24kGoldn, Tate McRae, and MUNA break down their pre-show rituals and favorite songs to perform live

Tate McRae had "only done about five singing performances" before the pandemic, she told Insider last weekend at New York City's Governors Ball Music Festival.

McRae originally rose to fame as a competitor on "So You Think You Can Dance?" in 2016. She later gained attention as a singer and songwriter when she spontaneously posted an original song on her YouTube channel, titled "One Day."

"You Broke Me First" became McRae's breakout hit last year, cracking the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and racking up over one billion streams across platforms.

"I'm in disbelief a lot that people are gonna know any of my songs, and then it really, genuinely does shock me when I get onstage and they know the words," she added.

"The energy has been magical," McRae continued. "Nothing can really live up to a festival. Half of the people out there don't even know your music. They're just there to have a good time."

McRae, who's set to open for Shawn Mendes on his 2022 "Wonder" tour, is currently working on her official debut album. She described the content as "super personal."

"I just went through a messy phase in my life and I've got so much shit to write about," she said. "I want it to feel like people are watching a movie through my songs."

Pre-show ritual: "I do my vocal warm-ups, I drink way too much water — and then I always have to go to the washroom like a million times. And then me and the dancers basically just like, shake and get everything out."

Favorite song to sing live: "'You Broke Me First.' It honestly just fills me up so much when I can look down at people and they shout back lyrics that are literally just my life. It's a surreal feeling."

24kGoldn, whose real name is Golden Landis Von Jones, is fresh off the release of his debut studio album, "El Dorado."

The eclectic 13-song tracklist included one of 2020's biggest hits, "Mood" featuring Iann Dior, which spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The young star has yet to turn 21, which will happen in November during his "El Dorado" tour. The following day, he'll perform at Day N Vegas music festival, billed just below artists like Tyler, the Creator, SZA, and Lil Uzi Vert.

"It feels like I'm back into my purpose," he said of returning to the stage. "When I think back to when I first started making music, why I wanted to make music, it wasn't to fuckin' be in my house doing Zoom interviews all day."

"It was to make art that I thought was dope, that helped me express myself in ways that words alone couldn't, and to perform it for the world," he continued. "I went from performing for a couple hundred people, and maybe 10 of them, 20 of them knowing my lyrics, to doing shows with thousands and thousands of people and they're all singing the words."

"That feeling, I don't think there's anything — no drug, no type of love, nothing that compares to that."

Pre-show ritual: "I'm a salesman at heart, a marketing phenom. When I go out there, I'm thinking about, 'How can I perform in a way that's going to authentically show myself?'"

Favorite song to play live: "'City of Angels.' One thousand percent. As soon as the guitar comes in, everyone knows what it is, and it's one of those songs that means something to people."

MUNA — comprised of vocalist Katie Gavin and guitarists Naomi McPherson and Josette Maskin — are known for making moody indie-rock with streaks of escapist pop.

Their sophomore album, 2019's "Saves the World," was met with critical acclaim and praised by Rolling Stone for its "frightening level of emotional intelligence."

MUNA opened their Gov Ball set with the album's lead single "Number One Fan," a tongue-in-cheek self-love anthem, and closed with "I Know a Place," the breakout fan-favorite from their 2017 debut.

Maskin described the latter as "the thesis statement of us, as a band," adding, "We think about setlists almost like albums. You want it to have an arc."

"That show was a little crazy! We were shocked, actually," Gavin said of their Gov Ball performance. "It's not just about numbers. It's the fact that MUNA fans will be screaming every lyric, even of the bridge or the outro of a song. There's not a part that they don't know."

"When we play to people and it's like, anywhere you look, you can see someone who's singing back to you — it just gets me every time," she continued. "It's an evergreen surprise."

The song met with the most enthusiasm was the band's newest release "Silk Chiffon," which Gavin dedicated to "the gays." The unusually bright, widely-praised single features Phoebe Bridgers, who made a surprise cameo to deliver the duet.

MUNA recently signed to Bridgers' label, Saddest Factory Records, and joined the Grammy nominee on the road for her "Punisher" tour.

Of their third album, the band said simply: "We are in the process of working on it."

Pre-show ritual: "We'll make up little chants to do together," McPherson said, though Gavin interjected to describe them as "sacred and secret."

"It's usually very stupid," Maskin added with a laugh.

Favorite song to play live: "I like 'Stayaway,'" McPherson said. "But it changes. Sometimes you have a song that was hard to record, and then you get a kick out of playing it live. Songs get new lives when you take them on the road."