Two Music Festivals, One Weekend: Tate McRae Is In Full Pop Star Mode

For any performer, headlining a big music festival would be quite the undertaking—but this weekend, pop star Tate McRae doubled the pressure.

The singer served as a main act at both Montreal’s Osheaga festival (on Saturday night) and Chicago’s Lollapalooza the next. The back-to-back schedule may have been both exciting and grueling, but it served as a dream come true for the Canadian star. “Lollapalooza has always been one of those festivals I’ve dreamed about, so getting to come back and headline this year is honestly such a surreal feeling,” McRae tells Vogue. “Headlining is a huge milestone for me, and I really wanted to make this performance feel like an experience people would remember.”

Performing her big hits like “greedy” and “sports car,” McRae certainly did not disappoint with her banger-filled sets. (Also not to be missed? Her signature sharp choreography.) Ahead of the big shows, however, the singer worked closely with creative director Ludovic de Saint Sernin to cultivate custom looks for both stages.

“Working with Ludovic has been the best,” says McRae. “He has this way of making things feel sexy but still really elegant, which is something I love. He understands women and what makes you feel confident the second you put something on. It’s really fun getting to create with a friend—sharing references back and forth, getting excited about the same ideas, and then seeing them come to life. That’s honestly my favorite part.”

The creative process began with a trip to Paris, where McRae, Sernin, and her image director Ignacio Muñoz first began discussing the overall look and feel of her dream festival wardrobes. “We spent time talking about the world we wanted to build together, and I loved the idea of blurring the line between fashion and performance,” says McRae, who landed on a specific inspiration to drive both sets. “We were really inspired by Pierre Huyghe’s exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce—it felt so immersive and unexpected, and I kept thinking about how you could create that same feeling on stage. I wanted the show to feel cinematic and transportive, where the custom looks that Ludovic designed, the choreography, the visuals, and the music all feel like they’re part of the same story.”

Leaning into a more theatrical set (see: her Grecian pillars at Osheaga), McRae needed bold statement fashions to match. But instead of leaning into more-is-more designs, McRae and Sernin actually decided to strip things back—choosing stage looks that were clean, minimal, yet still visually striking. “I wanted the clothes to feel light, fresh, and sharp,” says McRae. “From the very beginning of the creative process, I always pictured myself in a low-rise pair of pants and a white top. I kept seeing this really clean, all-white look in my head, so that became the starting point.”

The final designs included pieces such as ribbed corset tops, slinky low-rise trousers, and of course, mini-skirts—a pop star must. “As the show evolved, the wardrobe evolved with it,” says McRae. “Every look built on that original feeling while reflecting a different moment in the performance. We also created two completely custom sets of looks for the dancers—making them an essential part of the overall vision.”

It wasn’t just about the clothes—but what happened to them on stage, too. At the end of her Osheaga set, for one, McRae even dipped herself in gold paint—a very Goldfinger-inspired move. “The finale was definitely my favorite,” says McRae. “Ending the show with the gold bath felt so surreal—it was one of those ideas that sounded a little crazy at first, and then seeing it actually come to life in front of that crowd was such a cool feeling.”

“During the design process, Ludovic showed me this technique he developed for his spring 2002 collection, where ribbons are hand-knotted into vertical braids to create this incredible textile,” says McRae. “We adapted the technique so it’s wearable for stage, and ended up making that the centerpiece of the look I wear throughout the show. It's all handmade and really delicate, and I just love how it turned out.”

Her Lollapalooza and Osheaga sets certainly made for one of her best performances to date. And post-festival weekend, you can definitely count on the pop star to keep that buzzy momentum going. “I’m pretty much going back into creative mode,” says McRae of her summer plans. A teaser for what’s ahead? “I’ve been spending a lot of time working on something I’m really excited about, so the rest of my summer is definitely going to be pretty heads down,” she hints. “I’m really excited for everyone to see what I’ve been making—hopefully soon.”

Below, see more exclusive photos from McRae’s festival weekend.

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