Tate McRae might be riding high right now, but her latest career move is already causing some serious internet whiplash.

At just 21, McRae is quickly cementing her place as one of Gen Z’s biggest pop powerhouses. With her album So Close to What debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and a major arena tour ahead, her rise has been nothing short of explosive. The singer’s extraordinary dance performances even earned her the nickname “the new Britney” among fans and critics alike.

 

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A post shared by TATE (@tatemcrae)

But now, amid all her wins, McRae’s latest announcement has the internet souring on her. Why? Because she’s teaming up with none other than country pop singer Morgan Wallen—and people have a lot of feelings about it.

Yep. The same Morgan Wallen who’s been caught up in multiple controversies over the past few years. Most infamously, he was recorded using the N-word in 2021, which resulted in widespread backlash, a temporary suspension from his label, and radio bans in over 400 stations. Add to that a couple of arrests (2020 and 2024, both for disorderly conduct), and you’ve got an artist with a very complicated public image.

 

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A post shared by Morgan Wallen (@morganwallen)

And while Wallen still has a massive fanbase—especially within country circles—his reputation in the broader entertainment world is, well, not great. Several artists have distanced themselves from him publicly. So, when a rising pop princess like McRae signs on for a collab with such a character, it’s no surprise the internet has some thoughts.

tate mcrae collabing with morgan wallen…… i’m actually so disappointed in her rn pic.twitter.com/L8VotEQSfJ

— 𝖗𝖔 𓆩♱𓆪 (@theroprint) April 15, 2025

tate mcrae’s team scrapping a collab with tyla and opting for a morgan wallen collab instead pic.twitter.com/UEv0IWjvNL

— alex ☆ (@byeitsalex) April 15, 2025

On 9 April 2025, Morgan Wallen casually confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that his upcoming song ‘What I Want’ would be a duet with a female artist—cue instant fan speculation.

Indeed sir https://t.co/bDhAMcKYhj

— morgan wallen (@MorganWallen) April 9, 2025

Then, on 15 April, McRae posted an orange football jersey to her Instagram Story, with a bold “T8” on the back. Subtle, right? But eagle-eyed fans noticed something else: Morgan’s “MW” logo tucked discreetly into the corner. That was pretty much taken as an informal confirmation.

tate mcrae collabing with morgan wallen….. it’s never been more over pic.twitter.com/2L4vOvVmeW

— mazzy (@mazzypopstar) April 15, 2025

Finally, on 16 April, Morgan made it official: Tate McRae is the featured artist on the track. And with that, the internet split in two.

 

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A post shared by Morgan Wallen (@morganwallen)

Within hours, social media lit up with reactions—most of them calling out McRae for teaming up with someone who’s still, for many, considered deeply problematic.

“So you’re telling me tate mcrae will throw away a Tyla feature, and a second Kid Laroi feature, but she’ll do a song with known racist and neo nazi Morgan Wallen???” one user tweeted.

so you’re telling me tate mcrae will throw away a tyla feature, and a second kid laroi feature, but she’ll do a song with known racist and neo nazi morgan wallen??? https://t.co/mT9DoplhS9 pic.twitter.com/YPfHLRlDKU

— dispencer ⸆⸉ (@tssoapdispencer) April 15, 2025

Others questioned why she’d risk her carefully crafted image and growing platform by associating herself with Wallen at all, especially when she’s been praised for being “the pop star who actually gets it.”

tate mcrae collabing with morgan wallen….. it’s never been more over pic.twitter.com/2L4vOvVmeW

— mazzy (@mazzypopstar) April 15, 2025

Still, others are calling it out as a tone-deaf move, given Tate’s position as a rising Gen Z star whose audience is largely young, progressive, and plugged into cultural accountability.

woke up frm my nap to see tate and morgan wallen collaborating. i’ll never defend that little maple syrup bitch again pic.twitter.com/dHyZBNpSyF

— mimiii ﾒ𝟶 (@2skinny4lunch) April 15, 2025