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Tulsa-born singer-songwriter Kaitlin Butts is ready to take fans on another wild ride through the honky tonk with her new single “I Wanna Be Bad,” available everywhere now. (Watch above)
The song arrives following the announcement of Butts’ fourth studio album, Hello, Honky Tonk, due October 30 via Republic Records. Already named one of Rolling Stone’s most anticipated albums of 2026, the project is shaping up as a colorful love letter to the honky tonks, characters and late nights that have become such an important part of Butts’ life on the road.
Written by Butts and Natalie Hemby, “I Wanna Be Bad” is a playful invitation to cut loose and leave your good behavior at the door. Following her recent single “Never Really Mine,” the new track offers another glimpse into the colorful world Butts has created for Hello, Honky Tonk.
The song is equal parts rowdy and tongue-in-cheek, celebrating the freedom of letting loose and embracing a little trouble.
The new single arrives with an equally entertaining official music video, directed by Butts and frequent collaborator Chris Beyrooty and filmed at Nashville’s Cross-Eyed Critters karaoke bar.
The video throws Butts into a wild honky tonk fantasy complete with Texas-sized beers, line dancing, drag queens and even animatronic animals. It’s a fitting introduction to the theatrical world she’s created for Hello, Honky Tonk.
Butts drew inspiration for the album from the vaudeville-style vignettes of the movie musical Chicago, along with the wonderfully over-the-top spirit of Disney World’s Country Bear Musical Jamboree.
“When Teddi Barra came down from the ceiling on her swing, my mom and I just looked at each other and I was like, ‘That is me,’” Butts recalls of the cowboy-hatted, feather-boa-wearing brown bear that ultimately inspired the album’s cover.
Recorded in Nashville with producer Tofer Brown, Hello, Honky Tonk promises to bring listeners into a larger-than-life barroom populated by characters who could be sitting at the bar, dancing across the floor or nursing a drink in the corner booth.
“I picture all of this happening at Skinny Dennis here in Nashville,” Butts says. “These are all the different people in the room. There’s the bar fight that’s happening. There’s the bad girl that just got off work. There’s me being the entertainer. There are so many people that really love the nightlife. It’s a connector for people.”
The album continues the creative evolution Butts began with her critically acclaimed 2024 album Roadrunner!, a bold reimagining inspired by Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! that earned a spot on numerous year-end best-of lists.
“I Wanna Be Bad” follows “Never Really Mine,” a sharp-witted take on jealousy and romantic freedom written by Butts alongside Maggie Antone and Lola Kirke.
Butts has had a particularly busy year beyond her own music. She recently joined Willow Avalon on “Hypothetically Speaking” and its music video, appeared in Ella Langley’s award-winning “Choosin’ Texas” video, co-directed and wrote the treatment for Flatland Cavalry’s “Unglued,” and joined The Band Perry for a new version of their hit “You Lie.”
The new album marks Butts’ first full-length release since signing with Republic Records in October 2025. She followed the signing with The Yeehaw Sessions, a fan-favorite EP featuring her genre-bending takes on songs by Chappell Roan, Jimmy Eat World, The Chicks and Don Williams, along with her viral anthem “You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead To Me),” which has amassed more than 157 million TikTok views and 67 million global streams.
Butts continues to carve out a unique space in country music with her fearless songwriting, theatrical performances and willingness to push the genre in unexpected directions. She’s toured with Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley, headlined her own sold-out European Cowgirl Experience, and earned a spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s American Currents exhibition for the second consecutive year.
She is also a 2026 MusicRow Award nominee for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, while being named to both the 2025 Opry NextStage class and CMT Next Women of Country class.
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