On October 14th, Jensen McRae returned to Irving Place in New York for the first time since October 2nd, 2025. This time, she’s the headliner. McRae is an up-and-coming folk artist known for her clever lyrics and covers on TikTok, recently covering “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean.Â
McRae first gained popularity when she released a Phoebe Bridgers-esque song about getting vaccinated. The song, titled “Immune”, blew up on Twitter, which led to its release. She has since amassed a following and has a song in a movie directed by Spike Lee. She is currently on her own headlining tour across the US.Â
Andee Cornelius, a college-aged singer-songwriter, opened for McRae. Along with her released songs, she played covers, such as “Everywhere, Everything” by Noah Kahan, and unreleased songs she has written. She revealed herself to be 18 in the middle of her set, to everyone’s dismay, considering her talent. Opening for McRae is the first time Cornelius has been on tour.Â
Jensen McRae and her band, including her brother Holden on keys, played for around 75 minutes to a sold-out crowd. McRae mostly played songs from her new album, “I Don’t Know How But They Found Me”, and a few songs from her older releases. McRae plays a new cover at every show.Â
New York had the pleasure of experiencing a cover of “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse and “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles. A woman next to me noted that McRae’s cover of “Back to Black” was the best cover of the song she had ever heard. To the audience’s surprise, McRae also brought out a friend of hers, Maisie Peters, to sing “Mother Wound” with her, as the song is Maisie’s favorite. Peters strayed from the original and wrote her own verse.Â
Jensen McRae’s strong lower register can put an audience into a trance. She engages with fans, and you can feel (and hear) her fans resonating with her lyrics. Her authenticity and beautiful songwriting will get her far.