Tate McRae Doesn't 'Regret' Morgan Wallen Collaboration Despite Backlash

Pop star Tate McRae faced intense backlash in the summer of 2025 after promoting her collaboration with country singer Morgan Wallen. While McRae remained silent on the fan criticism at the time, she is finally speaking out and sharing her thoughts on the ordeal now that the dust has settled.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, McRae opened up about her collaboration with Wallen. The "greedy" singer first teased the single, titled "What I Want," in April 2025, according to The Blast.

For McRae, the chance to collaborate with Wallen was a major deal, as country music was a major part of her life growing up.

She also noted her brother's love for country music has impacted her as an artist. "I’ve always wanted, at some point in my life, to do folk music or country, and I probably still will in the future," she said.

McRae was so excited about crossing genres so early in her career that she merely saw the recording as a "cool" opportunity. Consequently, she didn't expect to receive as much criticism as she did.

"It was just about the song for me. I didn’t realize how much a song would be connected to all the other factors, and it really shocked me," she said.

Indeed, McRae faced a firestorm of comments, one of which read, "Tate McRae collabing with Morgan Wallen ... I'm actually so disappointed in her [right now]."

"Sorry, but Tate McRae making a song with Morgan Wallen might be the stupidest sh-t she has ever done," another user wrote. "I'm so disappointed [because] I love her a lot."

Despite the feedback, McRae, who just concluded her "Miss Possessive World Tour," would do it again if given the chance.

"I don’t think you should regret anything in life, because it gives you so much clarity," she said. "I think controversy and criticism is a way of learning and figuring out what you want to move forward with, and how that shapes you as a person. I think it’s all important."

In a separate interview covered by The Blast, McRae got candid about her rise to stardom. During the conversation, the singer also addressed those who often compare her to Britney Spears.

While she called the compliments "flattering," she also noted they can be a bit frightening. "It’s such a crazy statement because no one can compare to Britney Spears."

For McRae, hearing that is the equivalent of being likened to the late, great Michael Jackson. "[Britney's] the blueprint," she said.

One of the main reasons the 21-year-old garners comparisons is due to her infectious energy and stellar dance moves on stage. According to McRae, she attempts to channel a specific artist to prepare herself for the moment.

"Whenever I'm out of breath on stage, I'm always like, well, f-ck Beyoncé can do it — I don't have an excuse!'" she said. "She's figured out a way to run on the treadmill and sing at the same time. You watch back to Coachella, and she was dancing and singing that whole time and figured out a way to sound phenomenal and nail it."

Another headline-making moment this year for McRae involved the 2026 Grammy nominations. Although her third studio album, "So Close to What," earned the singer her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200, McRae's project received zero nominations for the upcoming ceremony.

Fans expressed their disappointment with the academy, with one writing on X, formerly Twitter, "Tate McRae get a new team, new label, new strategy something cus this releasing sh-t with no push/promo is insane! the Grammys really said f-ck pop aoty..........."

Another user wrote, "The Grammys really hate Tate McRae her album didn’t even get nominated."

"Holy sh-t haven’t seen a bigger snub than Tate McRae in f-cking years," a third posted. "Grammys are just a joke genuinely, just be letting people buy the awards atp."

There is a bit of good news for McRae, however, as her song "Just Keep Watching" from the movie "F1" earned a nomination in the "Best Dance Pop Recording" category. Perhaps her solo work is right on the edge of taking her to new heights.