Pushing prams and pulling strings: Tate McRae’s housewife fantasy
Written by Francesca O’Callaghan
Credit: Single cover for ‘Housewife’ by Tate McRae
Tate McRae is no stranger to reinvention. The Canadian pop superstar has spent the last few years transforming herself from the heartbroken girl behind ‘you broke me first’ into a confident, unapologetic pop sensation.
Following the success of her 2025 album, So Close to What, and the huge Miss Possessive Tour, McRae is back with her new single, ‘Housewife’. Money, mansions and a little bit of mischief. What more could a girl want?
The single’s artwork sees McRae sporting a red bikini and sunglasses, pushing a pram filled with dollar bills against a backdrop of luxury. Subtle? Not particularly.
In the accompanying music video, she struts and dances through a lavish French estate, lounges aboard private yachts and embraces a lifestyle that screams old money, except this time, she is the one paying for it.
As she declares, “I just wanna make a lot of money, be my own housewife.”
There is something almost reminiscent of Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Naomi Lapaglia in The Wolf of Wall Street, with McRae leaning into the glamour, excess and unapologetic femininity of the character. Yet beneath the designer sunglasses and champagne-soaked fantasy lies a more interesting message. This is a woman who can play the role of the traditional housewife without surrendering her independence, everything is on her terms.
Spotted reading Colette’s 1910 novel La Vagabonde beside the pool, she offers a rather clever nod to a story centred on a woman who rejects wealthy marriage and societal expectations in favour of her artistic career and personal freedom. It is an unexpected detail in a video filled with luxury, but one that gives the extravagance a little more substance.
Speaking to PEOPLE at the launch of her perfume, Tate 01, McRae described the song as exploring “the wild side of being a woman,” explaining that she wanted to convey the freedom to play any role she wanted, regardless of what the industry or relationships might project onto her.
Meanwhile, during her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she teased the track as being about “a woman who can’t be contained.”
Musically, however, ‘Housewife’ takes a slightly different route from the heavier, trap-influenced R&B-pop that has coloured much of her recent work. Its slower speak-sung delivery, which enables the words to glide over the beat instead of having dramatic vocals, leans towards a more timeless pop sound, rather than a club single.
But is it enough?
As an avid Tatertot, I went into ‘Housewife’ with rather high expectations. McRae has built her reputation on sharp pop instincts, infectious hooks and vocals that can turn from breathy whispers into something more exciting. As seen in her latest album, so close to what, we got to witness a more confident, mature, and a different, more sexy side of McRae that we haven’t seen before.
‘Housewife’ feels like another step into that world, but I cannot help feeling that something is missing. The Tatiana persona–the playful, provocative alter ego that seems to take over whenever McRae embraces her more daring side–is great and I love the perspective it gives us.
Yet I miss the dramatic sounds, the conversations and the vocal moments that filled her earlier EPs and albums. The personality is there. The spectacle is there. I just wanted more from the music itself.
‘Housewife’ arrives at a moment when her glamour is now in the spotlight, released ahead her performance at the 2026 Victoria Secret Fashion Show this week. The single continues to build a world around her—one where femininity is a performance she controls, independence is the ultimate luxury, and being underestimated is simply another opportunity to surprise us.
A mansion of a concept, a wardrobe to envy, and a popstar who knows exactly who she wants to be. I just wish the music had paid the rent.
Rating 3/5