Inside Tour Life with Katelyn Tarver
Katelyn Tarver keeps moving forward. Up to this point, the Georgia-born singer-songwriter and actor has already built a career through talent and sharp instincts, with her new releases (“#1” and “Strange Weather”) signaling the next phase: braver, louder, and unafraid to sit with the mess.
“#1” sprints on drum-and-bass adrenaline and 2000s-coded textures; on the other hand, “Strange Weather” turns a pop updraft into a mantra for living with contradictions. Together they preview a Spring 2026 album forged in the aftershocks of divorce—songs that don’t tidy the edges so much as make room for them.
After wrapping a recent tour run with Big Time Rush across North America, Tarver is also expected to head back out with the band this November for their European dates. Add in recent screen work and a steadily deepening catalog, and you get an artist actively rewriting her story, beat by beat.
You were on the road with Big Time Rush this summer—how has it felt to be back onstage with them after all these years?
Katelyn Tarver: It is truly such a blast. It feels like no time has passed in a way. Downtime on tour feels very similar to downtime on set back when we were shooting the show. We all get along and laugh, and it feels special to get to have this experience together.
What's been one of your favorite or most unexpected moments from the tour?
Katelyn Tarver: Seeing all the love for my character that I played on the show was really unexpected and sweet. Like, I knew people loved me and Kendall together on the show, but to hear from people how much they loved Jo specifically was really cool. And on top of that, for the fans to embrace my music and cheer me on every night is so meaningful.
Has the energy of the live shows influenced your approach to this next chapter of music?
Katelyn Tarver: Yes, playing these shows really reinvigorated my love of performing and putting on a high-energy show. I’ve always taken into consideration how a song is going to translate live, but after this tour, I’m thinking about it even more. I’m excited to see how it helps me continue to shape this next chapter of music!
Your latest singles have marked a clear shift in sound and tone-what inspired the creative direction of this new era?
Katelyn Tarver: I went through some really intense upheaval in my life, so it felt right to shake things up in my music to reflect that.
This upcoming album comes from a really personal place. What was the emotional or creative spark behind it?
Katelyn Tarver: To quote the queen Adele—divorce babes, divorce.
How did the process of writing this album help you navigate the changes happening in your life?
Katelyn Tarver: It made me so grateful to have an outlet like music to express what I was going through and help make sense of it all. I like to think of myself as a pretty introspective, self-aware person at this point in my life, but there are still truths that only get revealed to me through songwriting. It’s hard to run from yourself when you write songs.
You've spoken before about embracing reinvention-how has that played into the way you're building this project?
Katelyn Tarver: A big part of this new chapter in my life has been learning to trust myself. For me, that looks like not second-guessing/overthinking my gut instinct. So, that’s the energy I’ve been embracing while making this record. I feel like the process of making it was a lot more insular than previous albums. Not polling too many people for validation on whether or not a song is good, not worrying about mixing genres, etc. Just trying to have fun and enjoy the process and make the most honest record I could make about one of the most fragile times of my life so far.
After this tour wraps and the album drops, what are you most looking forward to next?
Katelyn Tarver: Doing a headline tour! I love playing live, and being on this tour has just intensified that love. I can’t wait to keep playing shows and keep making more music.
