MEGHAN TRAINOR Confessions of a Pop-Star Mom

THE SINGER-SONGWRITER LOOKS BACK ON A DECADE IN THE SPOTLIGHT AND HOW MOTHERHOOD AND TIKTOK CHANGED HER LIFE

- By JEFF NELSON

Meghan Trainor sits down to begin her interview when she hears clattering from across her home. “House full of toddlers,” she says with an apologetic shrug. “When you have kids, it’s just going to be loud for a little bit—but also the most joy ever. And pure chaos.” After 10-plus years of pop stardom, Trainor, 31, has come to embrace the chaos, which today is of the cute kind: After posing for family portraits at their People shoot, Trainor’s sons Riley, 4, and Barry, 19 months, are excitedly playing with toy cars with her husband, Spy Kids actor Daryl Sabara, 32.

Between her family and her still-flourishing career, Trainor has built the life she always envisioned for herself—but there were bumps along the way. After she enjoyed overnight fame in 2014 with her body-positivity anthem “All About That Bass,” the singer-songwriter’s dreams were nearly derailed by self-doubt, vocal cord complications and mental health issues. But a TikTok comeback and leaning into motherhood have set Trainor up for her most successful stage yet. “When I became a mom, my career had a whole new life,” she says.

Indeed, last fall Trainor wrapped her biggest tour in years, which included a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden; she just launched a “Cloud Skin” makeup collab with e.l.f. Cosmetics; and in March she’ll celebrate the 10th anniversary of her debut album, Title, with a rerelease featuring eight additional tracks. “I had a whole reboot, and it’s because my kids made me want to be the best version of me,” Trainor says. “I’m not peaking. I’ve just begun.”