Katelyn Tarver Shares Striking New Single “Nicer”

Today, Los Angeles-via-Georgia singer/songwriter Katelyn Tarver releases “Nicer,” a striking new single & video (directed by Fiori) that unfolds in shimmering grooves and lush guitar tones as she reflects on her people-pleasing tendencies. Premiered with Atwood Magazine, it follows relatable singles “All Our Friends Are Splitting Up” (also on NPR & Flaunt Magazine) and “Shit Happens” from her upcoming album Subject to Change – out November 12. Tarver explains: “The opening line of this song is inspired by my mom scolding me for honking at a car who cut me off in traffic. She was visiting me in LA, and I guess didn’t think the guy who cut me off deserved a honk. “Gosh Katelyn! You used to be nicer!” (meant to be read in a thick southern accent for full effect). It made me laugh, but it also weirdly stuck with me for years afterward. I think because it hit on a part of me that I was trying to get to know. The part of me that isn’t such a people pleaser. Who isn’t afraid to speak her mind a little more. To all the former rule followers and recovering people pleasers, may this song help us get out there and be a dick sometimes if we need to.”

Tarver will also be touring with JOHNNYSWIM next year starting in March 2022 - tour dates & tickets here.

Watch / Share: “Nicer”

Pre-Order: Subject to Change

On this new album, Tarver emerges as the rare kind of artist capable of capturing painful truths in impossibly lovely pop songs that strike every raw nerve. Subject to Change’s graceful convergence of pop, folk and indie-rock spotlights spellbinding vocal work from Tarver, whose journey as the title suggests is ever-changing.

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), Tarver explains her thoughts around the album:

“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. 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.”