The Kid Laroi Praises Tate McRae as the ‘Hardest Working Artist’

Adam Kargenian

First, there is the coolness of his name: “Laroi” honors the Kamilaroi people, the indigenous Aboriginal nation from which he descends. And it gets better from there.

The 21-year-old rapper—and singer and songwriter—is dating Tate McRae, has new music coming that you’ll be listening to all summer, and doesn’t forget his roots: A hardscrabble upbringing in Sydney, his devoted mother, and a dream realized through hard work, mix tapes, and talent. Oh, and he smiled for almost every second of this interview.

Let’s start with the woman who’s probably most important person in your life: your mother. What’s the most valuable lesson she’s ever taught you?

You can do whatever you want to do, as long as you put your mind to it. And it sounds pretty cliché, but I really do believe that. Me believing that as a kid, even if it was semi-delusional, helped me do this. It’s pretty crazy as a kid to believe, I’m gonna be a big musician one day! That’s a bit of a delusional thought. But there’s something about that thought, when you really believe that and come into it, and it was instilled in me by my mum 100 percent.

You’ve met and worked with some incredible women in music. Is there one who has imparted some wisdom to you?

Definitely my girlfriend. She’s the hardest working artist I’ve ever met in my entire life. And I don’t say that because she’s my girlfriend. Seeing how hard she works inspires and encourages me to follow along and do the same. There’s something really, really motivating about that—and really attractive as well.

Adam Kargenian

Is there, is there a female singer—not your girlfriend—who has your respect as someone you'd love to work with?

I think Ariana Grande is awesome on a pure, creative level. I love her music, I love her new album. I kind of love everything that she does. Like, she’s got it.

What’s something women do that’s just baffling?

My girlfriend can never decide what she wants to eat. What do you want to eat? Oh, I don’t know. Up to you. Okay, how about this? No.

What’s the best way to tell a woman you’re sorry?

The obvious is to just say it. Which means dropping the pride—that’s a big one. The biggest thing I’m learning is that it’s not about who’s right or wrong, because emotions are sometimes not logical. I think just understanding that feelings exist whether they’re logical or not. But I’m also a big flower guy.

Is there something she does that just makes you melt?

That’s easy. Every time she smiles, it makes me weak.

Michael Comninus/Esquire Australia

And to reciprocate? Do you do any cooking, say?

I love to cook. I’m actually supposed to cook tonight. Chicken piccata. That’s the request. So I’ll do the whole thing—roasted vegetables, a little salad. I make everything, but sometimes I do get a salad from the store and put it in a bowl and make it look nice.

And while you’re serving this fantastic dinner, is there music?

Erykah Badu. That’s good, chill music. I like a chill, good vibe around the house. I inherited that from my mum.

Let’s say you have a wide-open Saturday night—are you at a club or a hot dinner spot, dancing until the wee hours? Or is it, “Let’s just microwave some popcorn and put on a show?”

We’re homebodies. Sometimes it’s nice to go out and do stuff like that, but most times, we’ll just be like, “Yo, should we go out for dinner? Let’s just order something. Let’s make something. Let’s watch something.” The new Black Mirror just came out, so we’ve been watching that. The new Love on the Spectrum. That’s one of the best shows ever—Connor is, like, my favorite person of all time.

Style is important to you. Is your girlfriend giving you any guidance there?

I like to think I have okay style. I definitely always ask my girlfriend for opinions. My friend Dev is like, probably one of the freshest people I know, so I ask him for advice. But I think over the years I've definitely got a lot better with my personal style. I think I figured out what I look good in and what I don't. I went through a phase when I just wanted to buy designer, with the biggest logos you could see. Once I got over that, I started figuring out what fits me a little better, what I look better in. I’m getting pretty dialed in.

A version of this story appears in the Summer 2025 issue of ELLE.

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