For Meghan Trainor’s first tour in years, she’ll take a 12-bunk bus — with a baby on board
You’ll have to forgive Meghan Trainor for suggesting this, but it’s true: There was a time when she couldn’t help but roll her eyes a little at the idea of singing “All About That Bass” for the rest of her life.
She still feels that way — occasionally.
“It’s always fun, ’cause the crowd goes nuts,” the singer says, when asked how much she enjoys giving live performances of the 2014 hip-hop-doo-wop song that put her on the pop map at the age of just 20. “I just ... I’ve heard it a lot, you know? ...
“Every time I turn around to do ‘I’m bring-in’ boo-ty baaaaaaaack,’ I’m like, Oh God, here we go again. Hit this high note. ... I’m gonna be 70 years old singing that song.”
As Trainor concludes her answer, she punctuates it with a laugh. But in all seriousness, she’ll be happy to perform her anthem night after night on her new “Timeless Tour,” which launches Sunday, Sept. 1, in Hollywood, Fla., and will make two stops in North Carolina on Sept. 12 (Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh) and Sept. 15 (PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte).
In fact, she’ll be thrilled to do so — partly because she hasn’t done it regularly in a long time (this one, believe it or not, marks her first tour since long before the pandemic), and partly because her feelings about “All About That Bass” have matured.
“I think at first I was like, ‘Oh, no, I’m just the ‘Bass’ girl forever.’ But as I showed I can produce other hits, it’s become like my first child, and ... now I like it,” says Trainor, who turned 30 last December. “Now I listen to it like, ‘Thank you, Bae. Thank you for everything I have, and for giving me all the opportunities in the world.’
“(It’s) my proudest moment in my whole life. It’s the reason I get to still be here. ... I still have people come up to me and tell me that they knew exactly where they were when they heard that song for the first time. There’s nothing cooler than that. ...
“So, now, she’s my precious baby, instead of, Oh, no, I’m just the ‘Bass’ girl.”
And Trainor continues to grow, both professionally and personally. In a recent interview with The Charlotte Observer, the pop-music innovator — who this year has collaborated on tracks with the likes of T-Pain and Paris Hilton — touched on a variety of tour-related topics that included how she and her husband, actor Daryl Sabara, will handle having sons Riley (3-1/2) and Barry (14 months) on the road with them.
The conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q. Live Nation’s press release for the tour says this is your first in seven years, but it actually looks to me like eight. Do you remember for sure how long it’s been?
Uhhh, I don’t remember anything, dude. I was so lost back then. But they keep telling me it’s been seven years, and I was like, “Well, can’t hide anymore!” So we’re getting back out there, and I have plenty of music to catch up on and albums to sing. It’s gonna be an hour-and-a-half of nonstop hits, and then some secret goodies that my fans deserve.
Q. Whether it’s been seven years or eight years, the natural question is: Why haven’t you been on the road in so long?
I was gonna go after the “Treat Myself” album (which was released in January 2020), but then COVID hit. So then we were doing concerts from Zoom, and from my Facebook page — and then I was just too scared to get back out there. Then I was having babies, and if I was working, it was on an album, or I was in Australia doing “Australian Idol.” (She served as a judge for the show in 2023.)
So I’ve been busy and traveling everywhere — feeling like I’ve been touring — but we realized on this album, “Timeless,” I was like, I’m due. I’m due for a tour. I can’t hide anymore. And I think my kids would love it. We finally know how to travel with them. My older one’s 3 years old — he’s finally potty-trained and can talk — so that was huge. That’s a big difference. And he loves trucks and buses, so I think he would love this experience.
And I finally feel stable enough that I’m like, “Okay, I feel we’re ready for this. We can survive.”
Q. I know you’ve done some live performances over the past several years. But because it’s been a while since you’ve done a proper tour, are you nervous?
Oh yeah. I’ve been having nightmares every night. In the day I’m not nervous. But then I’ll notice, out of nowhere, I wanna cry. And I’m like, What’s this? Is this my PMS? Or is this my anxiety for tour? So I’ve been a bundle of emotions. But you know how fear and excitement are the same feeling in your body, and you just have to tell yourself which one it is? I’m gonna tell myself, It’s excitement! I’m so excited! My body can’t even handle it!
Q. I assume you’ve had to design a tour bus almost from scratch to accommodate your family situation.
Literally! Yeah, we had to ask the bus driver if he’d be willing to let us drill holes in the bus for my baby’s crib — my 1-year-old — ’cause he can’t just roll around in the bunks. But we also had to do a lot of research on, What’s the safest way to travel with them on the bus? Like, when it’s in “Drive.” There’s so much to think about because the kids; it’s not safe for them to be just running around while the bus is moving.
So we have their two car seats, we have safety seats, we have it all. At bedtime, Riley’s bunk is drilled to the floor, and he’s also in a sleep sack, so he can’t stand up. And we gotta get a zip-up protection wall. It’s a whole thing. And it’s a niche place, so there’s not a lot of YouTubes on how to do it. So, we’re learning.
It’s stuff I never thought about last time I went. I just thought about, like, Does my boyfriend like me? Now he’s my husband — with two kids! It’s crazy.
Q. Having your family with you is good, obviously, for your family. But do you have any anxieties about family being on the road with you?
I remember the last time I toured, I was very homesick because I couldn’t help my parents a lot from the road. Then when my assistant broke her leg, my mom had to switch places with her. That’s when my mom became my assistant forever. And I noticed that when I got to have more family members with me, I felt less homesick and I felt less alone.
Now I can’t go out without them. So, yeah, it’s everything. It makes a huge difference. It makes it all worth it. If I’m really tired or don’t feel like doing it, I look at them and I’m like, Oh, let’s treat it as a vacation instead of really hard work.
Q. So you’ve got the two kids, your husband, your mom. Who else from your family is coming out with you?
My older brother Ryan’s on every single show. He’s gonna be a DJ. We give a gift to those who show up early, and that gift is my brother. He’s promised to do an incredible show. I think he’s gonna, like, rip his shirt off. He works out really hard. I’m just so excited for him because he’s never done anything like this. I will be on the side of the stage watching the whole time, just praying that he’s OK.
Also, we’re doing our podcast on the road. So that’s me, Ryan and my husband. And we’re gonna pretty much do a Q&A with the audience and let them be a part of the podcast episodes.
Then we have Chris Olsen opening for us on a lot of shows. He’s my TikTok bestie — my bestie in general. He’s just so talented. I don’t know if he shows that a lot on TikTok, his vocal skills. He’s trying to teach me how to fall in love with more Broadway. So I can only imagine that it’s gonna be Broadway hits.
Then we have the incredible Paul Russell, who has a smash “Lil’ Boo Thang.” He’s gonna rock the stage with some positive, upbeat, awesome songs. It’ll blend perfectly into my set.
And Chris Olsen’s on the bus, Ryan’s on the bus. So, instead of the artist bus where my bed’s in the back, there is no bed in the back. I will be bunkin’ it. We have 12 bunks, and they’re all packed somehow.
It’ll be loud. It’ll be a lotta “’Scuse me!” But I think it’ll be fun.
Q. Wow. And the kids will be on the same bus with you all?
Yeah, the kids are with us on that 12-bunker! One baby’s in the back in his crib, then Riley gets one of the bottom bunks, and we’re gonna be right above him. It’s gonna be a lot. I keep telling Riley, like, “It’s a sleepooooverrrrrrrr!”
Q. You mentioned your brother whipping himself into great shape. You’ve also talked in other interviews about whipping yourself back into great shape. How’s that going?
Oh my God, it’s soo goooood. I have an incredible trainer and I Snapchat all of my workouts to show people how hard I’m working for this tour. So if anyone wants to watch what I be dooooinn’, it’s mtrainer22 on Snapchat. I’m in there almost every day. And then dance rehearsals started August 5th.
I’m gonna be so fit. It’s gonna be insane.
Q. And finally, what would you say are some of the biggest ways you’ve evolved as an artist since “All About That Bass”?
There’s no YouTube tutorial on “how to be a pop star.” I didn’t know any stuff like this growing up. There’s no classes you can take. But after 10 years, I finally feel confident. I’ve just gotten better in all my categories, I feel like. I’m better in the studio, I’m better vocally, I’m better lyrically.
And at 30, I feel like I’m aging backwards when I look at old pictures of what outfits they would put me in and the glam I would do. Now I do my own glam, and I know exactly how I want my hair to look. I know what outfits flatter me better. I just know so much more.
So, I think that I would make my 19-year-old self really proud. With the music I’m making, with the family I made, with the husband I got — hee, hee, hee — I won. So, she’d be stoked. She’d be proud.
See Meghan Trainor live
Details: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12 at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 at PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte.
Tickets: $67.20 and up in Raleigh; $41.30 and up in Charlotte.
Details: livenation.com
