The Untold Truth Of Meghan Trainor
Pop star Meghan Trainor has lived an amazing life, and she's still just getting started. After all, she's only in her twenties!
She got her start in the music industry when she was only in high school, and she has been creating hit after hit ever since. From her body positivity anthem "All About that Bass" to her 2020 Christmas album, it seems that this pop star has done pretty much everything by now. "I always want to make up a pretend genre — six different genres in one song," she even told AP, so chances are that you've definitely heard her before.
As Trainor so eloquently sings, "You Don't Know Me" – and she's right. There are a lot of surprising things we never knew about this starlet. Even her loyal fans, called Megatrons, may not be in the know. Here to tell you all about that girl who sings "All About that Bass," this is the untold truth of Meghan Trainor.
The first song Meghan Trainor ever wrote was for a wedding
Meghan Trainor has been making music since she was only a kid. In fact, she's always liked to stick to writing her own stuff. "I thought, all the pop stars were doing it," she told the Today show. "So I was like, if I'm gonna be a pop star, I gotta start writing now!" The very first song she ever wrote was pretty special, too. It was for her aunt and uncle's wedding, and like any great song, there's a great story behind it.
When she was only seven years old, Trainor and her family took a trip to Trinidad. They were at a concert when one of the performers took notice of her aunt. "And he jumped down and danced with my hot auntie, and then they fell in love," Trainor explained to The Official Big Top 40. Once they got back and were getting married, she surprised them with a song she wrote.
With the melody being a bit of a challenge, a young Trainor decided to just change the words to "Heart and Soul" on the piano. "I just wrote lyrics over that because that's all I could play, and I thought I was a star," she told ABC News. Only a few years later, when Trainor turned 18, was when she would officially become one after being signed by a record label.
Meghan Trainor never thought anyone would ever hear 'All About that Bass'
Entering an industry that's obsessed with staying skinny, Meghan Trainor was sure no one would care about her body positivity anthem "All About that Bass." Originally, she didn't even think she should be singing the sassy song herself and hoped another artist would. However, after pitching it for four months, no one in the industry wanted it (via Out). Trainor knew the world needed it — after all, she desperately did growing up — so she released it as a single herself in June 2014.
Eventually, it earned her the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for weeks on end. "I saw how it affected everyone, and I was like, 'Oh, the world needs this? Oh, let's do eight of these,'" she said on The Kelly Clarkson Show. It quickly became part of her debut album called Title.
The song is what truly propelled Trainor into total stardom. Funny enough, "All About that Bass" was also written in 45 minutes flat. "I wrote it to because I'm so sassy on the microphone, and I had to learn how to be that sassy girl in real life," this pop star told ABC News, adding, "And now I finally am, and I'm much happier."
Her first date with her husband was singing karaoke
Of all the places that a pop star could find her future husband, Meghan Trainor fell for hers while watching him sing karaoke. It was his go-to karaoke song that got her.
Their mutual friend, actress Chloë Grace Moretz, was the one who set them up. When Trainor was only 22 years old, she found herself on a blind date with Spy Kids star Daryl Sabara. "He sang 'Your Song' by Elton John in my face, to me!" She gushed during Carpool Karaoke with James Corden. The pop star was impressed. "And I was like, 'I'm gonna marry you.'" Apparently, Sabara knew it too, and he's allegedly a pretty good singer.
Once he and Trainor became official, they immediately started working on music together. Not only is he obviously her biggest fan, but "he sings background on every song I write now," Trainor even told ET. We will certainly be listening closely to her new stuff now!
Meghan Trainor's wedding anniversary is on her birthday
Meghan Trainor and Daryl Sabara were truly meant to be. On December 22, 2017, he popped the question. It was a pretty significant day for this pop star for more than one reason. "For my 24th birthday, the love of my life @darylsabara made all of my dreams come true," she wrote on Instagram. Obviously, the birthday girl said yes, and exactly a year later, she said "I do" on her birthday too.
The two tied the knot in an intimate backyard wedding slash birthday celebration. However, she wasn't all about putting on a show. It was Trainor's time to step away from the spotlight and into the wedding dress she had dreamed about since she was just a kid. "I didn't want to look like a glam pop star — I just looked like a really beautiful woman that I've always wanted to look like since I was my uncomfortable 13-year-old self," she told People looking back on their photos.
Of course, Trainor wrote the song that she walked down the aisle to, appropriately called "Marry Me." With her father by her side, he even helped her write it too. During the reception, her new husband surprised her with his own performance, similar to how he sang to her on their first date. "I fell in love all over again," she said. "I thought I was going to pass out with joy." They're the cutest!
She declined a full ride at Berklee
If you're looking to study music with some of the best singers out there, you're probably looking at the Berklee College of Music. The talented Meghan Trainor even had a full ride scholarship to go there — that she gave up.
Trainor always knew that songwriting was her calling. Her father used to be a music teacher, so it made sense that she would end up studying the stuff (via iHeartRadio). However, when it was time for her to attend college, she was already signed to the country music publisher Big Yellow Dog. "I was in high school when I signed my publishing deal. It was hilarious," she told ABC News. "I was with my friends and at lunchtime I left, like, midday of school, I left. My dad picked me up. We went to the bank, and I got a girl to officially stamp [the deal]."
While Trainor didn't attend the school full-time, she did spend her summers there throughout high school. She studied songwriting under some of the best and was a highly admired student (via Berklee). "I honestly don't know what I would be doing without music," Trainor told N Magazine. "I'd probably be lost at college trying to find something to do for a living." She knew what she wanted, so she didn't end up going at all.
Meghan Trainor has written hits for other artists too
Before Meghan Trainor was busy making hits for herself, she started off songwriting for other popular artists when she was only in high school. Fifth Harmony, Rascal Flatts, and Jason Derulo are just a few of the big names that she's been behind (via Billboard).
Her biggest fan, however, happens to be Jennifer Lopez. Trainor has texted songs back and forth with her that have become hits. She even penned JLo's iconic pop song, "Ain't Your Mama." "The club wasn't the place where my songs had played a lot," Trainor explained to ET. "The doo wops — it's more like a mom's car. I was like, 'I want something that reaches mothers, but also clubs. I want it to play everywhere.'"
When Trainor began singing solo, she was still having JLo listen to her stuff. "I remember I played her 'Me Too' before it came out," Trainor explained during On Air with Ryan Seacrest. However, it seemed like the singer didn't realize Trainor was writing the track for herself. "And she was like, 'Great! I'll take it,' and I was like, 'Oh, no.'" It ended up being a part of her own album, Thank You, which was released in 2016.
Obviously, songwriting has made this pop star super successful. Between writing music for other artists and creating chart-topping hits on her own albums, Trainor has now made herself worth a whopping $8 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
She likes to test out her new tunes with her Uber drivers
Aside from the artist we all know as JLo, pop star Meghan Trainor has another person she likes to try out new music with — her Uber drivers. Yes, surprisingly, famous people still use the same services as the rest of us.
Not only does Trainor like to see how her new songs sound on the radio, but she wants the opinion of a complete stranger. "I don't want just 13-year-olds coming to my show," she once told BBC. "I want 50-year-olds and all ages to enjoy the music." So during her rides around town, she simply requests that her driver play her music and watches how they respond. In order to get their honest opinion, "they don't know it's me," Trainor explained during an interview with On Air with Ryan Seacrest. "Because our Uber will be under [my husband] Daryl's name or something."
As Trainor waits for their reaction, sometimes it's not as exciting as she hopes for. "Do you want me to sign something? No? Okay!" She joked.
Meghan Trainor grew up performing in her family's band
While Meghan Trainor may be a star now, she wasn't always singing solo. Growing up, music was a family affair, so she got her start singing in her family's band when she was only 13 years old (via The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon).
The band was made up of her aunt and uncle, father, friend, and little brother. "We were called Island Fusion, because we did Caribbean soca songs," she explained on The Late Late Show with James Corden. "And then we also did pop music by me." Trainor played everything from the trumpet to the keyboard to the ukulele, and she, of course, sang center stage. Even today, Trainor still describes her music as "pop with a Caribbean influence," according to N Magazine.
This small pop star from Nantucket, Massachusetts, was clearly set up for success from the very start. Even off the stage, her family was always making music, especially her father. "He would wake me up every morning playing keyboard and singing to me," Trainor told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Music surrounded the young singer every minute of the day, so it's no wonder she's a star now.
Her family has always been very close too. Even though Trainor broke up the band when her solo career skyrocketed, they still support her at all of her shows. As far as Island Fusion goes, "We might get back together," she joked to James Corden.
Meghan Trainor used to be a football player
Meghan Trainor is used to performing center stage, but who knew she played center on a club football team too? While her girlfriends stood on the sidelines cheering for her team, Trainor was actually out on the field throwing a football when she was only a third-grader.
She was part of a club football team during school for three years. After all, her two brothers played, so why couldn't she? "I worshiped my brothers because I wanted to be their best friend," she explained to WPLJ 95.5. "They were always besties because they were boys." To become a part of the Trainor trio, this pop star even joined their baseball team, too.
The boys' most memorable moment was when their sister held her ground against a huge guy on the opposing team. She ended up being the last one standing on the team — until he tackled her to the ground. "And she just gets out of the pile on giggling, 'I got him! I got him!'" Her older brother laughed as he explained the story to iHeartRadio. "That was the proudest moment of my life. She won a Grammy, whatever, but she tackled that kid."
Meghan Trainor is a vegetarian
When Meghan Trainor married her man, former child star Daryl Sabara, he was having problems with his heart — literally. "It's because he ate so much animal fat," she told Parade. Steak and eggs were his favorite meal, but after meeting with a nutritionist, he was forced to cut meat out of his diet completely. Trainor decided to try it along with him, and the two became vegetarians together (via BuzzFeed).
However, this isn't the only lifestyle change this couple has made. They've tried various other diets, such as keto and paleo. It's not always easy either. While Trainor spends a lot of her time touring around the world, sometimes it can be quite a challenge to stick to it. "I do the best I can with the plant-based diet when I'm traveling," she admitted. Pizza also happens to be her personal favorite.
Her husband, on the other hand, is adamant about no longer eating any meat. "He's like, 'Nope, I have to be a vegan because I can't afford heart attacks later. We're going to be parents and I want to live forever,'" Trainor explained right before they found out they were expecting their baby boy. "So we're trying to live to 110 and die holding hands. That's my plan!"
Meghan Trainor has spent months without a voice
In 2015, Meghan Trainor was touring around the world with Maroon 5 when she noticed something was horribly wrong. It hurt whenever she tried to speak. "I went to some random doctor I could find close by, and he saw hemorrhaging," she explained on The Ellen Show. "Which is like when your little tiny vocal cords bleed." She ended up having to cancel the rest of the tour in order to have surgery — and then it happened all over again two years later.
During her recuperation, Trainor was unable to talk at all for months at a time. "It was tough," she admitted to Ellen DeGeneres. While she was resting, she was still working on writing music. It ended up being pretty tricky when she couldn't speak. Luckily, she had just met the love of her life, Daryl Sabara. "He learned sign language for me," she sweetly said, and he stuck with her through one of the toughest times of her life.
Signing up for surgery wasn't easy. "You have to sign papers that say, 'if you can't sing again it's not our fault,'" she described to BBC. She was terrified that she may never be able to perform again. However, she had no choice. She had to fix her vocal cords if she ever wanted to make music again, and it all worked out in the end. "My voice came back stronger," Trainor said.