hard to explain but easy to feel. It’s not just about the tracks or the crowd, it’s about what carries beyond the room. That’s the space BLOND:ISH has been moving towards, whether she’s playing to packed dancefloors, building out her Abracadabra parties, or holding down a residency at Pacha Ibiza.

Her trajectory through electronic music followed a familiar arc at first. Releases across labels like Anjunadeep and Defected Records, a steady global touring circuit, and tracks like “Waves” and “Never Walk Alone” finding their way into sets far beyond her own. But over time, the focus began to shift. The music stayed central, but it stopped being the only thing.

Keep ReadingShow less
bbno$

bbno$

Ed Gumuchian

bbno$

At some point, everyone’s heard a bbno$ song without realising it was him. That’s part of the whole thing. The tone isn’t always easy to pin down, and the way he shows up online doesn’t always explain itself. But behind that is an artist who’s been building for a while. bbno$, short for “baby no money,” had already released projects like Recess and built a touring audience across North America, Europe and Asia before his hit single “Lalala” blew up in 2019 with producer Y2K.

That record changed the scale in a very real way. Daily streams jumped from roughly a few hundred thousand to several million within months, and the song went multi-platinum across multiple markets. But it didn’t change how he worked. He stayed independent, kept releasing at a steady pace, and followed it up with records like “mememe” and good luck have fun, which went on to rack up hundreds of millions of streams of their own.

Keep ReadingShow less
Josh Ross

Josh Ross

Before music became a career, Josh Ross thought his future would be on a football field.

Raised in the small Ontario community of Waterdown, near Hamilton, Ross spent years pursuing sports seriously before injuries forced him to reconsider what came next. After briefly playing football in the U.S., he pivoted toward songwriting, eventually relocating to Nashville and emerging as one of the few Canadian country artists to gain meaningful traction inside an overwhelmingly American industry.

Keep ReadingShow less
Owen Reigling

Owen Reigling

Alex Green

Owen Reigling

Raised in the small farming community of Mildmay, Ontario, Owen Riegling didn’t come up through the industry as much as he worked his way into it. Years spent playing bars and building a local audience laid the groundwork for what followed — from winning the Boots & Hearts Emerging Artist Competition 2022 to the breakout success of his platinum-certified single “Old Dirt Roads” and a run of over 100 shows across Canada. His latest album In The Feeling captures a period of transition shaped by life on the road, his recent marriage, and a growing sense of distance from home.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sofia Camara

Sofia Camara

Universal Music Canada

Sofia Camara

There’s a clarity to Sofia Camara’s rise. Not the kind built on display, but one that’s come from steadily showing up, first through covers, then through songs that feel far more personal.

She first gained traction online with covers, building an audience before breaking through with her original single “Who Do I Call Now? (Hellbent)”, which went viral across platforms and charted on Spotify’s Viral 50 in multiple countries.

Keep ReadingShow less