Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing withEpic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached number one on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold 11 million copies worldwide. Trainor has releasedsix studio albums with the label and has received variousaccolades, including aGrammy Award, fourASCAP Pop Music Awards, and twoBillboard Music Awards.
Trainor became interested in music at a young age; she recorded three independently releasedacoustic albums and began writing and producing songs for other artists from 2013. In 2015, Trainor released her pop andhip hop major-label debut studio album,Title, which included the top-10 singles "Lips Are Movin" and "Like I'm Gonna Lose You"; it debuted at number one on the U.S.Billboard 200. The single "No" led her follow-up album, theR&BThank You (2016), both of which reached number three on the respective charts. In 2020, Trainor released theelectronic dance music-influenced albumTreat Myself and the holiday albumA Very Trainor Christmas. She followed these with thedoo-wop andbubblegum pop albumsTakin' It Back (2022) andTimeless (2024). The former included the single "Made You Look", which reached the top five in countries including the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
Meghan Elizabeth Trainor was born on December 22, 1993, inNantucket, Massachusetts,[1] to jewelers Kelli (née Jekanowski) and Gary Trainor.[2][3] She has an older brother named Ryan and a younger brother named Justin.[2][4] She began singing at age six, at aMethodist church with her father who was a music teacher and organist.[3][5][6] Trainor's family encouraged her to pursue her musical interests[5] and she had told her father she wanted to become a recording artist. She began writing songs and recording them using thedigital audio workstation softwareGarageBand.[5][7][8] Trainor started with her own arrangement of the song "Heart and Soul" (1938).[9] According to her mother, Trainor "did a lot [of playing] by ear", and played music without formal training.[6] Her father wanted her to explore every musical genre.[6] At the age of 12, Trainor began performing as part of thecover band Island Fusion, which also included her aunt, younger brother, and father. They performedsoca music as well as Trainor's own compositions.[3][4] She was in the group for four years, singing and playing piano, guitar, and bongo drums.[4] They would playBob Marley covers in bars and even opened for the Jamaican singerBeenie Man.[10] By age 13, Trainor had written her first original song, "Give Me a Chance".[9]
Trainor and her family left Nantucket when she was in the eighth grade, temporarily relocating toOrleans, Massachusetts, before moving toNorth Eastham. She attendedNauset Regional High School[6] and studied guitar, played trumpet, and sang in a jazz band for three years, and was a substitute cheerleader.[3][6][11] While she was a teenager, Trainor's parents nudged her to attend songwriting conventions and took her to venues at which production companies were searching for new artists and songwriters.[7][9] At 15, she took guitar lessons from formerNRBQ memberJohnny Spampinato.[3][12] During this time, Trainor usedLogic Studio to record and produce her compositions and later worked independently in a home studio built by her parents. She also attended summer music education programs in Boston atBerklee College of Music in 2009 and 2010 to further develop her music skills.[6][7]
Career
2009–2013: Career beginnings
Trainor singing "Take Care of Our Soldiers" at Nantucket United Methodist Church, July 2010
Between the ages of 15 and 17, Trainor independently released three albums of material she had written, recorded, performed, and produced.[5] She enrolled in the Summer Performance Program at theBerklee College of Music during the mid-year months of 2009 and 2010.[13] Her debut albumMeghan Trainor was released on December 25, 2009.[6][14] Trainor released the song "Take Care of Our Soldiers" on April 16, 2010,[7][15] all the proceeds from which benefited theUnited Service Organizations (USO) and Cape Cod Cares for Our Troops.[16] The following year Trainor released theacoustic albumsI'll Sing with You andOnly 17.[6]
At a music conference inNashville, Trainor introduced herself to former NRBQ memberAl Anderson.[3] He was impressed by Trainor's songwriting and referred her to his publisher Carla Wallace of Nashville-based music publishing firm Big Yellow Dog Music.[3][6] Though Trainor had been offered a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, she decided to pursue her songwriting career and signed with Big Yellow Dog Music in 2012.[5][7][17] She began her career as a songwriter-for-hire because of her ability to compose in a variety of genres, publishing songs for other artists but being unsure about becoming a recording artist herself. Her father said, "She thought she was one of the chubby girls who would never be an artist".[3] Trainor graduated from Nauset Regional High School in 2012.[11] She released her song "Who I Wanna Be" for digital download on April 24, 2012.[18]
Throughout 2013, Trainor traveled to Nashville, New York City and Los Angeles, where she wrote and helped producecountry and pop songs. She sang lead andbackground vocals ondemos for other artists and her vocals were occasionally used on the final recordings.[5] Trainor co-wrote the song "In the Sun", which was released as a single by Danish artist Aya Katrine in May 2013.[5][19] In June 2013, Trainor met producerKevin Kadish in Nashville via Wallace and a mutual friend.[6][20] Both Kadish and Trainor likedretro style music and began recording together that month.[20] Trainor later became frustrated with commuting from Nantucket to Los Angeles for songwriting sessions. Her parents did not want her to relocate as it would be expensive so in November 2013, Trainor decided to relocate to Nashville instead.[3][6] There she wrote songs for a number of acts includingHunter Hayes,[2]Rascal Flatts,[6]R5,[21] andSabrina Carpenter.[22]
2014–2015: Breakthrough withTitle
Kadish and Trainor co-wrote "All About That Bass" in November 2013.[6] The song was inspired by Trainor's struggle to accept her appearance and her feelings of insecurity about looking at pictures of herself.[17] The duo offered the song to several record labels, all of which rejected thedoo-wop song because it was not "synth-y, pop-y" enough.[23] Trainor later met Paul Pontius, theA&R agent forEpic Records, and performed "All About That Bass" for him. Pontius arranged a meeting with label chairmanL.A. Reid, during which Trainor performed the song for Reid, who signed her 20 minutes later.[9] Subsequently, Trainor hiredTroy Carter as her manager[17] and released "All About That Bass" on June 30, 2014.[24] The song reached numberone in 58 countries,[25] its music video wentviral, and it sold 11 million units worldwide.[26][27][28] It spent eight consecutive weeks atop theBillboard Hot 100 and wascertified diamond by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[29][30]Media outlets includingVice,[31]The Fader[32] andComplex[33] accused Trainor ofcultural appropriation in "All About That Bass",The Seattle Times' Paul de Barros commented that Trainor affects an accent akin to that of a "young, urban, African American woman" in the song,[34] while its lyric "bringing booty back/Go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that" was criticized byVox'sKelsey McKinney for dismissing people of smaller body types.[35] Trainor justified her use of the lyric by stating "just kidding, I know even you think you are fat" right after it.[36]
Trainor's debutextended play (EP),Title, was released on September 9, 2014.[37] Trainor and Kadish composed its songs.[38] The EP peaked at number15 on the USBillboard 200 and at number17 on theCanadian Albums Chart.[39][40]Stereogum andOut noted the EP proved Trainor could outlast the success of her debut single.[41][42]Music critics including McKinney andSlate's L.V. Anderson wrote that the EP'stitle track and "All About That Bass" areanti-feminist;[35] Anderson stated that the songs send the message that "a woman's worth is defined by men" and set a negative example for Trainor's young female audience.[43] Trainor responded to the anti-feminism claims by commenting, "I don't know, man! I just wrote a fun song about loving your booty and loving your body!"[36] She released her second single "Lips Are Movin",[44] a retro song in a similar vein to its predecessor, on October 21 that year.[45] The song peaked at numberfour on theBillboard Hot 100,[46] also reaching the top 10 in Australia,[47] Canada,[48] and New Zealand.[49]Billboard ranked her as the fourth Top New Artist of the year[50] placing her 12th on their annual list of the most powerful people in music under the age of 21.[51]
Trainor's three self-released albums were removed from sale in the build-up to the release of her major-label debut studio albumTitle,[6][52] which replaced her EP of the same name on theiTunes Store,[53][54] and was released on January 9, 2015.[55] AtMetacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, it received an average score of 59 based on 13 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[56] The album debuted at numberone on the USBillboard 200,[57][58] earning a triple platinum certification from the RIAA.[30] It was the ninth best-selling album of 2015 worldwide, with 1.8million copies sold according toIFPI.[59] The album's later singles "Dear Future Husband" and "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" reached the Hot 100's top 20,[46][60] and the latter reached numberone on theAustralian Singles Chart.[61] The music video for "Dear Future Husband", which depicts Trainor scrubbing a kitchen floor, drew criticism and online critics labeled it as "sexist" and "anti-feminist" for its portrayal of traditional gender stereotypes.[62] She responded to the criticism by saying; "but no, I don't believe I was [being sexist]. I think I was just writing my song to my future husband out there, wherever he is".[63] Trainor performed a duet withCharlie Puth on his debut single "Marvin Gaye", which was released in February 2015.[64][65]
Trainor began her first headlining concert tour,That Bass Tour, on February 11, 2015, with Australian bandSheppard as the opening act.[54] The album was also promoted through the "MTrain Tour", with Puth andLife of Dillon as opening acts. The tour was set to begin on July 3[66] but Trainor was diagnosed with avocal cord hemorrhage that month and her medical team ordered her to undergo completevocal rest, delaying the first two dates of the tour.[67] In July, she announced that she was writing the song "Better When I'm Dancin'" forThe Peanuts Movie soundtrack (2015).[68][69] On August 11, 2015, Trainor announced the cancellation of the remainder of her North American tour and said she would undergo surgery "to finally fix this once and for all".[70] On September 1, 2015, she confirmed that she had successfully gone through the surgery and would need a six-week recovery period before performing again.[71][72] Trainor appeared as a musical guest on thethird season of the American television sitcomUndateable.[73] In late 2015, American singerWho Is Fancy released the single "Boys Like You", which features her andAriana Grande.[74] Trainor won theGrammy Award for Best New Artist at the58th Annual Grammy Awards.[75]
2016–2017:Thank You
Trainor performing in Washington, D.C. duringCapital Pride in June 2016
Trainor toldE! Online on January 7, 2016, she had almost finished working on her second major-label studio albumThank You.[76] She toldMTV News the album was influenced by the music ofElvis Presley,Aretha Franklin, andBruno Mars, and includes a collaboration between her andR. City.[77] The album's first single "No" was produced byRicky Reed[78] and was released on March 4, 2016.[79] TheR&B song peaked at numberthree on theBillboard Hot 100.[46][80] Shortly after the release of "No", Trainor released thepromotional singles "Watch Me Do", "I Love Me",[81] "Better" (featuring American rapperYo Gotti),[82] and "Mom", on which Trainor's mother appears.[83] The second single from the album, "Me Too", was released on May 5; the accompanying video was released four days later but removed the same day because of unapproved digital manipulation of Trainor's body.[84] An unedited version of the video was released the next day.[85] The song peaked at number13 on theBillboard Hot 100.[46] A performance of the song onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon drew attention when Trainor fell to the floor while trying to catch hold of amicrophone stand.[86][87][88]
2018–2021:The Love Train,Treat Myself andA Very Trainor Christmas
In December 2017,Fox announced Trainor as one of the judges on the showThe Four: Battle for Stardom, along withSean Combs, DJ Khaled andCharlie Walk.[101] The program's first two seasons were broadcast in 2018.[102] Trainor competed against singerShania Twain in an episode ofTBS's showDrop the Mic, which aired in January 2018; both were declared winners.[103] Trainor's third major-label studio album,Treat Myself, was scheduled for release on August 31, 2018, but was delayed because Trainor wanted to write and record more songs for it.[104] Its lead single "No Excuses" was released in March 2018 and peaked at number46 on theBillboard Hot 100.[46] The songs "Let You Be Right" and "Can't Dance" were released as singles two months later.[105] "All the Ways" was released on June 20, 2018,[106] and the title track was made available on July 20, 2018.[107] The same year, Trainor appeared onJason Mraz's song "More than Friends".[108]
Trainor recorded the songs "Badass Woman" and "Run Like the River" for the 2019 filmsThe Hustle andPlaymobil: The Movie, respectively.[120][121] She also voiced afairy godmother inPlaymobil: The Movie.[122] In September 2019,ITV announced Trainor would joinwill.i.am,Sir Tom Jones, andOlly Murs as a coach for the ninth season ofThe Voice UK, which premiered in 2020.[123] She released "Wave" as the second single fromTreat Myself, on September 27, 2019.[124] The album was further promoted with the promotional singles "Workin' On It", "Evil Twin", and "Blink".[125] Trainor wrote enough material for four albums while trying to adapt to new trends in the music industry,[126]Treat Myself was released on January 31, 2020, along with its third single "Nice to Meet Ya" which featuresNicki Minaj, to mixed reviews which resulted in a Metacritic score of 51 based on four of them.[116][127]Treat Myself debuted at number25 on the USBillboard 200 and "Nice to Meet Ya" debuted at number89 on theBillboard Hot 100.[39][46] Trainor released a deluxe version of the album in July 2020, preceded by the single "Make You Dance" (2020).[128] She released aholiday album,A Very Trainor Christmas, on October 30, 2020.[129] In March 2021, she signed an overall deal withNBCUniversal, which includes her starring in a comedy series.[130] On September 15, 2021,Workin' on It, a podcast co-hosted by Trainor and Ryan and distributed by theiHeartPodcast network, premiered.[131]
2022–2024:Takin' It Back
Trainor released "Bad for Me", which featuresTeddy Swims, as the lead single from her fifth studio album on June 24, 2022.[132] On the day preceding its release, she revealed the album cover along with the titleTakin' It Back; it was released on October 21, 2022.[133] The album debuted at number 16 on the USBillboard 200.[39] On September 28, 2022, Australia'sSeven Network announced that Trainor will serve as a judge onAustralian Idol in 2023.[134][135] "Made You Look" was released as the second single from the album and became her firstUK Singles Chart top-10 single since "Marvin Gaye".[136] The song peaked within the top five in countries including Ireland,[137] Australia,[47] and New Zealand[49] and reached number 11 on theBillboard Hot 100.[46]
On March 14, 2024, Trainor andT-Pain released the song "Been Like This" as the lead single from her sixth major-label studio album,Timeless (2024).[149][150] The song charted at number 40 in the United Kingdom and number 51 in Ireland.[109][151] Trainor and Fallon contributed the song "Sweet Morning Heat" to the Netflix filmUnfrosted (2024) in April 2024.[152] The music video forTimeless's second single, "To the Moon" (2024), featured appearances by Sabara, their son,Niecy Nash, and the influencersChris Olsen and Brookie and Jessie.[153] The album was released on June 7, 2024,[154] and peaked at number 27 on the USBillboard 200,[39] number 12 on theUK Albums Chart,[155] and number 23 on theAustralian Albums Chart.[156]
Initially waiting for one of the songs to gain popularity onTikTok,[157] Epic Records sent "Whoops" to radio stations as the third single on June 24.[158] A music video for the song was released on June 10, 2024, depicting her dancing in an empty room and destroying furniture with a baseball bat.[159] It charted at number 94 in the United Kingdom and the song "I Wanna Thank Me" reached number 86.[109] In July 2024, Trainor collaborated withPaul Russell on the song "Slippin'" and with Hilton on the song "Chasin'".[160][161] In support ofTimeless, she embarked on her first headlining concert tour in over seven years,the Timeless Tour, in September 2024, withNatasha Bedingfield, Olsen, Russell, and Ryan serving as special guests.[149][150] On November 12, 2025, Trainor released a song titled, "Still Don't Care" as the lead single for her upcoming seventh studio album,Toy with Me, set for release on April 24, 2026.[162]
Trainor's lyrics frequently refer to womanhood,body image, andpersonal empowerment.[188]Billboard's Ashley Lee wrote that since receiving controversy for the lyrics of "All About That Bass", Trainor began writing "more inclusive" songs aboutbody positivity, citing "Me Too" and theThank You track "Woman Up" (2016) as examples.[189] The albumTitle explores themes like heartbreak,one-night stands, relationships, and sex.[25] According toSlant Magazine's Alexa Camp, Trainor continued to peddle a "myopic, commercialized brand offeminism" withThank You.[190] Trainor incorporated empowerment as a lyrical theme onTreat Myself, and also continued the theme of feminism with its lyrics; the latter drew criticism fromPopMatters' Jessica Brant.[183][191]Takin' It Back revolved around the concepts of motherhood and self-acceptance,[133][192] andTimeless had a message of self-empowerment andwomen's empowerment, inspired by Trainor's family, motherhood, and experiences in the music industry, presenting a feminist point of view on dating and issues like societalmisogyny.[193][194]
Trainor is analto[195] and her vocals have been described as "soulful" and "highly resonant", as well as "a reedy cross" between those ofKaty Perry andTaylor Swift.[176][196] Chris DeVille ofStereogum said Trainor is "a very capable singer" and that she "project[s] lots of character and emotion within a relatively limited range".[41] Writing forCanadian Business, James Cowan compared the harmonies in Trainor's music to those of 1960s female groups.[197] MTV News' Carvell Wallace wrote that the singer has charismatic vocals, her relatability is part of her appeal, and one can "imagine a drunken bachelorette party having a transcendent sing-along to [her music] in the back of a rented stretchHummer".[198] He also criticized Trainor for usingAfrican-American English.[198][199] Trainor has said that her accent is "the Gary Trainor thing", and that her father is "very soulful" and emulates Brown sometimes.[10]
Rolling Stone described Trainor as 2014's "Most Unlikely Pop Star".[9] Following the release of "All About That Bass",Billboard's Andrew Hampp reported that Trainor had "become a model ofself-acceptance for kids across the globe".[17]The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan called Trainor "the poster girl for the larger woman" and "pop's emblem for self-acceptance".[200]Billboard included her in its list of "14 Musicians With Body Positive Messages"[189] whileMTV Australia stated she has "always stood by what she believes in and attempted to promote body positivity for all women".[188] In March 2015, Trainor partnered with plus-size retailerFullBeauty Brands as a consultant for the creation of clothing for women with varying body types.[201] According toBillboard's Jada Yuan, Trainor's image is defined by her "curves" though she is not "curvy" like Nicki Minaj andKim Kardashian but "she's not model-thin like many other stars".[10] The author described Trainor's use of social media as "upbeat to goofy, with little soul baring or soapbox lecturing".[10]
Trainor is a feminist. In earlier years of her career, some critics have described Trainor as anti-feminist and said she seeks self-worth based on the opinions of men.[43][202] Trainor did not identify as a feminist in a 2014Billboard interview;[203] however, two years later, she had changed her views.[183] In a 2020 interview, Trainor said she was "just ... stupid and young", and did not identify as a feminist due to her mother's advice that she should not claim to be something if she did not understand the word, and thought feminists were "those people that hate [her]".[204] In April 2023, she attracted controversy after making negative remarks about teachers and announcing that she will homeschool her children on her podcast, and she later apologized.[205][206]
Trainor met actorDaryl Sabara in 2014 at a house party in Los Angeles and they began dating in July 2016.[207][208] The couple were engaged on December 22, 2017,[209] and married one year later on Trainor's 25th birthday.[207][210] On February 8, 2021, she gave birth to their first child, a boy.[211]On July 1, 2023, she gave birth to their second son.[212][213]
Other ventures
Philanthropy
Trainor has partnered with theAmerican Cancer Society,[214] and made public appearances in charity events such asWe Day California,[215] as well asThe Hollywood Reporter's 24th annual Women in Entertainment Breakfast.[216] In 2018, the British media companyGlobal's in-house charity Make Some Noise invited Trainor to present a £77,200 check to the charity Reach.[217] During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Trainor donated funds to feed healthcare professionals inGreater Hartford and pledged money for restaurants inConnecticut to provide 50 lunches to local hospitals daily for five days.[218] She also held a Live At-Home concert series to raise money forFeeding America.[219]
Trainor has won fourASCAP Pop Music Awards,[227] twoBillboard Music Awards,[228] aPeople's Choice Award,[229] and aGrammy Award.[75] Trainor was awarded Best Female Artist at the 2009 International Acoustic Music Awards and the Grand Prize at the 2010 New Orleans Songwriter's Festival; she has also won the 2011 Tennessee Concerts Song Contest and the John Lennon Love Song Songwriting Contest.[5] She was named the "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" by theMusic Business Association in 2014.[230]
Among her achievements, she became the 21st female artist whose debut single peaked at the top of theBillboard Hot 100,[231] and the fifth female artist to follow up her chart-topping debut single with another top-five release.[58] On theBillboard Year-End charts for 2015, Trainor was listed seventh on Top Artists and second on Top Female Artists.[232]Billboard ranked her at number 40 on their list of the top artists of the 2010s,[233] and number 33 on their 2025 "Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century" list.[234]Title was placed 98th on the magazine's "Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums by Women" list, with "All About That Bass" ranking at number 69 on the all inclusive list for singles.[235][236] As of October 2015, "All About That Bass" was the only debut single by any artist to accumulate a billion views on YouTube.[237]
^Though Trainor independently released three acoustic albums between 2009 and 2011,Title is her first on a record label, and is widely reported to be her debut studio album.[6][58][54]
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