Tate McRae on songwriting without self-criticism and dealing with perfectionism

Speaking about the “i need a minute” lyric in her song “revolving door” Tate McRae says, “This was very subconscious songwriting,” and writing this lyric was what her subconscious felt as she was finishing the album, dealing with perfectionism and overthinking. 

As a songwriter, we can often place harsh and critical judgements on ourselves during the writing process. During the process we are bound to write and say some silly things but it is important not to judge yourself too harshly when this happens. Sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves to create songs and stories that are authentic, meaningful, relatable, smart and this can cause us to overthink.

Letting ourselves live in the moment and create what we feel in the moment is important as songwriters, especially in a field where we can get in our heads and tend to overthink every lyric and decision.

Letting yourself write from your subconscious instead of your conscious lets you remove the filter of writing the “perfect song or lyric” and lets yourself process your emotions without judgement.

Songwriting as a tool to process emotions  

Tate McRae mentions the importance of using songwriting as a tool to process emotions and get feelings off of your chest.

Sometimes you need to go into writing a song with the intention of writing  to heal and process emotions as opposed to the intention to create a perfect outcome.

As Tate said when writing “nostalgia”, sometimes she needed to go into the studio with the intention of creating something healing and therapeutic as opposed to going in with the international to create a dance song for example.

As humans, our emotions change everyday, and giving ourselves safe spaces to process these emotions through songwriting is extremely important. 

Tate McRae on dealing with perfectionism as a songwriter

In the discussion, Tate touched on the challenges of being a perfectionist and how to know when a song is done.

She says “When you’re in a state of constantly creating, it can feel like the painting is never finished.” She often ends up rewriting songs many, many times.  In the end what has helped her decide the song is finished is giving herself a deadline the song needs to finish by and also accepting that changing the song too much can cause it to lose the original, initial authenticity it had.

It is important to find a balance between giving yourself patience and time to process and write but also decide when to move on.

On the beauty of songwriting

When we write a song, we are learning about ourselves, forming our identity, and telling our life stories.

Songwriting is our therapy in some ways, and letting our songs be true to what we are feeling in the moment and in that time of our lives can feel vulnerable.

As Tate says, “ a beautiful thing to witness when you are writing is that you’re just documenting every single part of your life in real time.”

Our songs are basically a time capsule of how we are feeling in many moments of our lives and it is amazing how we can document these moments, emotions, and experience so vividly through music and look back at how far we have come.

Tate McRae on finding and trusting your own voice when collaborating

Having started participating in songwriting sessions when she was 16 years old, Tate talked about how initially when she was in writing sessions she would freeze up, feeling like everyone else in the room were better writers than her and she had trouble finding her place in the room.

However, she mentions that “over time she learned to trust herself and trust her perspective.”

She also explains that there is a certain energy and alignment that needs to be found when collaborating with people and sometimes people might inspire your writing flow while others may disrupt it.

It will take time to find people you work with and who you feel understand you and as you are finding these people, you will learn along the way who you want in your circle, how you work best, and what types of creative environments inspire you.

Ultimately, viewing writing sessions as a learning and creative experience where everyone is working together and creatively contributing to this creative work can take off pressure. It also can help shift the mindset of writing sessions being a daunting experience.

On our songwriting and experiences constantly evolving

In the end, songwriting is not just about chasing perfection or writing the next hit — it’s about embracing imperfection, vulnerability, and growth.

When we release self-criticism and allow our subconscious to guide us, we open the door to authenticity and healing.

By trusting our voice, finding the right collaborators, and giving ourselves permission to simply create, we rediscover the joys of songwriting —  as a tool for lifelong process of expression, discovery, and connection.