Tate McRae earned her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit with “What I Want,” her 2025 collaboration with Morgan Wallen, but she didn’t expect the team-up to make so many people misunderstand what she wants politically.
The pop star reflected on the backlash that followed the release of her duet with the polarizing country musician in her new W cover story published Tuesday (Oct. 13). “It’s crazy to think that one song could define a whole person,” she began.
“There are many aspects of my personality that three-quarters of my audience has no idea about,” McRae continued. “You hope one day you figure out a way to show all aspects of it.”
Though Wallen has never shared his political beliefs, he’s garnered controversy for his previous use of the N-word in 2021 — for which he apologized, saying at the time that he was “embarrassed and sorry” — and his proximity to other stars in his genre who support President Donald Trump. McRae’s own political views were called into question when she teamed up with the country star, but as she told Variety earlier this year, “I like to say my piece through organizations I support and the environment that I have on tour … I think it’s pretty obvious what kind of person I am and the things I support.”
And though she’s known for her polished pop hits such as “Tit for Tat” and “Greedy,” the Calgary, Canada, native told Billboard in April that it didn’t feel “out of the ordinary” for her to cocreate “What I Want” with Wallen: “I used to write to only guitar in the studio, so it felt natural.”
See McRae on the cover of W below.
Juergen Teller for W
