This story is part of the 2025 TIME100 Next . Read Dakota Johnson’s tribute to Tate McRae here .

For Tate McRae, an average night in 2025 means performing to tens of thousands of screaming fans in arenas around the world. Flanked by dancers, the 22-year-old Calgary native undulates across the stage as blinding lights strobe in time with thundering power-pop beats—whipping her waist-length hair, twisting her form into impossible shapes—while she commands the stage with the intensity of a seasoned pop veteran.

But when the lights go down and she finally closes her eyes, the scenes that follow are far less glamorous. McRae says she doesn’t dream, she only has nightmares. And they’re not about missing cues onstage or losing her voice. Instead, McRae says that when she sleeps, her subcons

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