Today, Los Angeles-via-Georgia singer/songwriter Katelyn Tarver shares the relatable new single & first ever self-directed video for “Shit Happens,” with Patrick Jones (Billie Eilish, Meg Myers, Maya Hawke) serving as Director of Photography. The song is the first single from Tarver’s just-announced album Subject to Change – a suitably titled project after this past year – available digitally worldwide and on LP via Tarver’s webstore on October 15, with a wider physical release date to be announced soon.
On the album, Tarver emerges as the rare kind of artist capable of capturing painful truths in impossibly lovely pop songs that strike every raw nerve. On “Shit Happens,” inspired by a podcast episode of Unlocking Us with Brené Brown (“Tim Ferriss and Dax Shepard on Podcasting, Daily Practices, and the Long and Winding Path to Healing”), Tarver explores the hard truth that painful experiences don’t always come with a reason why. As she explains: “It’s always bothered me when things go wrong and people try to comfort you by immediately assigning some deeper meaning to it. I think it’s true that pain brings growth, but I also think it’s true that bad things happen, and it might never make sense. I think there’s freedom and catharsis in admitting that.”
With a record of media acclaim from the likes of The Guardian, Billboard, GRAMMY.com, NYLON, Earmilk, BlackBook, Oprah Magazine and millions of followers, on Subject to Change Tarver documents a turbulent period in her recent past, shedding light on all the grief, confusion and a lost sense of self. Infinitely brightened by her radiant voice, the result is the musical equivalent of a brutally honest conversation with a close friend — one that leaves you undeniably rattled but with a renewed clarity and deeper understanding of your own chaotic heart. Co-written and produced with longtime collaborators including Davis Naish, David Arkwright and Justin Gammella (Ashe, Lennon Stella), the album is set for release midway through Tarver’s tour with JOHNNYSWIM that kicks off on September 30.
“I think a lot of us go through that phase in life where you ask yourself, ‘Is this it?’ It can be so isolating and so hard to talk about, especially with social media and all the pressure to always have your shit together,” Tarver explains. “Life is unpredictable. For all the stories of triumph and resilience, there are just as many stories of failure and getting lost. The addict relapses. The happy couple gets divorced. The one you’ve put on a pedestal lets you down. Finding the love of your life doesn’t solve your problems. You know the expression, the only way out is through? These songs are me making my way through. Giving myself permission to not have the answers. Letting myself feel it all. The pain, the joy, the confusion, the bittersweet in-between…I learned that uncertainty can be an open door. And that change is a constant invitation I want to learn to accept.”
The follow-up to her highly praised Kool Aid EP (a 2018 release made with hitmakers like Wrabel), Subject to Change’s graceful convergence of pop and folk and indie-rock also spotlights the spellbinding vocal work Tarver has previously brought to singles like “Weekend Millionaires” (made with Childish Gambino producer Ludwig Göransson) and “You Don’t Know” (a heart-melting ballad whose viral live video has now amassed over 55 million views). Tarver also co-wrote Cheryl Cole’s UK #1 single “Crazy Stupid Love” with pop goliath Wayne Wilkins (Beyoncé, Leona Lewis) and starred in shows from Big Time Rush and Famous In Love to HBO’s Ballers with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and NBC’s primetime hit show Songland, which she won and led Old Dominion to record her song “Young.” Like this new album’s title suggests, Tarver’s journey is ever-changing — and Subject to Change is a beautiful new chapter she can’t wait to share.
