Kaitlin Butts is stepping into one of the most exciting moments of her career, armed with her trademark charm, sharp humor, and heartfelt storytelling. The Oklahoma native — now one of country music’s most magnetic rising voices — has released her new ‘Yeehaw Sessions EP,' today, November 14, 2025, via Republic Records. It marks her first release with the major label, a leap that follows a whirlwind year of independence, a viral hit in ‘You Ain't Gotta Die (To Be Dead to Me) and a long-held dream coming true. “From releasing my album over a year ago as an independent artist, to having a viral song, to now signing a record deal with such a prestigious label like Republic Records, the journey has felt nothing short of surreal,” she says. “I’m so inspired by the Republic team and how their vision aligns with the dreams that I’ve always had for myself.”
To introduce the new project, Butts released a stunning rendition of Jimmy Eat World’s early-2000s anthem ‘The Middle' — a stripped-back, emotionally rich take shaped by acoustic guitar, fiddle and dobro. The cover was born from an unexpected moment of self-reflection after a rough patch online, transforming the song’s message into something deeply personal. Its accompanying video, filmed at Taylor Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch, adds a playful country twist to the original’s spirit of freedom. Together, the single and new EP signal a brighter, rowdier chapter for Butts as she reimagines favourite songs, revisits her own viral hit, and brings the joy of her live show into this new era. We caught up with her to talk all about it.
Thank you for your time today, Kaitlin, we appreciate how busy you are right now. We last talked when you came over to the UK for the Long Road festival in 2024 – so much has happened to you since then!
A lot of things! A lot of life! (laughing)
2025 has been a crazy year for you – viral songs, big tours, international shows, record deals! What's been the craziest thing that has happened to you this year?
I would say the viral song was something I didn't really expect, especially a year after its release! I'm sitting around on my phone and I start seeing celebrities, influencers and comedians all making videos with the song. I knew it was a song that always went down well live but for it it become attached to people like Ella Langley and Avery Anna – Lainey even helped it – I just didn't expect anything like that, for sure! (laughing)
When you have a song like that does it put pressure on the songs coming down the line next or do you just enjoy the moment for what it is?
There's always a pressure on your next project but I feel pretty free to be honest. People who come to my shows already like what I do and so I'm not feeling pressure to change into something or somebody that I'm not. I'm also not feeling the needs to replicate ‘You Ain't Gotta Die' – I like to take people on different journeys with my music and show them different parts of my brian.
We saw you at the Long Road, we saw you at C2C. It's great being in a crowd where people see you for the first time. Can you tell who's there for the first time when you play a show?
I can tell the difference between regular fans and first timers, sure! I am beginning to recognise the faces of fans who come to shows regularly now. I try to see who's out there and keep track – I also think the wilder you are at one of my shows probably means you've been to see me before and know what to expect! (laughing)
You signed with Republic Records recently, which is amazing. Why did that feel like the right fit for you at this time?
After the viral song I had a whole lot of people sniffing around for the first time, which kinda made me wonder where they had been all along! (laughing) There were some that were interested for a minute before the success of ‘You Ain't Gotta Die…' but then they faded away, which I noted for later, by the way! (laughing) With Mary Catherine Kinney, who has always been a big cheerleader of mine, getting appointed at Republic it made a difference – I've always loved her magnetising spirit. She's on a journey, I'm on a journey – it feels very much like the kind of people I want to surround myself with. They have great ideas and their vision aligns with the dreams I have for myself and it's refreshing that they don't have this ‘go big or go home mentality.' I'm a different artist than that and they understand that.
I loved hearing you on the Bobby Bones show but it did make me think, where's Bobby been all this time for this fine Oklahoma girl?
I know! I always knew he would like my music. My mom and I would always share his stuff and we knew he was a big heavy hitter in town. I guess there are so many talented people and musicians in town that he must get thrown so much stuff his way all the time. Either way, I'm just glad he got on the train eventually! (laughing)
What do you anticipate changing creatively, logistically or emotionally for you as you move forward with Republic?
I don't think much will change. Evolving is something that is really important as you get older, both personally and creatively. So, I want to get better as a songwriter and I think Republic can help with that. The only thing that won't change is how authentic I want to remain and they will champion that – they know when an artist is authentic the audiences will respect and respond to that. What I did with ‘Roadrunner' was authentically me – musical theatre built me and I honed in on that.
Have you noticed more people knocking on your door wanting to write and collaborate with you since ‘…(Dead to Me)' blew up?
Yes, for sure. I think collaborating is one of the best ways to get your name out there and reach new audiences. I've done a couple of duets with different types of artists recently and gotten enquiries about writing with different people too. I even have a write scheduled with Shane McAnally soon! Ten years ago that would have been a laughable sentence for me, something that you might say knowing that is not going to happen! I've always loved him and his writing and you've just got to hope that your art brings you to people like that, people you've admired for so long!
We loved your duet with Tyler Braden on ‘Might be Dangerous.' It's going to make our ‘Top 10 Duets of the Year' feature. How did that partnership come about?
From my perspective we just got an email one day. The way he tells the story is that someone from my old management reached out to his management and my name stuck with him, which is an easy thing with the surname Butts, right? (laughing) He had this duet and he thought of me – I've done collabs with other artists but this was kinda the first time I was met with the kind of vocal power that I have! It was the first time I didn't have to pull back a little and it was a really cool feeling in the studio – I mean, my husband being one of those people that I have to sing quieter for in the studio! (laughing) Although I don't have to do that in real life! (laughing)
That song just calls for power and Tyler's voice is massive. I love that song. Same thing with Zach Telander, who I did a song with before that one, I loved collaborating with him.
The new ‘Yeehaw Sessions' EP is a follow on from your earlier ‘Sad Yeehaw Sessions' EP. Is that a reflection of where your mindset is right now in that this one is a more uptempo, jaunty affair.
I would say so. ‘What Else Can She Do' and the ‘Sad Yeehaw Sessions' were made at a time that wasn't very bright for me. People around me were struggling too. The message I wanted to give in those projects was that if you leave toxic situations there will be a light at the end of the tunnel and for me, that light was the ‘Roadrunner' album. That album is so much more brighter. I'm definitely in a better place now than I was back then.
Of all The Chicks songs that there are to cover, what drew to you doing ‘Sin Wagon'?
We've been playing that one live on the road for a while now. Before I had the band that I have right now we couldn't play it because it is a really hard song to play so in changing out some band members and getting in the guys I have now – who I've wanted my whole career – we've been able to play the song now, which has always been a goal of mine. I love singing the song, it's been part of me for so long and I've always loved and admired that fire Natalie Maines has.
Natalie Maines, unknowingly so, taught me how to sing. Her tone and and her inflections, yodels and flips is something that I've aspired to do all my life so it's a real full circle moment to be able to cover ‘Sin Wagon.'
You've recorded the EP with your road band….
With the ‘Sad Yeehaw Sessions' I was really just focused on getting more videos of myself playing live up on Youtube. A friend had a camera and another friend played dobro in Luke Combs' band and we got in his room and uploaded some stuff to Youtube. For this EP we wanted to record the songs that we had been playing out on the road this year and I wanted the band to be on the recording in the way that we played them live. They are pretty rough, which is the way I wanted them to sound, the way we played it live.
It feels like a lovely way to bring the ‘Roadrunner' phase of your career to a close then.
It is. I think I want to expand on that western world going forward. I want to make more true Country music but not be wrapped around that whole Oklahoma thing. In my writing now I take stuff from all my influences and I was a musical theatre girl, so it will always be there, but another concept album is not really in my thoughts right now! (laughing)
As well as your own shows, you've been out on tour with some heavy hitters this year. Is there one artist you've played with who you've learned from in terms of watching them out on stage, watching how they run the tour, connect with fans and treat their crew that you'll take forward in your own career.
Miss Lainey Wilson, for sure. From top to bottom, it's so crazy her saying my name every night and for her to ask me to come out on tour with her. I thought being out with Lainey would help me understand how she does it and how she keeps up but it only left me with more questions! (laughing) She does so much more behind the scenes – people only see a fraction of what she does! Her team were so lovely – they supplied a soundboard for us because I didn't have the money to get one, I was going to go into debt to be able to go out on tour with her but they provided one. We used their front of house, their monitor guys – I don't even have in- ears!! I have a tour manager and a merch girl. (laughing) That's how we run it and I think her team realised about a couple of weeks out that we were a bare-bones outfit, we make it look like we're not but we definitely are! We used the lights in the arena and the whole outfit was so kind to us – it's something you take forward and hope that you can pass down to another artist someday.
Hopefully you will get the chance to pass that down to another female artist one day too.
I think it's important for girls to pull up other women any chance that they can get. I see that everywhere. I think Lainey even paid for my friend, Meg McRee's album or something like that. She does things like that, behind the scenes, all the time. There's so many women doing things like that – Ella Langley had me and Mae Estes out with her last weekend at the Ryman and it's so important for young girls – and young boys – to see powerful women on stage doing their thing.
Spiralling out of that – you've been very candid online about negative comments you've received this year after the song blew up – is it difficult being in the public eye all the time?
I would say…. I've gotten used to it. Having a viral song brought a spike I wasn't anticipating. It took one experience to realise that the people that are awful online…. there's a reason that they are awful. They feel awful, they have awful lives – I wouldn't want to trade places with them. If you click on the profiles of these people, their lives are not glamorous, they live hard lives which makes them very angry and sad. Part of me feels compassion for people who are trying to take down people like me who are trying to achieve their dreams and goals in the public eye.
I've never claimed to be better than these people, I've never even claimed to be good at what I do. I'm just putting myself out there and whenever I see someone online trying to yank somebody else down I just feel sad for them. I got angry with it at first and was, like, ‘Screw this, the internet sucks,' but you shouldn't let them get into your head…. some of the comments were pretty nuanced and it made me think, ‘Wow, I didn't even know that about myself,' (laughing) but, at the end of the day, you have to realise that putting things out there about yourself will attract negative attention from these sad, angry people.
I see you and Cleto (Kaitlin's husband and lead singer in Flatland Cavalry) are heading down under to Australia and New Zeland in February. That is going to be one hell of a trip, right?
Very much so! I've always wanted to go to Australia – I've always thought they are a group of people, very much like you folks in the UK, who appreciate Country music and want to have a good time. The party vibe is going to be on a different scale – I'm really excited about it.
When can we expect some new music – post ‘Roadrunner' – from you in 2026 do you think?
I'm hoping this winter to get down to some real writing. I've been touring so much recently that I haven't been able to do a great deal of late. I'm itching to do it, I've got some ideas circling, I'm starting to get some stuff down in my phone again now – that's the big teller to me that I need to sit down again with my guitar!
Check out Kaitlin Butts' new EP ‘Yeehaw Sessions' which is out in all the usual places right now.
