By: Mythili Reddibathini
Tate McRae’s newest album, So Close To What, recently released in February. A playful mix of pop and R&B, McRae’s lyrics tell listeners stories of romance, self-love, and growing into your confidence. Since the album’s release, the internet has begun comparing her to pop icons like Britney Spears.
Fans and critics have flooded the internet, sharing their opinions on each song and McRae’s vocal and songwriting abilities. Many people have questioned her authenticity and creativity, suggesting a lack of development in her sound as well as similarities between her music and others’. She’s not the first young female artist to face such criticisms. Addison Rae, Madison Beer, and Olivia Rodrigo are among others who have fielded questions about their originality since their debuts. This pattern poses the question of if there’s truly space for young artists to grow into their sound, and what criteria makes music truly “authentic”.
I asked some SMU students about their opinions on how pop music has changed in the past couple of years. Nicole Sustaita-Felici, an Advertising major, says, “I think Tate McRae is truly a trailblazer. Even though she may sample and take inspiration from other artists, I think that she’s original in the way that she composes her music. She’s able to resonate with modern audiences and specifically to subjects that young women can relate to. That’s what I really enjoy about her.” She goes on to say, “I also really enjoy the medium through which she conveys her art, through dancing and singing. She’s able to take these samples and inspirations and make them truly authentic to herself, which I think is inspiring in a sense.”
First-year Dareen Issa thinks, “A lot of people already talk about how they miss 2000’s pop, but as soon as someone like Tate comes around and revives the best aspects of it in an original way, people have a problem with it. And yes, lots of people have taken inspiration from people like Britney Spears, but when you’re one of the biggest pop sensations in the world, people are obviously going to take inspiration from you. When you have, what, eight notes to work with in a song, sometimes things overlap. I don’t necessarily think sampling is an issue of authenticity. Whenever I listen to a song that’s sampled from something else, I thoroughly enjoy it in a different way than I did the original song.”
Sustaita-Felici also notes, “ I think it’s unfair to judge someone based on if they are completely original. Sometimes, it’s just a small twist that makes a song all the better. I think a large part of music, and creativity in general, is being able to recognize that sampling and remixing is creative technique, not just an artist copying someone else.”
Conversely, environmental engineering major Cricket Tatone believes, “Tate McRae as an artist is generally overrated. I’m not a massive fan of her music but I do listen to it. However, I do think younger female artists are subject to a lot of unfair scrutiny and misogyny that is completely independent of their work. For example, people have burning hatred for Taylor Swift for no apparent reason and I can definitely see the general public following that trend with Tate McRae.”
McRae has responded to some of her critics in a recent interview with The Independent. McRae called the Britney Spears comparisons, “flattering and scary.” She also touched on how often female artists are not given the same credit for their creative ideas that male artists do. “We’ve seen this with every single iconic female artist before. It’s never just them who thought of the great idea or who came up with the music video, or who creatively directed the whole show.”
This controversy is reminiscent of criticisms that stars like Billie Eilish faced early in her career. Many accused her of being a “poser”, not truly embodying the darker, more experimental music she was making. Lana Del Ray’s authenticity has also been questioned since the beginning of her career, many accusing her of romanticizing objectification and faking vulnerability. In fact, Britney Spears herself, undeniably one of the greatest pop acts of all time, faced horribly demeaning accusations about her personal and professional life for years. Despite criticisms, these artists are widely known as industry icons.
It almost seems like there’s a predetermined format to the hate that is dispensed at pop artists, especially in the era of social media. But historically, musicians have always borrowed from others. Madonna was heavily inspired by ballroom culture. Elvis Presley took much of his inspiration and even became famous covering songs by Black blues artists. More than authenticity, it appears to be an issue of accrediting the original. Imitation and similarities in music are almost inevitable, but how can the originators of certain styles or songs be properly recognized? Is it a matter of offering the originator royalties or promoting their work?
Regardless, it seems that young female artists are facing the brunt of this questioning. Music is made to be shared and inspire others. Musicians began making music because of other musicians. The voracious need for total originality can never be truly achieved, and constantly searching for that stifles creative expression. To hold young artists to such standards is simply unfair and unnecessary.
