Kaitlin Butts Announces ‘Hello, Honky Tonk’ Album
The fourth studio album draws on honky-tonk characters, musical theater, and life on the road.
Kaitlin Butts has announced her fourth studio album, Hello, Honky Tonk, due October 30 via Republic Records. The Tulsa-born singer and songwriter will preview the project on Friday, August 14 with the new song “I Wanna Be Bad,” following the recent single “Never Really Mine.”
Butts built Hello, Honky Tonk around the people and scenes she associates with nights spent in country bars while touring. She cites the movie musical Chicago and Disney World’s Country Bear Musical Jamboree as reference points for the album’s character-driven approach. “With every song, I saw a character in a honky tonk,” Butts said, adding that she wanted the songs to work like short vaudeville scenes that let listeners step into a character’s perspective. She described the album as “a love letter to the honky tonks and the stages that have become my life on the road.”
Butts’ previous The Yeehaw Sessions EP featured her versions of Chappell Roan’s “Red Wine Supernova,” Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle,” The Chicks’ “Sin Wagon” and Don Williams’ “Tulsa Time,” as well as “You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead To Me).” According to the announcement, that song has generated more than 157 million TikTok views and 67 million global streams.
In 2026, Butts joined Willow Avalon on “Hypothetically Speaking” and appeared in the song’s official video. She also starred in Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” video, co-directed and wrote the treatment for Flatland Cavalry’s “Unglued,” and joined The Band Perry for “You Lie (Forever Version).” Her 2026 touring schedule has included dates with Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind Tour, Ella Langley’s The Dandelion Tour, and her own sold-out European Cowgirl Experience. Butts was also included in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s American Currents exhibition for a second consecutive year and received a 2026 MusicRow Award nomination for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, after being named to the 2025 Opry NextStage and CMT Next Women of Country classes.
