Music

Meet 3 new pop stars coming to Twin Cities in August

Jessie Murph, Tate McRae and Benson Boone have risen to the top in their early 20s.

By Jon Bream

The Minnesota Star Tribune

August 7, 2025 at 11:00AM

Benson Boone, who dazzles at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in July, kicks off his U.S. tour in St. Paul on Aug. 22. (Valentin Flauraud/The Associated Press)

Pop stardom happens fast these days.

TikTok fame. Massive Spotify streams. High-rotation radio airplay. Collabs with big names. TV appearances. Grammy nominations and performances. And, before you can say, “straight fire,” big-time headline tours.

It’s happening so fast for Jessie Murph, Tate McRae and Benson Boone.

Even though they are in their early 20s, they’ve put in the work to some degree (and worked with the right producers) and relocated from their obscure hometowns to Los Angeles. Now, each is headlining a big concert in the Twin Cities this month.

Let’s meet these rising new stars.

Jessie Murph

Jessie Murph will headline Friday at the Armory in Minneapolis. (Ashley Olahh)

Age: 20

Hometown: Athens, Ala.

Backstory: She sings about growing up with a broken father and becoming someone who trusts no one. Fed up with conservative Southern culture, the hip-hop loving country singer headed to Nashville, signed a record deal at 16 and hightailed it to California before being old enough to drink alcohol.

Sounds like: A woozy Amy Winehouse with Lil Wayne’s sizzurp-tainted voice.

What’s cool: With her bouffant hair evoking 1960s Priscilla Presley, she projects an eccentric mysteriousness with a buzzingly soulful voice for the ages on her just-released second album, “Sex Hysteria.”

Biggest hits: “Blue Strips”, “High Road” by Koe Wetzel featuring Murph.

Collabs: Diplo, Lil Baby, Maren Morris, Gucci Mane, Teddy Swims, Sexyy Red, Bailey Zimmerman, Jelly Roll.

Local gig: 8 p.m. Fri., the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $60 and up, ticketmaster.com.

Tate McRae

Tate McRae has a song, "Just Keep Watching," featured in the "F1: The Movie." (Beth Saravo )

Age: 22

Hometown: Calgary, Alberta.

Backstory: She knows she can dance. Trained since age 6, she started a YouTube channel of her dancing videos in 2011 and placed third on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2016. The next year the Canadian began adding original songs to her videos, which landed her a recording contract with RCA Records.

Sounds like: A trap-pop version of Britney Spears with lots of breathy Auto-Tuned vocals.

What’s cool: The natural performer still finds her sweet spot when dancing, whether with elaborate choreography in concert or slick moves in videos such as “Revolving Door.”

Biggest hits: “Greedy,” the chart-topping “What I Want” by Morgan Wallen featuring McRae.

Collabs: Tiesto, Khalid, Blackbear, Troye Sivan, the Kid Laroi, Morgan Wallen.

Local gig: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13, Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, $37-$500, ticketmaster.com.

Benson Boone

Benson Boone strikes a pose and promises that he'll bring "Beautiful Things" to St. Paul.

Age: 23

Hometown: Monroe, Wash.

Backstory: A member of the diving and tennis teams in high school, he dropped out of college and “American Idol,” and released some songs on TikTok that led to a record deal in 2021 with a label started by Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons.

Sounds like: A Harry Styles wannabe with Freddie Mercury’s expansive range, though without the operatic pretensions.

What’s cool: That throwback look with a chevron mustache, tousled hair and those six-pack abs — and the fact that Boone does back flips while singing. Really. Boone will open his American Heart World Tour in St. Paul.

Biggest hits: “Beautiful Things,” “Magical Mystical,” “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else.”

Collabs: Lana Del Rey, Claire Boone.

Local gig: 8 p.m. Aug. 22 Xcel Energy Center, 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, resale only, ticketmaster.com.

about the writer

Jon Bream

Critic / Reporter

Jon Bream has been a music critic at the Star Tribune since 1975, making him the longest tenured pop critic at a U.S. daily newspaper. He has attended more than 8,000 concerts and written four books (on Prince, Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan). Thus far, he has ignored readers’ suggestions that he take a music-appreciation class.