Following her global super-smash hit single, ‘All About That Bass’, Meghan Trainor returned to the limelight early 2015 with the release of her second single, ‘Lips Are Movin’.
With an unmistakable sound, this track is another tasty slice of her unique contemporary take on doo-wop influenced pop.
While the song may be caked in Meghan’s sunny feel-good sentiment, the underlying theme is once again close to many a girl’s heart – calling out promiscuous, unfaithful men.
Late January also saw the release of her debut album ‘Title’ – one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2015. It looks like the bubbly American songstress is set to cement her position as the most exciting new pop star on the planet.
Journalist, Jessica Fogarty, finds out how, in less than a year, Megan Trainor has gone from being a successful, but relatively unknown songwriter, to being a Grammy nominated global star…
At just 21 years old, you must be so proud of your achievements?
For the rest of my life, I’ll be introduced as ‘Grammy nominated Meghan Trainor’. That’s fricking epic.
What has been the biggest highlight of the past year?
I just had a new one! My birthday was everything. I had an arena of 20,000 people sing Happy Birthday to me ‘cause of Nick Jonas. Who I’m like, the biggest fan of.
You’ve also had artists like Beyoncé saying that they’re fans of your music.
Yeah, that, that was huge for me!
And Michael Buble did a cover of ‘All About That Bass’ on Instagram. How did you feel about that?
I’m obsessed with him. One of my goals in life, like off my bucket list, is make sure Michael Buble knows I exist and like the fact that he sang my song I died. I saw it on Instagram and I was just, I remember I was lying in bed and I just got up and was like ‘MUM did you see it?’ she was like ‘I SAW IT, I SAW IT!’. I’ve been to like five concerts maybe, and his was one and I cried. I was like ‘oh he’s so good on track, he’s probably terrible live’. And he was better live. He’s so funny.
‘All About That Bass’ has become a global hit and was #1 here for 4 weeks. Did you have a bit of an inkling that it was going be so successful when you were writing it?
We did ‘All About That Bass’ and we shelved it. I was like ‘cool song, whatever. No one’s gonna hear this. No pop star can sing this ‘cause they’re all fricking size zero’s and no one can rap and sing’. So the fact that this was probably my biggest song of life, it was one of those, I had no clue. And what you hear today is what the demo is. No auto tune or nothing, I walked out of the studio and that’s what I heard and that’s what plays every day.
Have you been out anywhere and heard your song playing?
Yeah, it’s weird. I was home on my island and I went to a sushi place. I walk in and ‘Lips Are Movin’ is playing and five minutes later ‘Bass’ plays, and then ‘Lips’ plays again. And I was just like ‘damn I’m famous. Like it’s real’.
Do you remember where you were the first time you heard your song on the radio?
Yeah, ‘All About That Bass’. I was with my producer we were in Nashville. And I was just balling not because it was the first time, but ‘cause it sounded good! And I was like ‘Ah I thought it as gonna sound so bad on the radio, ‘cause distortion but it sounded great!
What’s your favourite track from your debut album ‘Title’?
It changes every day, but today it’s ‘Bang Dem Sticks’.
How excited are you to have a duet with John Legend on the album?
I produced that! I was very proud of myself and I was like ‘I need one song on here that I’ve produced because I’m been a producer since 13, give me somethin’! And yeah, I got a lot of crap for putting like ‘Bang Dem Sticks’ and ‘3am’ on there because they’re like, ‘it’s not Doo Wop’ and I was like I don’t care! I’m a songwriter, and these are my favourite songs and I’m a fan of this so I’m gonna put this out.
My management manages John Legend so I sent them the song with just my vocals on it and they played it for him without telling me and he said I would love to be a part of that. I was like ‘oh who? John? Sure, fine, let him have it’.
The album was also co-written and produced by Kevin Kadish, who has some amazing songs in his back catalogue. ‘Stuck’ by Stacie Orrico, for one.
M: Ahhh! Listen, I was his biggest fan as a songwriter and he did Jason Mraz too. He did ‘Geek In The Pink’ and he did ‘It’s all about the wordplay’, that one, Dude! So I walked in there trying to be cool and was like… ‘I listen I rap’, he was like ‘okay’, I was like ‘and I like Doo Wop’ he was like ‘cool’, and I was like ‘and I’m not a size two’! And then we wrote about it and we were like ‘do you like it?’ he was like ‘I like it dude’ I like it. But I was such a fan, like to the end of the album I kept telling him ‘I’m still star-struck by you’. It’s crazy and no one gives him enough credit and that’s why this is a big moment for him too like, I’m just so happy he’s on this. It’s just amazing to see his face at these number one parties; it’s just like what the hell.
Name your favourite tracks by other artists? Any you wish you’d have written?
‘Halo’ by Beyoncé. What. A. Song. I was thinking about this morning like damn, those lyrics. ‘Remember those walls I built, baby they’re tumbling down’. Also ‘Mistletoe’ by Justin Bieber. Thought that was one of the best Christmas songs I’ve ever heard!
So how’s it been flying around the world and visiting loads of different countries?
It’s amazing. It’s one of those things that at 21 years old, I can say I’ve been Australia, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the UK. And a lot of 21 year olds can’t say that. They can say they’ve studied abroad but in one place.
Have you got a favourite country that you’ve visited so far?
This ones the prettiest, and I’m not saying that ‘cause you’re here! This one reminds me of Germany for some reason, my view was exactly the same. But the food in Germany was outstanding.
Have you had any food here yet?
No… I mean I’ve had like hotel food, it was great.
For some reason we always seem to get quite a bad rep for not having the best food here.
Really?! Nando’s kills it. All I’ve eaten was chicken from the hotel, which was bomb, and then Nando’s chicken. I’ve only eaten chicken since being here.
Do you bring any home comforts with you to have on the road?
I have a stuffed animal named Paddles that I recently got – It’s a Penguin. He’s kinda famous on Instagram. I bring him everywhere. He’s great. Also, my mums jewellery, ‘cause they can never come with me, but I love looking at these to remind of them. She designed them and everything, and [POINTS TO GOLD RING, WITH THREE JEWELS] it’s of me and two brothers so it’s like symbol. Then my father made this one [POINTS TO BRACELET]. He was a musician forever, and then he was just like ‘I want to be a jeweller’.
Your Dad must be very proud of you, especially considering he was a musician.
Yeah, he was a band teacher at one point but he has always said ‘make sure whatever job you choose, just be the best at it’, so he’ll always win like ‘the best jeweller on Nantucket’ and then getting the Grammy’s I’m kinda like, best song of the year, best. Did it!
What’s next for you?
The tour in April. It’s gonna be my year to really get people, let people start to know Meghan Trainor and who she is and what she’s about. And I’m so excited. 2014 was pretty epic… I think 2015, there’ll be more special performances that I haven’t done yet like Saturday Night Live or stuff.
Meghan Trainor’s debut album, ‘TITLE’, is out now.
Tour dates:
Apr 9th – Manchester, Ritz
Apr 10th – Glasgow, O2 ABC
Apr 11th – Birmingham, Institute
Apr 13th – London, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
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