Tate McRae felt "misunderstood" as a teenager.

The 21-year-old pop star's career ambitions "kept shifting" throughout her teenage years, and Tate has recalled feeling misunderstood at the time.

The 'Greedy' hitmaker told Paper magazine: "My idea of the future kept shifting.

"Around 15, I started getting really into pop culture and wanted to be a back-up dancer. And somewhere between 14 and 16, I just felt so misunderstood. That's when I started writing every day. It became my lifeline."

Tate feels that fame and success could easily have a detrimental impact on her music - but she won't allow that to happen.

The singer said: "Creating and making art while seeing yourself so much on the internet is really confusing. It can interrupt the flow of creating your best work."

Tate has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent years, but she doesn't take her success for granted.

The pop star - who released her debut album, 'I Used to Think I Could Fly', in 2022 - explained: "Sometimes I walk into rehearsal and get full-body chills. Just knowing I'm going to perform for that many people ... it feels like my biggest dream has come to fruition."

Tate previously described herself as a "very goal-driven person".

The singer still has lots of ambitions to achieve, and Tate claimed she's "really good at manifesting".

She told Pride: "I always have things that I'm setting my sights on. I'm a very goal-driven person. Sometimes, I think I'm a little clairvoyant. I'm really good at manifesting!

"I would die to perform at the MTV VMA's. That's something I've watched all my idols do for so many years. For some reason, that specific performance is something I've always wanted.

"My ideal performance is a perfect balance of dance, outfit, singing, and musical arrangement. When they're all balanced perfectly, that's my ideal performance."

Tate also confessed to being amazed by her recent rise.

She said: "I can't believe this is my job.

"Four years ago, I played my first ever show at The Moroccan Lounge in front of 100 people in Los Angeles. It was the size of a shoebox, like it's so small. I could see my grandma, my mom, and everybody that I knew. Now, we're performing three nights at the Kia Forum. It's the biggest dream of my life. It's insane!"