Meghan Trainor 'Feels Like A True Icon' Debuting New Music On 'Candy Crush'

Get ready to see Meghan Trainor as you’ve never seen her before. As artists continue to find new ways to bring fans immersive online experiences of their music, Trainor is teaming up with Candy Crush Saga for an unconventional debut of the music video for her newest single “Made You Look.” For 24 hours, the video will play exclusively inside the game starting on Thursday, October 20th, at 8:00 A.M. EST, before it’s available worldwide. 

“It’s never been done before,” Trainor told iHeartRadio about the upcoming collaboration, which holds a special meaning for her as a dedicated fan of the game. “I play [Candy Crush Saga] every night, so I’d be so excited if someone was like, ‘Here’s my music video.’ I’d freak out. I thought it was so cool and clever.” She added, “I knew this music video needed to be bright colors, gorgeous saturated and I always play the game so I was like, ‘Yo, these colors for the music video!’ And we thought, why not partner with them and make a delicious music video that has all the candies in it and the color scheme and it came out beautifully.” 

In addition to exclusive access to her new music video, Trainor will also make a “candified” appearance in-game for a unique and immersive experience from October 20th - 26th. “There’s a cute animated, Candy Crush version of me and I’m in love with her,” she said. “She’s so cute.” When asked if she had a hand in designing this virtual version of herself she revealed, “Oh, yeah! Everything. I picked the dress from the photo shoot I wore. We were like, ‘Make her look just like this.’ You can play a version with me where I recorded my voice in the game and I’m saying,” Trainor went on to give a sample of her impressively dynamic and crisp video game voiceover, “‘Sweet! Delicious!’ And then you crush blue microphones. It’s so cute and so sick. I’m so honored and I feel like a true icon being in this game.” 

Her forthcoming single “Made You Look” served as the perfect musical companion for Candy Crush, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. “I think the fun, upbeat… “pow-pow.” I don’t know how to explain that in words [laughs]. The song reminded me of when you crush a bunch of candies and you win, it’s that same feeling,” she explained. “I’m just so proud of it.” 

The Candy Crush Saga collaboration sounds like the perfect way to preface the release of her upcoming fourth studio album Takin’ It Back, which Trainor told iHeart is an exciting return to the infectious hits on her first album, Title (2015). 

“I mean, [the songwriting process has] always been quick but now it’s quick and fun,” Trainor explained. “Like, I wrote “Made You Look” over a lunch break. I wrote it laughing with my co-writer, being like, ‘What if I said: Call your chiropractor just in case your neck break,’ and just doing what I used to do on my first album. Writing jokes but putting it in a song where it’s like kitschy and clever and fun to sing. So, it was a... blast from the past and it was great.” 

Her first single from the album served as a musical and aesthetic palette for the rest of the project. “That was my starting theme. One of the first songs I wrote was “Don’t I Make It Look Easy” and I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do all of these [like this].’ And every [writing] session I would play [the song] and I’d be like okay, let’s try to beat this because this is the best one.” Trainor’s joyous approach to songwriting also became a bit of a family affair. “… we would have baby breaks. The baby would come downstairs and hang out with us,” she said referring to her son Riley, whom she shares with her husband, actor Daryl Sabara. “And we would pause everything. It was great.” 

Trainor gave fans another taste of the album on her popular TikTok account earlier this month. In a sweet and comedic video with Sabara, Trainor included a snippet of the song “Mama Wanna Mambo,” featuring Natti Natasha and Arturo Sandoval. 

“We were looking back in the ’50s and ‘60s of what other types of genres they would slip in back then and we found [a song called] “Papa Wanna Mambo” and I was like, ‘Well, mama wanna mambo!’ and immediately I started writing that hook and it was just perfect,” Trainor revealed. “I don’t know how but we got [Natasha and Sandoval]. Absolute legends, icons. And [they] brought it to the level that it felt like it was at.” But the collaboration almost didn’t happen. “It was a ‘We Don’t Know If She’s Gonna Make It’ until the day [the song] was due. It was kind of a surprise because [Natasha is] so busy and I understood that and it was alright. But then the day it was due I was like, ‘It’s alright. I wrote a second verse.’ Then they called and said ‘She’s recording it now!’ And it was chaos and I was like ‘Yes!’ It was the best surprise.” 

During her interview with iHeart, Trainor mentioned she had a rare day off to herself. “I had what I call a Bed Day,” she said, “which is where I lay in bed all day and watch movies on my laptop and I don’t get up unless I have to pee or eat.” 

Between being a musician, a viral TikToker, a host on the podcast Workin’ On It, and raising a child, Trainor knows a thing or two about finding time to decompress. “Take breaks from social media,” she suggested to people who feel overwhelmed by the fast-paced nature of modern life. “Start a new hobby, take time for yourself. Meditate! Go to the gym!” When asked what hobbies outside of music she maintains, Trainor revealed, “I like beading necklaces. Like the pearls with little charms. I went to Michael’s and I spent way too much money on charms since I’ve been making necklaces for everyone.”  

Be the first to check out Meghan Trainor’s “Made You Look” music video on October 20th by downloading Candy Crush Saga for free on iOS and Android. Takin’ It Back drops Friday, October 21st.