After a busy week of celeb musician crossovers — from Doja Cat and Ice Spice’s podcast episode to Nicki Minaj using a Billie Eilish sample on her latest album — we have another one to add to the list: Tate McRae shouting out Normani and Victoria Monét on a British talk show, crediting them for a very good reason on the heels of her latest release, her sophomore album THINK LATER.
McRae appeared on the British talk show Lorraine to promote THINK LATER and the music videos for its tracks, many of which include McRae’s dancing, like “greedy” and “exes.” McRae is no novice when it comes to dance — the Canadian singer-songwriter started dancing at just six years old and appeared on So You Think You Can Dance as a contestant in 2016, where she placed third. It’s no wonder, then, that Lorraine host Lorraine Kelly would ask about her dancing skills, but McRae took some fans by surprise when she took the opportunity to shout out some other female artists who are known for their dancing skills, too.
A viral clip of the interview shows McRae saying, “It’s just fun to be able to dance that much in a video, and I think so many girls are bringing it back, like Victoria Monét right now and Normani.”
Now, if you don’t know those two names, you really should. Many Gen Zers might know Normani from her days in the X-Factor girl group Fifth Harmony, but she’s been making a name for herself as a solo artist in the years since, and her music videos show off her incredible dancing skills. (Seriously, “Motivation” remains iconic to this day.) She also collaborated with Cardi B on “Wild Side” in 2021, which featured choreography as well.
Monét, on the other hand, is probably best known for her song “On My Mama,” which she released earlier this year. The song went viral on TikTok, with #onmymamachallenge racking up 28.1 million views as dancers attempted the choreography from the video on their own. The dance even prompted Monét and choreographer Sean Bankhead to post an official tutorial to YouTube.
Needless to say, both Normani and Monét are dance queens, and McRae was absolutely right to tip her hat to their contributions to the music video space. And I’m not the only one who feels that way — fans also jumped in on X (formerly Twitter) to share their thoughts on McRae’s shoutout.
However, this is the internet, so not everyone was pleased. Some people speculated that McRae’s shoutout comes on the heels of a social media spat among fans of different female pop artists: After one X user posted a clip of McRae dancing on Nov. 17 with the caption, “tate mcrae is bringing back the era of pop girls who can sing and dance and i’m SO here for it,” a bunch of other artists’ fans jumped into the conversation.
Names like Normani, Monét, Chloe x Halle, and Tinashe, among others, were all brought up as examples of other artists who dance regularly in their videos and performances. Moreover, these artists are Black women, raising the question of why McRae, a white woman, would get full credit for “bringing back” an era of pop that’s been around for years. When McRae’s interview dropped, some people pointed out this racial dynamic, saying McRae is “a white woman giving credit to Black artists” or that her comments were damage control because of the posts calling out people’s support of her over Black artists.
Regardless, artists like Normani and Monét — and Tinashe, whose “2 On” dance has been stuck in my head since high school — deserve all the credit they’re getting and more. Here’s hoping they get way more recognition in the future, from fans and artists like McRae alike.