Tate McRae is (actually) so golden. When the musician closed out her set at Lollapalooza 2026 in Chicago, she did not simply wave goodbye and depart the stage—she took issues to the following degree of pop-star glamour and dunked nearly her whole physique in a glimmering metallic gold paint. And we’re not speaking physique shimmer or glitter, although McRae does typically channel a 2000s aesthetic in her efficiency seems to be. Nope! This was thick, drippy, molten gold, as if she was turning herself right into a statue onstage. (Cue the James Bond theme music!) McRae was fully coated within the metallic liquid from her neck downward, even her fingernails, and after seeing video footage of the massive show-stopping second, we had some questions—specifically, was this truly paint, and in that case, what form and the way lengthy did it take to take away?
So we reached to McRae’s make-up artist Kali Kennedy for solutions!
Based on Kennedy, it wasn’t paint in any respect—it was methyl cellulose, copper, and water combined right into a paint-like consistency. The product was truly made by Blair Adhesives, the identical of us who create the slime for the Nickelodeon Youngsters Alternative Awards, Kennedy explains, in order that they knew learn how to make a fabric that will shine onstage. Whereas Kennedy is not certain precisely how a lot of the liquid was used for the stage present, McRae’s group did use 135 gallons for the gold tub video proven within the Lollapalooza visuals; Kennedy estimates the stage gold tub was about half that measurement. Kennedy provides that McRae and her group had been speaking concerning the thought for months however weren’t certain they might pull it off, however they actually, actually did.
Surprisingly, there was “no actual pores and skin prep” concerned pre-gold dip, save for what Kennedy describes as a “wholesome coat” of physique moisturizer. Nonetheless, as quickly as McRae left the stage, there was a gaggle ready to right away wipe away the surplus product earlier than she hopped within the bathe. “Through the Lollapalooza gold tub I used to be hiding behind the staircase ready to scrub her off and her final choreo transfer despatched gold splatter backstage,” Kennedy shares. “I’m fairly certain it’s nonetheless in my hair.”
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