Meghan Trainor Isn’t Afraid To Be Silly

Meghan Trainor is the queen of making the personal universal. That’s true whether she’s singing about self-love, talking openly about mental health, or joking about how she shares everything (and we do mean everything) with her husband, Spy Kids star Daryl Sabara. It’s that signature mix of playfulness and vulnerability that makes Trainor feel like a friend you just want to sit down with and have a marathon chat session.

Her latest project, TBH, just makes us love her even more. Because *of course* she would happily spoof herself in a commercial: a cheeky State Farm spot that pairs her with Patrick Mahomes, athletic trainer Julie Frymyer, and everyone’s favorite insurance icon, Jake from State Farm.

It’s a surprisingly full-circle moment for Trainor, who, growing up, played center on the offensive line alongside her brother.

These days, her game looks a little different. Instead of snapping the ball on the field, she’s parenting sons Riley, 4, and Barry, 2, squeezing in as much time as possible with Sabara, and, oh yeah, being a hugely successful pop star. Toss in prioritizing her and her family’s mental health and challenging herself with new creative endeavors, and you could definitely say our girl is in a busy season of life.

In a quick catch-up Zoom, Trainor filled Scary Mommy in on what’s happening with her on and off the screen and stage.

Scary Mommy: This commercial is so fun. You’re sharing the screen with Patrick Mahomes, Julie Frymyer, and Jake from State Farm. What was the vibe like on set?

Meghan Trainor: Oh my God, immediately when I got there, I felt silly. I was in my big bubbly, adorable pop star dress. I’m trying to do this new thing with my fashion where just everything’s big and dramatic, so that was a fun first time we got to test out the new looks. I walked out and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, what am I doing here?’

Then I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to go meet Jake from State Farm.’ I was so starstruck, and then he was the sweetest guy ever. I got to meet Julie, Pat Mahomes’ actual trainer, so I was just like, ‘Hello, the correct one. I am just the silly other trainer that no one would want as a real trainer, so nice to meet you.’ And Patrick was the sweetest guy. Came right up to me … he shook my brother’s hand, my husband’s hand. He was just so nice, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is going to be a great day.’

We had the best time. I was making everyone giggle on set, which is all I care about. I kept looking at my older brother, who I got to bring, and he was like, ‘You’re doing great.’

SM: As you’ve probably seen, Taylor Swift was just on Travis Kelce’s podcast, and one thing he talked about is how being on stage as a singer and performer is every bit as athletic as playing football. As a woman who actually played a little football and is definitely an iconic performer, what are your thoughts on that?

MT: I did a tour last summer, The Timeless Tour. It was my first tour in eight years, and I was so terrified. I worked so hard in the gym before to get my stamina up and be strong and check my ankles for injuries from the boots I’m wearing and make sure I can dance in them all night. I was training for battle … I remember being like, ‘I’m an Olympian athlete,’ which I’m not at all, but I was training so hard that I was like, ‘I’m going to survive this tour,’ and I did.

People like Taylor and other artists will tour for years, and I survived two months. I was like, ‘I did it.’ So, I can’t imagine what Taylor and Beyoncé go through to train for their tours.

SM: Well, you are the queen of transparency, and a big part of that has been being super frank about your mental health. Why is it so important for you, as a mom, to be open and honest about that?

MT: Growing up on the East Coast, you didn’t hear anything like this. I started therapy when I was in high school, and I felt like I was weird. My dad made me not feel great about it, too, because I had an older dad, and it’s just not their [thing]. Like, my dad would never do therapy, and my mom at 50 just started therapy, because it was weird for them back then. They’re like, ‘You have feelings. Get over it.’ And now it’s like, ‘Oh, we need to talk about this. It’s very serious.’ When I hear other people talk about their mental health struggles, I’m like, ‘Oh, me too. I’m not alone. This is normal.’

My 4-year-old’s been in therapy, like immediately, because — this is so much info — he started withholding. He couldn’t go potty by himself, and so we got him in therapy. In two months, he started going by himself. So, sometimes we just need someone to talk to and release what’s going on up here, because we don’t even know how much it’s affecting our body.

In my 30s, I’ve never been more physically fit and healthier, and I feel incredible, but I’ll still notice my brain hurts … It’s like, ‘What have I not dug into yet?’ That’s what I’ve just started now: all breathwork and meditating and Reiki. And it’s exhausting, but it’s great.

SM: I think people really underestimate the importance of shared experience and just getting things out.

MT: A lot of people suffer for so long. It’s like, ‘Oh, we don’t have to? Cool.’ I choose not to. I’m going to ask for help — and I know it’s really hard to ask for help. I didn’t for a while, but now I’m like, ‘Help me.’

SM: You’ve mentioned before that you like to do one thing every year that scares you, and also that you’d be open to growing your family in the next year. Could those two things be one and the same?

MT: Absolutely. Life is terrifying. (laughs) Oh, yeah. I would love a daughter someday. That’s my real dream. I would love a daughter. Maybe two. I want four kids, because I’m crazy.

But this commercial scared me … I was like, ‘I hope I do well.’ I have two lines, and I was studying these lines like it was my Oscar-winning performance. Then we get there and they’re like, ‘Just riff.’ And I was like, ‘I studied lines.’ But it was nice. I got to be myself and be silly. And when I made the whole room laugh, I was like, ‘Oh my God. I’m doing it.’

SM: You’re at such sweet but sometimes totally exhausting ages with your boys. What’s your favorite thing about where they’re at now, and what has been more of a learning curve?

MT: There are things about having kids that no one, I don’t think, warns you about because they’re so random. Like, your kid doesn’t say, ‘I love you,’ for many years.

Every night, we would say, ‘I love you to the moon and back.’ Now that my son is 4, he’s so smart — he knows every planet, and he knows what’s the furthest one — and he’s like, ‘I love you out the galaxy into a black hole, back in through that black hole, through the galaxy, all the way back down to Earth.’ I’m like, ‘I love you that much, too.’ And we get into a competition of who can go farther. He’s like, ‘I love you to infinity and beyond, and then back.’ I’m just like, ‘Man, there was a time you didn’t say I love you. There was a time you couldn’t speak.’ So, it’s really the best thing in the whole wide world to hear out of his mouth.

Then my 2-year-old is just coming alive. I call it waking up — you know, when they’re just like blobs as babies and they’re just so cute, but then they have personality and they have feelings and they’re answering you and they can hear you. That’s my 2-year-old right now, and I’m like, ‘Oh, he’s awake, dude.’ He is here and he’s laughing and having the most fun.

They’re the best.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.