Kaitlin Butts Embraces Her Wild Side On ‘I Wanna Be Bad,’ Previewing Just-Announced Album, ‘Hello, Honky Tonk’

Kaitlin Butts is throwing responsibility out the window and embracing her wild side with her latest single, “I Wanna Be Bad.” The rowdy new track also gives fans a glimpse into the Tulsa-born singer/songwriter’s just announced album, Hello, Honky Tonk, arriving October 30 via Republic Records.

Following the release of “Never Really Mine,” “I Wanna Be Bad” takes on a more rebellious approach as Butts sings about stepping away from her good girl ways and giving herself permission to have a little fun with neon lights, tequila and maybe even a little flirting.

The track penned by Butts with Natalie Hemby centers around a woman who is tired of always being the dependable one. After spending her days working hard and doing what’s expected of her, she decides it’s time to try living on the wild side. Butts brings a hard-hitting, upbeat energy to “I Wanna Be Bad,” pairing her confident, carefree vocals with a sound that’s country from start to finish.

“Oh, and sometimes/ I wanna go crazy/ Oh, and sometimes I wanna go maniac mad/ I wanna smoke and drink and party and dance all on the floor/ Maybe kiss a cowboy/ Maybe even more/ Oh, sometimes I wanna be bad,” Butts sings on the chorus.

The song arrives alongside an equally wild and rebellious music video, directed by Butts and frequent collaborator Chris Beyrooty. Shot at Nashville’s Cross-Eyed Critters karaoke bar, the video brings the song’s don’t-care attiude to life with Texas-sized beers, line dancing, drag queens and even animatronic animals.

The over-the-top visual and confidence-soaked lyrics give listeners a preview into the world Butts is creating with Hello, Honky Tonk, her fourth studio album set to capture the honky tonk atmosphere that has influenced her music and become a major part of her life on the road.

The collection also taps into Butts’ theater days as a child, as it was inspired by the vaudeville-style vignettes that she loved from the movie musical Chicago, blended with a touch of the nostalgia from Disney World’s beloved Country Bear Musical Jamboree.

“The thought behind the concept was how in Chicago, the character Roxie Hart is dreaming up what her show would look like and all the people in it,” says Butts.

She recently took a trip to see the original Jamboree before it was updated and immediately saw herself in one of the characters in the Nashville-inspired stage show.

“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,’” she recalled. “I picture all of this happening at Skinny Dennis here in Nashville,” she says of a popular honky tonk in Music City.  “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 night life. It’s a connector for people.” 

The new album comes during a busy year for Butts, who has continued to showcase her versatility both onstage and behind the scenes. Earlier this year, she teamed up with Willow Avalon for “Hypothetically Speaking,” appeared in Ella Langley’s award-winning “Choosin’ Texas” music video, co-directed and wrote the treatment for Flatland Cavalry’s “Unglued” video, and joined The Band Perry for a new take on their hit “You Lie.”

Hello, Honky Tonk will serve as Butts’ first full-length album since signing with Republic Records in October 2025. She previously released The Yeehaw Sessions, a fan-favorite EP that put her own genre-bending spin on songs including Chappell Roan’s “Red Wine Supernova,” Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle,” The Chicks’ “Sin Wagon” and Don Williams’ “Tulsa Time.” The project also featured her viral track “You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead To Me),” which has surpassed 157 million TikTok views and 67 million global streams.

Butts is currently on a run of festival and fair appearances, while also serving as a special guest opener on Ella Langley’s The Dandelion Tour.