It started with a ukulele and a bedroom floor. Before the sold-out arenas, the high-octane choreography of "Greedy," and the "SNL" performances, Tate McRae was just a teenager with a lot on her mind and a YouTube channel. Back in 2017, she posted a video for a song she wrote in about twenty minutes. That song was one day by tate mcrae, and it basically changed the trajectory of her entire life. It’s wild to think about now, but that raw, unpolished clip was the spark that ignited a global pop career.
You’ve probably seen the video. It isn’t fancy. There are no ring lights or professional microphones. It’s just Tate, sitting on her carpet, pouring her heart out. At the time, she was primarily known as a competitive dancer—a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation. People knew she could move, but they didn't really know she could write. Then "one day" happened. It went viral in the truest sense of the word, racking up millions of views because it felt real. It didn't sound like a "product." It sounded like a diary entry.
The Story Behind the Bedroom Session
The magic of one day by tate mcrae lies in its total lack of pretension. Honestly, most songs written by 13 or 14-year-olds are... well, they’re usually a bit cringey. We’ve all been there. But Tate had this weirdly mature grasp of longing and "what ifs." The lyrics aren't overly complicated, yet they hit a nerve. She sings about a specific kind of unrequited love—the kind where you're convinced that if the other person just saw you in a different light, everything would click.
It’s about the waiting.
The song captures that agonizing teenage purgatory of being "just a friend" while secretly planning a future. When she wrote it, she wasn't trying to get a record deal. She was just participating in her "Create with Tate" series. She told her fans she’d write a song a week. That kind of self-imposed pressure usually results in filler, but instead, she struck gold. The simplicity of the ukulele chords provided a perfect, hollow space for her raspy, emotive vocals to fill. It was the first time the world heard that "Tate McRae sound"—that slightly slurred, emotionally heavy delivery that has since become her trademark.
Why "One Day" Broke the Internet Before TikTok Was a Thing
We have to remember that 2017 was a different era for music discovery. TikTok wasn't the behemoth it is now; YouTube was still the primary kingdom for viral musicians. When one day by tate mcrae started gaining traction, it wasn't because of a dance challenge. It was because the algorithm recognized something human.
The song eventually got a professional "Finished" version, which was released as a single in 2018. It went Gold in the US and Platinum in Canada. For an independent release from a dancer-turned-singer, those numbers are staggering. RCA Records certainly noticed. They saw a girl who could write her own hits and had an army of fans who felt like they were growing up alongside her.
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Some critics at the time tried to pigeonhole her as "the next Billie Eilish" because of the moody aesthetic and the whispered vocals. But that was a lazy comparison. While Billie was exploring surrealism and dark pop with Finneas, Tate was rooted in a more grounded, singer-songwriter tradition. She was singing about school, boys, and the crushing weight of expectation. one day by tate mcrae wasn't trying to be "edgy." It was trying to be honest.
The Evolution of the Sound
If you listen to "one day" and then jump straight to her THINK LATER album, the sonic leap is jarring. It’s massive. You go from a plucked ukulele to heavy bass and polished Max Martin-adjacent production. But the DNA is the same. Tate has this specific way of phrasing her lyrics—chopping up syllables and leaning into the vowels—that started right there on her bedroom floor.
- The original YouTube upload: Raw, acoustic, slightly out of tune in spots, perfectly imperfect.
- The studio version: Added a light beat, some atmospheric synths, but kept the intimacy.
- The live performances: Usually stripped back, even today, because fans demand that connection.
It's actually kinda cool how she hasn't abandoned the song. Even as she's performing in front of 20,000 people, she often brings it back. It serves as a bridge. It reminds the audience that she isn't just a pop star manufactured in a lab; she’s the girl from Calgary who had a crush and a camera.
Addressing the "Industry Plant" Accusations
Whenever someone blows up as fast as Tate did, the "industry plant" labels start flying. People look at her dance background and her quick transition to a major label and assume it was all pre-packaged. But one day by tate mcrae is the ultimate rebuttal to that. You can’t fake the organic growth that song had. It sat on YouTube for months, slowly building steam through word-of-mouth and fan edits.
The industry didn't make Tate; the internet did. RCA just gave her a bigger megaphone. If you look at her early "Create with Tate" videos, you see the struggle. You see the songs that didn't go viral. You see a kid learning how to structure a bridge and how to find her range. It was a public apprenticeship.
The Lyrics: A Deep Dive Into Teenage Yearning
Let's talk about the actual writing in one day by tate mcrae. The opening lines set the scene immediately: "Sometimes I think I look act and speak like a child." It's a bold way to start a song. She’s admitting to her own immaturity while simultaneously showing more self-awareness than most adults.
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The chorus is the real kicker. "One day, I'll be old enough to understand / Why I'm not the girl in the palm of your hand." It’s heartbreaking because it’s a lie we tell ourselves. We think that growing up will magically solve our emotional confusion. We think that "one day" we'll have all the answers. Spoiler alert: we don't. But at fourteen, that hope is a survival mechanism.
The song resonates because it tackles the universal experience of feeling invisible. Most of us have had that one person who we were convinced was our soulmate, while they barely noticed we changed our hair. Tate captured that specific sting without being overly dramatic or theatrical. It was quiet. It was small. And that made it huge.
Technical Nuances and Vocal Style
Musically, the song is simple. It’s built on a recurring four-chord progression that doesn't vary much. In music theory terms, it's not "innovative." But the vocal performance carries the weight. Tate uses a lot of vocal fry—that gravelly sound at the back of the throat—which adds a layer of weariness.
She also uses "enunciated phrasing," which some people love and others find polarizing. It’s that "indie-pop" accent where "day" sounds a bit like "de-ay." While some vocal coaches might cringe, it’s exactly what made the song stand out on a crowded playlist. It gave her a sonic identity before she even had a debut album.
What Most People Get Wrong About Tate's Early Success
A common misconception is that "one day" was her first attempt at music. In reality, she had been writing poems and snippets for years. Her mother was a dance teacher, and her father was in the military; she grew up in a disciplined environment where hard work was expected. That discipline translated into her songwriting.
Another mistake? Thinking the song is just for "kids." If you look at the comment section of the original video today, you'll see people in their 30s and 40s talking about how the song reminds them of their first heartbreak. It’s a nostalgic trigger. It taps into a feeling that doesn't have an expiration date.
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The Impact on the "Bedroom Pop" Movement
While artists like Cavetown and Conan Gray are often cited as the kings of bedroom pop, Tate McRae was a massive part of that wave. one day by tate mcrae proved that you didn't need a studio to have a hit. You just needed a story. This shifted the power dynamic in the music industry. It forced labels to look at YouTube and SoundCloud not just as "hobbyist" sites, but as legitimate scouting grounds.
Tate's success paved the way for other dancer-singers to be taken seriously as songwriters. She broke the "shut up and dance" stereotype. She showed that you could be a world-class athlete and a vulnerable poet at the same time.
Actionable Takeaways for New Listeners and Creators
If you’re just discovering Tate McRae through her newer, high-energy tracks, going back to "one day" is essential listening. It’s the origin story. It explains the vulnerability that still exists under the glossy production of her current hits.
For creators, the lesson is even clearer. Don't wait for the perfect gear. Don't wait for a producer. Tate wrote a multi-platinum song on a cheap ukulele in her bedroom. The "vibe" and the "truth" of a song will always trump the bit-rate or the microphone quality.
To truly appreciate the journey:
- Watch the original 2017 YouTube video first. Look at the comments from five years ago versus today.
- Listen to the "Finished" version on Spotify to see how a major label preserves the intimacy of a demo.
- Compare it to "Greedy" or "Exes" to see the evolution of her confidence. You can still hear the "one day" girl in the ad-libs and the phrasing.
Tate McRae isn't a one-hit-wonder or a TikTok fluke. She’s a songwriter who started with a simple "what if" and turned it into a career. "One day" wasn't just a title; it was a prophecy. She said she’d be someone, and she wasn't lying.