Singing in front of thousands of people? No problem. Singing in front of your significant other? Apparently, that’s a different story.
On Wednesday, February 25, Tate McRae stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she opened up about what it was like collaborating with her boyfriend, The Kid LAROI, on their song “I Know Love.”
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“It was a little nerve-wracking,” the 21-year-old Canadian singer told host Fallon. “I mean, the first time we ever sang in front of each other was actually at my [Madison Square Garden] show last year.”
Turns out, they’d spent plenty of time “fake” singing around each other, but never actually went for it. Even during soundcheck, they stalled. “We were sitting in soundcheck like, ‘Are you going to sing first?’” McRae laughed.
When it finally came time to record their duet, the So You Think You Can Dance star said it was the same awkward situation all over again — except this time, she had one specific request for LAROI, 21. “I was just like, ‘Can you, like, not listen?’” McRae admitted.
The “You Broke Me First” singer previously spoke about the experience at her So Close to What album listening event with Spotify on Tuesday, February 18. “It was a really funny process, because me and LAROI have never really taken each other seriously,” she said, according to Billboard. “You know when you’re in a relationship and you sing around each other, but you don’t really, like, sing? So it was a little stressful being in the studio singing and writing in front of him, but it was a cool experience to watch him in his process.”
McRae and the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter sparked dating rumors in early 2024 after being spotted together multiple times. In April, LAROI appeared to confirm their relationship during a concert at 3Arena in Dublin, telling the crowd, “I need everybody in here to sing this as loud as they can because my girlfriend’s here tonight, and I don’t want to look lame.” Fan footage captured McRae watching from backstage, laughing as he continued, “So, if you guys don’t sing this as loud as you can then I’m gonna look really lame and it’s going to embarrass me.”
Fast forward a few months later, LAROI made their relationship Instagram official with a birthday tribute to his sweetheart, posting a photo of them kissing. “Happy 21st birthday 
,” he wrote in July 2024. “You make me better! I love yoooouuu @tatemcrae.”
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