Tate McRae vs. ETHAN | Head 2 Head

In the fifth edition of Head 2 Head (2025), Tate McRae and ETHAN contend for the best rendition of “Sports Car.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians performing the same song and compare their performances.  After deliberation, we decide which performance is the best or moves us more subjectively.  In the fifth edition of Head 2 Head (2025), Tate McRae and ETHAN contend for the best rendition of “Tate McRae”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. Tate McRae, “Sports Car”

So Close To What // RCA // 2025

“Where’d you put those keys? / We can share one seat.” Hmm, wonder what Tate McRae is getting at on “Sports Car”?  No deep analysis is necessary – she’s being naughty! “Sports Car” is the third single and seventh track from her third studio album, So Close To What.  McRae, Julia Michaels, and producers Ryan Tedder and Grant penned “Sports Car.” It features mammoth drums and some whacky synths.  The sound is clubby with its hip-hop-infused pop vibes. McRae does a little bit of everything vocally – breathy vocals, ‘falsetto,’ and sexy whispers.  The keyword is ‘sexy’ as the big takeaway from “Sports Car” is naughtiness – sexual endeavors. “In the alley, in the back / In the center of this room / With the windows rolled down / Boy, don’t make me choose,” she sings in the pre-chorus regarding ‘where’ it ‘goes down.’

The crowning achievement is the chorus:

“I think you know what this is

I think you wanna uh

No, you ain’t got no Mrs.

Oh, but you got a sports car

We can uh-uh in it

While you drive it real far

Yeah, you know what this is

Yeah, you know what this is.”

Oh, the innuendo! “Sports Car” is a ‘thrill.’ McRae is having fun with him on this fun and titillating pop banger.

2. ETHAN, “SPORTS CAR”

“SPORTS CAR” // ETHAN // 2025

“I’m goin’ weak in my knees / Where’d you put those keys?” Oh, snap! “I’m such a big T8 [Tate McRae] stan it’s not funny,” ETHAN (Ethan Choryin Luo) asserts. On Valentine’s Day 2025, he covered McRae’s infectious banger, “SPORTS CAR”.

The hunky ETHAN ‘eats!’ on “SPORTS CAR.” The key is lowered slightly compared to the original. He sounds superb over the sleek modern pop production, particularly those mammoth drums.  He matches the sexy vibes that McRae brings to the original. I adore his falsetto during the pre-chorus. His most playful vocals occur during the centerpiece, the chorus.  Here, he talk-sings, selling the innuendo like a champ! Like the original, in the second chorus, we get the combination of talk-singing, as well as Choryin Luo’s sweet, pitched pipes. The bridge is energetic… and titillating (“Let’s go ride”). This self-described T8 stan clearly understood the assignment on this utterly fabulous cover. Vroom, vroom !!!

Appears in :

• ETHAN, SPORTS CAR: Covers No. 5 (2025)

The Verdict  

So, who delivered the sexual innuendo the best on the pop bop “Sports Car?” Is it the superb original by Tate McRae or the banging cover by ETHAN?  Perhaps had McRae not ‘ate’ as much as she did, you could mistake ETHAN’s cover as the original version of the song.  However, by my estimations, “Sports Car” is one of McRae’s best songs to date. It’s well produced, she brings ample personality to the performance, and it’s fun.  ETHAN gives his all too, and he’s enticing to the ears… and eyes. But, Tate wins this one.

Tate McRae vs. ETHAN: Head 2 Head No. 5 (2025) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; ETHAN, RCA; Israel Torres, KoolShooters, Los Muertos Crew, RDNE Stock project, Thomas Ronveaux from Pexels]