Pop sensation Meghan Trainor has announced the release of her highly anticipated seventh studio album, 'Toy with Me,' scheduled for 24th April. The news comes alongside the reveal of a major North American tour set for 2026, signalling a powerful new chapter for the award-winning artist.
A Message of Growth and Self-Love
Kicking off this new era is the lead single, 'Still Don't Care,' a jovial track that embodies the self-acceptance message Trainor's fans have adored for a decade. In a recent interview, Trainor explained the song was born from real-life experiences with online criticism, particularly surrounding her health and fitness journey. She confessed to being affected by negative comments but uses her songwriting as a tool for personal growth.
'I always write in the perspective of how I wish I thought,' Trainor revealed. Her iconic hits like 'All About That Bass' started as aspirational anthems before she truly embodied their confident messages. 'When I perform them and I see how it affects other people, I start believing them,' she added, highlighting the symbiotic relationship between her music and her personal evolution.
Inside the 'Toy with Me' Album and Family Collaborations
The new single boasts a maximalist, '80s-inspired pop production featuring a choir from Pentatonix's Scott Hoying. Adding a deeply personal touch, background vocals from her mother, brother, and sister-in-law soften the track's defiant stance against online hate.
Trainor promises that 'Toy with Me' will be a rich tapestry of self-love anthems, songs channelling anger, and profound familial love. In a heart-warming detail, she shared that the album's only features are her two children, Riley and Barry. She penned a beautiful, slower lullaby for them titled 'Little One,' which captures her wish for them to stay young forever. The track concludes with her children saying, 'I love you, Mama,' a moment Trainor describes as 'the cutest thing ever.'
The Road to Release and a Major 2026 Tour
Creating the album was an intense eight-month process that Trainor admits left her exhausted. 'I overdid it, and my body started doing weird things,' she recalled, citing a burning tongue that her dentist attributed to stress. The songwriting itself also presented a new challenge, with each track taking months to perfect—a significant departure from her usual one-day songwriting sessions.
This meticulous approach was partly due to collaborating with new songwriters who pushed her creatively. The hard work has clearly paid off, as Trainor is ready to take the new music on the road. She will embark on the 'Get in Girl' tour across North America in 2026, with special guests Icona Pop.
The tour begins on 12th June at the Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan, and will conclude on 15th August at Los Angeles' Kia Forum. The extensive schedule includes stops in major cities like Toronto, New York, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Denver, Seattle, and San Francisco.
Following her successful 'Timeless Tour'—her first in seven years—Trainor is approaching this new run of dates with renewed confidence. 'I'm not absolutely petrified like I was for the Timeless Tour,' she stated. 'I know I can survive it and it can be really fun.'
Fans can secure tickets after an American Express pre-sale, with general public tickets becoming available on 21st November at 10 a.m. local time.
