On Friday, Nov. 21, McRae released a new album titled “SO CLOSE TO WHAT??? (deluxe).” Many were highly anticipating this album as they wanted to see what McRae could produce after her single “Just Keep Watching,” was featured in the Formula 1 movie.
This feature earned her a Grammy nomination, one of her first recognitions on a global stage. This deluxe version was set to include 16 rereleased songs, one of her singles, and four brand new songs. When it debuted, the album was able to climb the Spotify US charts to the top five, with three songs reaching the top 20.
McRae’s previously released songs, influenced by her relationships with Cole Sillinger and The Kid Laroi, had an upbeat tone and expressed love toward these individuals. As expected, the new songs showed the downsides of these breakups, portraying emotions including sadness and anger. Fans presume that the intensity of these harsh feelings explains why the breakup songs are the only fully capitalized tracks on the album. In addition, instead of appearing at the end of the record, the new songs come at the beginning, suggesting that McRae’s feelings of heartbreak are now overshadowing the ones of love.
The first song on the album, “TRYING ON SHOES” is centered around trying to change for someone to become whatever they want. McRae compares changing her personality to trying on different costumes in order to save her relationships. This song comes deep from the heart, and sets a vulnerable tone for the unreleased tracks that are yet to come.
Track two on the album is titled “ANYTHING BUT LOVE,” and was by far the most anticipated song on the album. This song was leaked earlier this year, and the snippet circulated around many social media platforms rapidly. Now, the song is officially out, with listeners being able to listen to the full, released version.
The third track “NOBODY’S GIRL,” debuted as the most popular of the unreleased songs, with almost 3.4 million streams worldwide on the day of release, placing it at #8 on the global charts. Along with the official song, McRae released a music video of this song, showing her intent to make this the centerpiece of the album. As the track title suggests, this song discusses the importance of independence after a breakup, and refusal to be defined by someone else.
The final unreleased song on the album is track four, “HORSESHOE.” It discusses the pressure of having to perform perfectly for the public eye while dealing with heartbreak and continuous pain. This most likely references the pressure McRae feels due to the “Miss Possessive” tour, which spanned March to November of 2025, with a total of 83 shows.
“TIT FOR TAT” is next up on the queue for this album. This is the only single featured on the deluxe, and is the most popular in both the new and original tracks. Since its release in September, this single was able to reach all-time numbers on US and Global Charts, reaching #1 on Spotify US and #5 globally, with over 4.3 million streams worldwide in one day.
With the release of this deluxe, many previously released songs were repopularized, growing in their streams as listeners revisited McRae’s discography. Tracks like “Sports car” rose on streaming charts as fans re-engaged with her work.
Overall, “SO CLOSE TO WHAT??? (deluxe)” not only illustrates the heartbreak McRae felt throughout the past year, but it also displays her range of artistic and vocal abilities. In combination with her Grammy nomination, rising chart placements, and other various awards, this album solidifies the young artist’s position in the pop music industry.
