Tate McRae and Morgan Wallen have shared a new ballad called ‘What I Want’. Check it out below.
It is part of the new album from Wallen, ‘I’m The Problem, ‘ which features 37 songs and collaborations with the likes of Post Malone, ERNEST and Eric Church. It was released today (May 16)
News of him joining forces with Tate McRae was hinted at in recent weeks, although it led to backlash from the pop star’s fans, who criticised her decision to work with him despite his past controversial actions and remarks.
Despite that, the two have now unveiled the song as an emotional ballad titled ‘What I Want’. It blends their two signature sounds together, and sees them explore relationships between two broken people.
“She said, ‘You don’t want this heart, boy, it’s already broke’/ Told me everything she touch just goes up in smoke/ Only stay a couple nights, then she gon’ be gone/ I said, ‘Baby, you should know that’s what I want’,” Wallen sings in the opening verse, before the two come together for the same lyrics at the end of the song.
Check it out below.
Tate McRae first got people talking about the collaboration in April, when she posed with an orange jersey that had Wallen’s initials on it, hinting that she may be on the tracklist for his new album.
Mixed responses about the collaboration arose due to Wallen’s controversial behaviour over the years. In 2021, he was caught on camera shouting a racial slur, and then brushed it off as intended to be “playful” and not said “in any derogatory manner.”
Two years later, he was arrested for throwing a chair off a rooftop bar in Nashville, and just two months ago, he sparked backlash after abruptly exiting the stage during the ending credits of SNL – then dropped some new merchandise making light of the moment.
“Tate McRae, when we said we wanted more collabs we meant with Olivia Rodrigo & that finished Tyla scrap, NOT m*rgan w*llen,” one fan wrote on social media last month, while another added: “I knew in my soul not to jump on the tate mcrae bandwagon”.
Speaking about the album, Wallen said (via Rolling Stone): “We recorded around 50 songs for this album and ended up cutting 13. I feel like we accomplished what I had in mind, and a huge shoutout to my close collaborators on this too. They came in ready and fired up every single day, and they inspire me as much as anything else.”
In support of the album, Wallen will embark on a new tour across North America, with dates kicking off on June 20 in Houston, Texas. Supporting him throughout the upcoming shows will be Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Gavin Adcock, Corey Kent, Koe Wetzel, Ella Langley, and Anne Wilson.
More McRae, her latest album ‘So Close To What’ was given a four star-review from NME, and praised as honing in on a “fresh, club-ready beats with nods to glossy floor fillers from the flip phone era”.
“The result is a rock-solid collection of bops that gives McRae space to grow in the future,” it read. “She’s great at sultry and self-confident moments, but ‘So Close To What’ proves she has other shades in her colour palette.”
