Kaitlin Butts Shares the ‘Mountaintop Moments’ That Defined Her Rise in 2025 [Exclusive]

This year, Kaitlin Butts has watched her dreams unfold right before her eyes. From viral success to dream-come-true touring moments, it’s been nothing short of incredible. We caught up with the Oklahoma native at Nashville’s Category 10 ahead of her performance at the fifth annual Opry NextStage Live event, where she reflected on the moments that defined her year. When asked to choose three “mountaintop moments,” she didn’t hesitate.

“I would say going on tour with Lainey Wilson was a huge, huge moment. We did a bunch of shows. We did 15, or I don’t even know, maybe nine shows with her,” she shared. “And just getting on tour with her was really, really incredible. Just seeing someone at that level operate the way that she does. And that was really cool.”

Her next highlight? A viral breakthrough that took her music to the masses. “You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead To Me)” exploded online with over 157 million TikTok views and 67 million global streams.

“I had a song go viral on the internet called ‘You Ain’t Got To Die (To Be Dead to Me).’ And it was really cool to see celebrities and comedians and influencers and people that I love and look up to. Lainey, like Ella [Langley], like Avery [Anna] singing my song on the internet and having that song that’s a true representation of me just be kind of in the world of even Real Housewives of New York. Bethenny Frankel was singing it at one point,” she recalled. “Things like that were so insane.”

And of course, signing her first major record deal.

“And then I signed a record deal with Republic Records this year, so it’s been a really wild one.”

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Looking back, the 2025 Opry NextStage artist can’t help but feel deeply grateful for every milestone, every surprise, and every full-circle moment.

“I’ve been singing since I was a little girl and it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was five years old. And it’s all I’ve ever really been good at and I just love to perform and entertain people and make people laugh or cry,” she explained. “And so it’s everything that I’ve wanted to do and I’m just glad that it’s taken me around really cool people that see that in me and want to help me and carry the message around the world.”

After signing her deal with Republic Records, the singer/songwriter released her Yeehaw Sessions EP, a project that allowed her to put her own spin on songs she wishes she had written herself. Now, her attention has shifted fully to her next album.

“I’m writing it right now,” she revealed. “My last album, Roadrunner, came out two years ago, and right before ‘You Ain’t Gotta Die’ went viral, I was like, ‘Okay, we need to start writing and get into the mode of the next thing.’ And then the song went viral and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this feels like a full reintroduction to a whole new level of people that haven’t known me before.’”

That unexpected viral moment caused her to take a step back and rethink her approach.

“I kind of dipped back into my older songs and tried to… give that life again,” she explained. “And then now I’m back into the zone of writing the next thing.”

In addition to writing for her next project, Kaitlin Butts, is also set to reunite with Lainey Wilson for a run of shows in Australia in early 2026. A complete list of tour dates can be found on her website.