Housewife: Tate McRae brings Canadian pop to the shores of the Mediterranean
Tate McRae is back with Housewife, her new single released on 15 October: a pop track that follows the style we're used to hearing from the singer, accompanied by a Mediterranean-inspired aesthetic.
As always, some people enjoy this kind of music, while others may not relate to the artistic choices of the Canadian singer. One thing, however, has to be acknowledged: Housewife has all the characteristics of a radio-friendly single. It's instantly appealing, catchy and manages to capture the listener's attention.
Beyond its musical elements, it's interesting to take a closer look at the meaning of the song. The title might suggest a reference to the traditional female domestic role. In reality, Tate McRae plays with this very concept, turning its meaning upside down. Her idea of a housewife is not that of a woman who depends financially on her partner or takes care of the household for someone else. On the contrary, it's a woman who wants to make a lot of money, establish her independence and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, without having to give up the freedom to choose how to spend her time.
It's a deliberately extreme, almost provocative image, but this is precisely where the interesting aspect of the song lies. The message is not so much about the desire not to work, but rather about the freedom to decide how to live. If we want to work, we can. If we want to dedicate ourselves to something else instead, we can choose that path too. In Tate's song, a partner is not a necessity, but a choice.
The concept behind the song is deliberately exaggerated, luxurious and centered around money, but it conveys independence, something fundamental in every woman's life. Regardless of personal taste, Housewife achieves what it sets out to do.
Tate McRae's Housewife: a Mediterranean aesthetic
There is another element worth paying attention to: the music video's aesthetic, which draws on the Mediterranean summer. Tate is among a huge number of international artists embracing Mediterranean-inspired aesthetics and bringing elements of its atmosphere and lifestyle into pop culture internationally, particularly within the anglophone music scene.
Directed by Pierre-Ange Carlotti, the video was filmed in the south of France, among the landscapes of the French Riviera and the Mediterranean. It is perhaps a more luxurious and tourist-oriented version of the Mediterranean than the one we locals experience, filled with enormous villas, gardens, swimming pools and yachts. An almost exaggerated image, representing one of the many sides of a region we know well and which also has to deal with some of the issues associated with overtourism.
Beyond the luxury and the most popular tourist destinations, however, the Mediterranean retains a charm that goes far beyond luxury and wealth: its history, landscapes and beauty continue to attract people from all over the world. And this too is the Mediterranean we call home: a place where sunshine, freedom, history and nature are the defining elements.
You can listen to the song and watch its music video below:
