Honestly, if you were on TikTok or X (Twitter) in early 2025, you probably saw the chaos. It wasn't just a single song or a grainy snippet from a concert. It was basically the whole thing. Most of Tate McRae’s third studio album, So Close to What, hit the internet weeks before it was supposed to, and for an artist who treats her songwriting like a diary, it was a total gut punch.
She didn't just ignore it. She couldn't.
When your "whole life" (as she put it) is sitting on a public server for anyone to download, the rollout plan goes out the window. Usually, labels go into full lockdown mode, but Tate took a different route. She was devastated, sure, but she also used that "problem-solving brain" to pivot. If the world already had the demos, she was going to give them something they hadn’t heard yet.
The Night the Music Got Out
The tate mcrae album leak wasn't a slow burn; it was a flood. Roughly 13 of the 15 tracks from the original project appeared in high quality. We're talking polished files, not just voice memos.
Fans were torn. Half the fandom was screaming at people to delete the links, while the other half was already making edits to songs like "Miss Possessive" and "Purple Lace Bra." It’s a weird Catch-22 for a rising pop star. You want the hype, but you don't want the mystery ruined before the official "Miss Possessive Tour" even has its first rehearsal.
Tate later sat down with Jake Shane on his Therapuss podcast and admitted she felt like the project had been "stripped away." It’s a valid feeling. For a perfectionist who goes through 15 rounds of mixing just to get a bassline right, having unfinished, "not-ready" versions as the world’s first impression is a nightmare.
Reclaiming the Narrative
Most artists would just move the release date up or sue a few fans. Tate did something cooler. She went back into the studio.
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To take back control, she wrote and recorded brand-new songs that weren't part of the leak:
- Like I Do
- Bloodonmyhands
She literally outpaced the hackers by creating fresh content in the final hour. By the time the album officially dropped on February 21, 2025, the "leaked" version was technically obsolete because it was missing the most raw, reactive tracks on the final tracklist.
Why We Are Still Talking About It in 2026
Fast forward to right now—January 2026. Tate is currently the cover star for Rolling Stone, and she’s finally starting work on her fourth album (TM4). But the shadow of the 2025 leak still hangs over how she operates.
There's a reason she’s been so tight-lipped about her new sessions with producers like Ryan Tedder. Rumor has it her team has completely overhauled their digital security. You won't find many "unheard snippets" floating around these days. She’s learned that in the age of instant gratification, the only way to protect your art is to keep it offline until the second it's ready for Spotify.
The "So Close To What" Deluxe Strategy
Interestingly, the leak might have actually paved the way for the massive success of the deluxe edition that dropped in November 2025. Because the initial era was so chaotic, the deluxe—featuring "Tit for Tat" and "Nobody’s Girl"—felt like the "true" version of the record. It gave her a chance to close the chapter on her own terms.
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What This Means for Fans
If you’re hunting for leaks now, you're probably going to be disappointed. The industry has changed, and Tate has changed with it.
Here is what you should actually do to support the era:
- Stop hunting for "unreleased" TikTok sounds: Most of those are AI-generated fakes or old demos from 2021 that will never see the light of day.
- Watch the "2 Hands" music video: It’s part of the visual identity she actually wanted you to see.
- Wait for the official TM4 announcements: She’s confirmed she’s back in the studio this month (January 2026). The real stuff is coming.
Leaks suck for the artist, but they also ruin the "moment" for the fans. Part of the fun of a new Tate McRae era is the shared experience of hearing a song for the first time at midnight on release day. When that gets stolen, everyone loses out on the magic.
Moving forward, expect the rollout for her next project to be the most guarded one yet. She’s not letting the "evil hackers" (her words, basically) get a head start this time.