In today’s episode of “Pop Stars Who Are Done With Your Nonsense,” Tate McRae, the 21-year-old legend-in-the-making, has released her latest single, “It’s ok I’m ok,” which basically says, “I’m fine. Really. No, seriously. Why do you keep asking?” The song, produced by ILYA (a.k.a. The Beat Wizard) and written with pop gods Savan Kotecha and Ryan Tedder, dropped on Thursday, September 12, and let’s just say, it’s a full-on sass explosion.
The song? A spicy love letter to her ex’s new partner. But don’t worry, this isn’t your typical “crying in the shower, eating ice cream” breakup anthem. Nope, Tate is over it—so over it, she practically rented a billboard that says, “Take him, I insist.” She belts out: “No, nothin’ could make me miss it / Take him, he’s yours,” like she’s handing off a microwaved burrito she didn’t order. By the chorus, she’s practically strutting down the runway in her mind, saying, “It’s ok, I’m ok, had him in the first place,” which loosely translates to, “Been there, done that, have the souvenir mug.”
Now, let’s talk about the video. Directed by Hannah Lux Davis, it’s the visual equivalent of a sassy shrug. Tate is topless (cue gasps) but don’t worry, it’s art. She gets arrested, naturally, because how else do you express that you’re over your ex? But being the bad girl she is, she escapes into a crowd of adoring fans, probably thinking, “Why be handcuffed when you can dance?”
And dance, she does. On top of a car. Because, obviously, where else would you dance when you’re this unbothered? With her army of backup dancers, Tate moves like she’s shaking off every single text from her ex that starts with, “Hey, you up?”
As soon as the video hit the interwebs, fans on X (formerly Twitter, because apparently it had an identity crisis) exploded. They saw nods to the Holy Trinity of Britney Spears’ “I Wanna Go,” “Outrageous,” and “Womanizer,” with a dash of “When I Grow Up” by the Pussycat Dolls. There were even whispers of a David LaChapelle photoshoot reference because, duh, what’s a pop video without some high art photography vibe?
So, what have we learned? Tate McRae is unbothered, unapologetic, and probably dancing on your car right now. Her ex? Somewhere crying into a sad, sad smoothie.
