Tate McRae is opening up about the pressure and intensity that came with her relationship and breakup with The Kid Laroi. In her new Rolling Stone cover story, the 22-year-old singer reflected on how the public’s fascination with their romance took her by surprise and affected her more deeply than she expected. According to Rolling Stone, McRae said the attention surrounding the split felt “really scary and overwhelming,” noting that she never anticipated their private relationship becoming a major talking point online. She added that the experience revealed how disorienting it can be when strangers form narratives about a relationship they were never inside of.
McRae and The Kid Laroi, who first sparked dating rumors in early 2024, dated for more than a year before officially breaking up in June 2025. Although their relationship became increasingly public as they attended events together and Laroi referred to her as his girlfriend onstage, McRae told the outlet that she never expected the breakup to draw the level of speculation it did. She explained that she would never speak about other people’s relationships with that level of detail, which made the scrutiny even more difficult to process.
Addressing the Song Rumors and Moving Forward
Along with the attention on their breakup, McRae also confronted the ongoing fan theories that she and The Kid Laroi exchanged musical jabs through their songs “Tit for Tat” and “A Cold Play.” According to People, she said she “hated people painting a situation that’s worse than it is,” especially when the speculation overshadowed the reality of the breakup itself. McRae clarified that both she and Laroi use songwriting as their main form of expression, and that listeners will always interpret lyrics in their own way. Once a song is released, she said, “it’s not mine anymore.”
Despite the emotional difficulty of navigating a high-profile breakup, McRae said she continues to hold respect for her ex and cares deeply about people who have been part of her life. She described herself as someone who feels deeply connected to past relationships and admitted that one of the hardest parts of a breakup is not knowing how the other person is doing. She added that she hopes time will bring clarity, saying, “We’ll see what happens in time.”
McRae also shared how meaningful it was when Taylor Swift praised “Tit for Tat” during an appearance on “The Tonight Show,” calling the acknowledgment from an artist she admires “one of the coolest moments ever,” per E! News.
Inside Her New Rolling Stone Cover and Rising Pop Star Era
In addition to speaking openly about her personal life, McRae brings bold pop nostalgia to her January 2026 Rolling Stone cover shoot. She appears in a vintage 2001 Moschino heart-print bikini, channeling early-2000s pop aesthetics with the confidence of her performance alter ego, “Tatiana.” The shoot also includes archival pieces like a 1997 Chanel blazer paired with 1994 bikini bottoms, along with other vintage looks from Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana.
The feature highlights McRae’s artistic evolution, from placing third on “So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation” in 2016 to building a following on YouTube with her 2017 breakout “One Day.” Her rise led to a deal with RCA Records and the release of her debut EP, “All The Things I Never Said,” in 2020. Songwriter Amy Allen praised her versatility, calling McRae a “triple threat” who continues to grow as both an artist and performer.
Reflecting on that journey, McRae told Rolling Stone, “No one knows the full story of anything, ever.”
