Meghan Trainor to Reportedly Guest on Remix of Brett Eldredge’s “Haven’t Met You”
Meghan Trainor will be the latest pop star to jump on the single of a country artist according to reports. Metadata feeding through the music pipeline is pointing to country artist Brett Eldredge releasing the song “Haven’t Met You” from his 2017 self-titled record as his next single. But instead of it being the version we’ve already heard, it will be a remix with Meghan Trainor guesting on vocals.
If the reports hold form, it will be yet another country music single to attempt to use the buzz of a pop star to enhance the attention of the public, and exploit Billboard’s charting tabulations by allowing spins in the pop world to be tabulated in country. Currently Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart has been monopolized by Bebe Rexha’s “Meant To Be” with Florida Georgia Line for the last 24 weeks and counting. Other pop and country collaborations currently appearing in country radio’s Top 20 include Keith Urban with Julia Michaels on the song “Coming Home,” and Chris Lane with Tori Kelly on the song “Take Back Home Girl.”
Meghan Trainor is no stranger to country music though. The Nashville resident has written songs for Rascal Flatts, Lauren Alaina, and others, and recorded the song “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” she co-wrote with country songwriter Caitlyn Smith. Meghan Trainor may have as much country cred as Brett Eldredge at this point, since Brett’s career took a decidedly Metro-Bro and adult contemporary turn after a promising start with a more rootsy sound.
Brett Eldredge and Meghan Trainor also were paired together for a cover of the Christmas classic, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” in 2016. The song was released as a single as well, and charted in the Top 40 of country.
The concern with so many remixes and collaborations between pop and country artists in 2018 is it works to blur the lines between the two genres, while often not offering anything subsnative or new to either. Another recent remix featured Kane Brown on Camila Cabello’s single “Never Be The Same.” Even Kane Brown admitted the remix was simply to push the song to the top of the charts, while the song wasn’t augmented aside from adding Brown’s new vocal signal. It would be safe to assume Brett Eldredge’s “Haven’t Met You” will work the same, despite being sold as a remix.
The other concern is how the continuing appearances of pop women on country singles is edging out the established women of country for precious chart and radio spots. In the case of Brett Eldredge’s “Haven’t Met You,” this is even more relevant since there is already a country artist on the track. Songwriter and performer Heather Morgan is not only a co-writer on the original song, but is credited for the female harmony vocals on “Haven’t Met You.” Atlantic Nashville felt no need to preface the song as “feat. Heather Morgan” when it was first released. Now there’s a chance her vocal contribution won’t be included at all as the song makes it to country radio, or it might be buried in the mix under Meghan.
When it comes to pop stars, Meghan Trainor is one of the few who knows her way around the country music realm, and how to navigate Nashville traffic at rush hour. A full-blown move to country from her in the future should not go unexpected. But the inclusion of yet another pop star continues the blurring of genre lines, while a woman from the country ranks could have benefited from the exposure.
No word on when the remix may be released, but Genius already has a listing for it. The Standom is also reporting it will be the new single.
May 19, 2018 @ 10:54 am
He actually had no choice but to use a pop singer. Turns out all the “country” singers, like Ashley Monroe, and Kacey Musgraves, turned him down because…
They’d gone disco…
Just look at them lights
They’d gone disco
Polyester tights
They’d gone disco
Woo! Outta sight!
They’d gone discoooo…
There they go!
May 19, 2018 @ 6:17 pm
I find it ironic that Kacey, in her attempts to further separate herself from the mainstream country trap, ended up going pop as well, just in a different direction.
May 19, 2018 @ 11:54 am
Music is so messed up these days.
On another note, not a whole lot of good releases this year.
Only digging…
1. Randall King
2. Shotgun Rider
3. John Prine
4. Mike and The Moonpies
May 19, 2018 @ 11:56 am
No love for Sarah Shook?
May 19, 2018 @ 12:03 pm
Haven’t checked that one out yet, but I’ll give it go since you recommend it
May 19, 2018 @ 4:30 pm
Or how about Lindi Ortega’s LIBERTY? Hell, that’s my current pick for best album of 2018.
May 19, 2018 @ 4:48 pm
Interesting….i feel the opposite, that its been a strong year for new releases. However i will say nothing released this year has struck me as transcendent, or runaway album of the year.
I’m enjoying everything you mentioned, but would also add the following to the list of excellent albums released this year:
Kayla Ray
Old Crow Medicine Show
Trampled by Turtles
Ugly Valley Boys
Sarah Shook
Buffalo gospel
Ashley mcbryde
Courtney patton
May 19, 2018 @ 5:20 pm
And Brent Cobb! Cant believe i forgot that one!
May 20, 2018 @ 8:33 am
This is a little outside the realm of this site, but I really dig this Leon III album. It’s from two guys from the wrinkle neck mules. I’d add it to this comment chain’s list of great albums from this year.
May 20, 2018 @ 12:10 am
Blake Berglund.
May 20, 2018 @ 12:13 am
The new Erik Dylan one that came out is up there with Randall King, Brent Cobb and Sara Shook for me. I’m mostly holding out for the new Cody Jinks in June.
May 20, 2018 @ 3:38 am
New Whitey Morgan as well. A year with a new Jinks and Whitey album can’t be a bad year for country music.
May 20, 2018 @ 5:35 am
Didnt know erik dylan had a new record out, thanks!
Ive listened to blake berglund a couple times and it never hooked me. Ill try again.
May 20, 2018 @ 10:33 am
Wouldn’t hold my breath on getting a new Cody Jinks album in June. If that was the case, we would have seen a lead single and pre-orders a month ago. Clearly there has been a delay. I suspect we hear something about it soon.
May 20, 2018 @ 5:43 am
I weep for anyone not blasting Starfire by Caitlyn Smith on repeat.
May 19, 2018 @ 12:24 pm
Make it stop.
May 19, 2018 @ 12:31 pm
”Meghan Trainor may have as much country cred as Brett Eldredge at this point, ‘ …..
yeah …..NONE .
This is unsurprising and unwelcome ” news ”
I like her writing sensibilities and her unique vocal talents , but its the poppiest of POP POP POP POP .
This
May 20, 2018 @ 8:51 am
I agree Albert I really like Meghan and the way she writes and sings Pop. She is the cutest Pop queen which is why I’d prefer if she stays away from this.
Brett Eldredge is headling the second day of our Windy City Smokeout coming on after Aaron Lewis and Ashley McBryde. IF I end up going that day I won’t stick around for Eldredge so that tells you how I feel about him. He has no cred and his music is irrelevant.
May 20, 2018 @ 11:01 am
I’m sorry,but I disagree-if Meghan Trainor can cross between country and pop with ease, she should be allowed to be able to contribute to a country album and a country song.
May 20, 2018 @ 2:02 pm
I didn’t say she shouldn’t be able to. Of course anybody can do whatever they want and as we’ve seen recently they do! I just said I myself would prefer if she didn’t and I’m a fan of hers not Eldredge. I don’t love or hate the song per se., although I don’t know how Country it is….lol I’ll give the Pop remix a listen when it comes out like we all will and we’ll all chime in when Trigger reviews it.
May 19, 2018 @ 3:07 pm
Just listened to the original song from the album and have to say that I don’t mind it all that bad as a mainstream single. Not really too unique or interesting in the writing, but still a hell of a lot better than whatever garbage Walker Hayes is busy trying to get on the radio. Also, as much as I’d love to see an actually country artist featured on the remix, I don’t absolutely hate the idea of Meghan Trainor being here either. I feel like if this wasn’t being released right in the middle of this big trend of pop collaborations, there wouldn’t be a whole lot wrong with it. Plus, it’s not hard to think of much, much worse duet partners they could have gone with.
May 19, 2018 @ 5:01 pm
I kind of get what you are saying but I don’t like it when people say well at least whatever bs is being released to radio is better than this artist or whatever. The bar Walker Hayes has set is so incredibly low an f-ing ant could jump over it so of course anything is better than that. There shouldn’t be any compromises. If something smells and is brown, it doesn’t matter if it’s runny, corny, hard, or somewhat soft, it’s still crap.
May 19, 2018 @ 8:11 pm
The Walker Hayes comparison was obviously pretty hyperbolic. What I’m saying is that it’s got a lot of acoustic, country-sounding instrumentation and some steel guitar in the background. This along with lyrics that, while not the most outstanding, are about real emotion and feeling. This is the kind of song where when I hear it on the radio, I’ll know I’ve tuned into a country station. Also, I disagree that we should take such a hardline approach to “good and bad” country music in the mainstream. Even if this song isn’t up to par with some of the great stuff the genre has to offer, it should still be applauded for taking the step in the right direction. We aren’t about to have Nashville jump from Walker Hayes and Kane Brown to Cody Jinks and Sturgill overnight. It takes songs like this to move the entirety of the genre back to where it’s supposed to be.
May 19, 2018 @ 5:28 pm
“Haven’t Met You” is not terrible or anything. When the remix is released perhaps I’ll do a song review.
May 19, 2018 @ 4:44 pm
Guys singing about all the stereotypical themes in country music and country living while marginalizing the genre…check. Country stars calling themselves country when actually singing pop songs……check. Pop stars saying they are singing country songs that are actually pop songs…..check. The end of country music as the world knows it….. almost check.
May 20, 2018 @ 12:29 am
I checked out Amazon Musics “Country Heat” playlist. All I can say is I believe country is dead and won’t recover.
May 20, 2018 @ 5:41 am
Remember when Hank Williams Sr sang “Hey Good Lookin?”
That was pop. It’s time to stop implying that using country and pop in the same sentence is in any way bad or worse, sacrilegious. This music has ALWAYS been poppy.
May 20, 2018 @ 8:16 am
”Remember when Hank Williams Sr sang “Hey Good Lookin?”…That was pop. ”
it was absolutely not pop . it was a great country lyric with a country shuffle/swing and clever country imagery and you could and can still hit the dance floor on that one. couples being able to dancing to country music has been gone since the cut-time rap rhythms began infecting the genre
May 20, 2018 @ 8:28 am
You’re absolutely wrong. Just about everyone in the world knows that Hank mixed styles of music. Bluegrass, folk, pop into something of his own.
May 19, 2018 @ 6:15 pm
IT’S TIME TO STOP
I opened the Spotify app today and was instantly greeted by a massive graphic of Midland that took up about 50% of my screen to promote their garbage “Hot Country” playlist, and under another spread of playlists with a header that simply said, “Country,” the first playlist listed was titled “Pop-Co,” which featured Camilla Cabello and Kane Brown on the playlist cover graphic. It’s blatant what they’re trying to do at this point; turn country music into a subgenre of mainstream pop. All we can wonder now is how far it will go.
May 19, 2018 @ 7:57 pm
Country or not country, Brett Eldredge’s most recent album is absolutely fantastic aside from the track “Superhero.” I’d love to hear a song like “Cycles” on country radio.
May 19, 2018 @ 8:13 pm
Ahhhhh, Brett Eldredge……….he sold out long ago. He was always pop country, but his first album had a country feel and sound to it….it was very likable. “Raymond” will always be the best song of his career, that song represents what true country music really is. “It Aint Gotta Be Love” was also a very solid pop country single but unfortunately his label canned it from his debut album after it stalled on the charts at #46 (I think Atlantic is retarded for not re-releasing it after all the #1’s hes had). Needless to say Brett’s 2nd album was full of garbage, many songs that i dont know how you could even associate it with country music. I own all his albums and I’m not impressed with the latest one, i just dont find it country at all and sounds like hot contemporary pop music. Eldredge, just like Dustin Lynch and Chris Young, all sold their soul to the nashville machine when all of them have put out some real country music, especially Chris Young. It disappoints me to no end that country music is pretty much dead in the mainstream.
May 20, 2018 @ 8:20 am
easton corbin, josh turner , joe nichols…even Mcreery …so many artists who sang country as good or better than anyone and all of them singing pop shit to make a living .
May 20, 2018 @ 11:04 am
So what the frak kind of country music do you think that they should sing that will get them the same amount of money they’re getting with pop music? I’m all ears.
May 20, 2018 @ 10:18 pm
I think if labels and artists stopped pandering to the lowest common INDIFFERENT denominator , REAL fans of REAL country talent would step up and these uniquely talented artists ( I’ve referenced above ) could sing and record and write what is closest to their hearts artistically and know that it would be promoted and supported .
Look no further than the unimaginable ( in these times ) success of a Chris Stapleton . He remains true ( as a solo and group artist ) to his vision creatively and does not pander or water down that vision to sell music to pop audiences . The result is huge album sales and streams as well as the highest awards the county music industry hands out . IT CAN BE DONE. THERE IS NO REASON someone with a voice like Joe Nichols, for instance , should have to crank out pop crap ‘cuz his label wants to cater to kids . This guy would find a loyal and long term audience if he stayed true to his heart and had the support of a label who respected that and promoted the hell out of his stuff . Eventually ( if radio had the guts to stop stooping to the lowest levels) people would begin to respect and appreciate the REAL in the music again . They would come to recognize authenticity and the beautiful unique thing REAL country music can be .
Leave pop to the kids . ” Man Up ” ‘country’ music !
May 23, 2018 @ 5:38 am
Yes.
And those guys are just weak that’s all. They are risk adverse and they want to sustain their lifestyle. Therefore, they just do what the label are telling them. Real artists believe in their talent and wouldn’t waste their legacy and talent on crappy albums and crappy songs.
As mentioned by others already, the erosion of country music is a reflection of the erosion of the western culture as well. Garbage in , Garbage out.
May 26, 2018 @ 4:48 pm
GOOD POINTS
May 20, 2018 @ 10:51 am
I’ll stick with Sturgil, and Travis Meadows. I’m a rock guy who loves country. I spent a week having to stomach Pop Country, during Hurricane Harvey, and it gave me headaches.
May 20, 2018 @ 12:37 pm
I don’t care about Meghan Trainor & her ability to navigate in the Nashville rush hour. She is NOT country.
She wrote a couple of pop-“country” tunes. That’s it.
For me Brett Eldredge is a singing sleeping-pill. Boring personality, boring songs but the soccer moms keep him on the charts. The duet will be a hit but mid-term BE will fade away or he needs another gimmick to stay relevant.
Much Better Music:
Tim Culpepper – DUI (Drinkin’ Under The Influence) – 8 Track EP – Released (05/19)
Tim Culpepper knows what traditional country fans want…steel, fiddle, cryin’ in your beer songs & with “Drove Her Away” a song George Strait (or Alan Jackson) would take to #1 (only a couple of years ago).
Scott McQuaig – A Song Away From You – Album – Released (04/14)
A hundred years ago (or so) Scott McQuaig had two songs on the Billboard charts. He is back with a fine collection of honky-tonk & traditional country songs. My highlight: “Wide River To Cross”.
Tony Corrales – Country Looks Good On You – Album – Released (05/19)
Tony Corrales might not be the best vocalist & the first song is about “backroad” & “tailgate”. The other nine tracks are better. Again an artists for the fans of George Strait. “Honky Tonks & Cantinas” sounds like one of the GS laid-back mid-tempo tunes + a cover of “Looking For Love”.
Kelly Willis – Back Being Blue – Album – Released (05/18)
The album sounds/is old-fashioned (in a good way) & like a Crystal Gayle album. But the name on the cover says Kelly Willis. My Highlight: “I’m A Lover (Not A Fighter)”.
May 20, 2018 @ 10:24 pm
”For me Brett Eldredge is a singing sleeping-pill. Boring personality, boring songs but the soccer moms keep him on the charts. The duet will be a hit but mid-term BE will fade away or he needs another gimmick to stay relevant.”
Flavour of the month …..no character …not an authentic bone in his fake country body
May 21, 2018 @ 9:09 am
Actually, I would be so happy if EVERY time one of these stories came up EVERY comment ignored the topic and instead was about real country music.
15 out of 38 on this one. Keep it up!
May 21, 2018 @ 3:51 pm
It just seems popular today for artists of two different music genres to collaborate. I listen to all kinds of music and the pop world has been doing this a lot these recent years, esp a pop singer joining a hip-hop or rap singer. I agree that in Country music, that female-singer-slot shouldn’t be taken up by someone non-country. not until the playing field is even.
I was surprised to read how much some people on here like Meghan Trainer. I respect her as much more than a ‘pop star’ and she seems like a decent person. Just can’t get into her 50’s throwback-sound.
May 22, 2018 @ 11:35 am
I love the throwback sound. I was also hoping she’d evolve out of it as an artist/songwriter but not as a guest on something/someone like this or a straight up attempt at Country which I’d be leery of.
May 22, 2018 @ 4:30 pm
A lot of people seemed to like it– I rem when her music first came out and all the excitement it seemed to bring. A unique sound for today, I do respect that. She also is a recording artist a lot of girls seemed to look up to regarding her being “normal” more than some others today. (Like she actually wears a full outfit of clothes on stage and I think in all videos.)