Fans, fellow artists and a label head honcho alike were all about Meghan Trainor during her sold-out show at House Of Blues on Wednesday. And after a year that set the 21-year-old on an unexpected pop star path, Trainor hit the stage in Chicago and showed that she had the verve and talent to justify her rise.
Trainor began her career writing songs for others. She’s had a songwriting deal since she was 18. Her breakout hit, the incessantly catchy “All About That Bass,” was originally intended for someone else to sing. But after performing the song for Epic Records chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid, she got her own record deal and last year the label released the single. “All About That Bass” spent eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, earned Trainor two Grammy nominations and has gone six times platinum. Trainor’s debut major-label studio album, “Title,” was released in January.
Though “All About That Bass,” with its hip-hop-inflected doo-wop style might have come as a surprise both as a runaway hit and for Trainor to front, it was obvious during Wednesday’s performance that her knack for writing catchy hooks — such as on the similarly peppy “Lips Are Movin’,” — and command of the stage was no fluke. Backed by a five-piece band, two dancers and two backup singers, performing in front of a Lite-Brite mimicking LED backdrop, Trainor shimmied through her retro-tinged, sing-a-long tunes.
The show was a big one for Trainor: Reid was in the audience, and surprise guests A Great Big World backed her during a cover of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me.” The performance was also being livestreamed. And while Trainor seemed at times a bit too conscious of this, including shout-outs to Reid and playing up to the camera – she didn’t forget her mostly ‘tween fans, whom she dubbed Megatronz. She invited one fan onstage to crown her “queen,” complete with a light-up tiara, and she took a selfie for another.
Trainor’s material spanned themes reflecting her age, but not necessarily befitting her mostly ‘tween audience. “3AM” was about drunk texting, “Walkashame”‘s title speaks for itself. There were empowering themes as well albeit with some mixed messages, which mirrored the way some 20-somethings might navigate romantic relationships and work through defining themselves. Trainor is still new at this, and armed with her charm, charismatic singing and ability to write earworm hooks, she seems off to a promising start.
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