Tate McRae Reveals the ‘Number One’ Rule She Abides by to Protect Her ‘Creativity’ (Exclusive)

The “Sports Car” singer is Neutrogena’s new Global Ambassador for the 10-year anniversary of their Hydro Boost Water Gel

Tate McRae knows better than to Google herself.

As a self-proclaimed over-thinker, the pop star, 21, understands just how easy it is to get caught up in the opinions of others — which is why she tells PEOPLE her “rule number one” is to “never search yourself up on the internet.”

“All it does is literally just stunt your creativity. I think the worst place to write or create music from is a place of fear and judgment,” she says. “It’s human nature to go out and look for bad things, and see what you need to work on, and see what people don’t like about you. Honestly, I’ve just been like, ‘I need to get off my phone.’”

The “Sports Car” singer — who was recently named Neutrogena’s Global Ambassador for the 10-year anniversary of their Hydro Boost Water Gel — announced in November that her third album, So Close to What, is set for release on Feb. 21.