Tate McRae has received her first Grammy nomination — though not for what many fans might have expected.
On Friday morning, McRae earned a nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording for Just Keep Watching from the movie F1, starring Brad Pitt. Sharing her excitement on Instagram Stories later that day, the singer wrote: “Grammy nominated!!!!!! Thank u!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @recordingacademy.” The track also earned her MTV VMA wins in September for Song of the Summer and Best Editing.
She will compete at the 2026 Grammy Awards alongside Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco for Bluest Flame, Lady Gaga for Abracadabra, Zara Larsson for Midnight Sun, and PinkPantheress for Illegal.
The nomination has come as a surprise, not due to the track itself, but because her third studio album, So Close to What, was entirely shut out this year. The album, released on 21 February, is her most successful to date, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It features singles including Revolving Door, It’s OK I’m OK, and Sports Car, and was promoted with notable performances on Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and the VMAs.
Some fans may have expected her to receive a Best New Artist nod, but McRae was ineligible for the category, having already been submitted three times, which is the maximum allowed.
The Canadian singer is currently concluding her So Close to What world tour, which began on 18 March in Mexico City and spans 81 shows. The tour is set to finish on Saturday, 8 November, in Inglewood, California. The setlist includes her most recent single, Tit for Tat, widely rumoured to be inspired by a recent breakup.