Meghan Trainor Was Told Pop Stars Have an Expiration Date. Why She Says Becoming a Mom Gave Her a Career ‘Reboot’ (Exclusive)

After more than a decade in the spotlight, Meghan Trainor is blessed, booked and busy.

Between her family and her still-flourishing career, the pop star, 31, has built the life she always envisioned for herself — but there were bumps along the way. After she enjoyed overnight fame in 2014 with her body-positivity anthem “All About That Bass,” the singer-songwriter’s dreams were nearly derailed by self-doubt, vocal cord complications and mental health issues. But a TikTok comeback and leaning into motherhood have set Trainor up for her most successful stage yet.

“When I became a mom, my career had a whole new life,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week's issue.

Indeed, last fall Trainor wrapped her biggest tour in years, which included a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden; she just launched a “Cloud Skin” makeup collab with e.l.f. Cosmetics; and on March 28 she’ll celebrate the 10th anniversary of her debut album, Title, with a rerelease featuring eight additional tracks.

“I had a whole reboot, and it’s because my kids made me want to be the best version of me,” says Trainor, who is mom to sons Riley, who turns 4 in February, and Barry, 18 months, with her husband, Spy Kids actor Daryl Sabara, 32. “I’m not peaking. I’ve just begun.”

As Trainor’s career was taking off in 2014, she was told that pop stars have an expiration date. “Once they got pregnant, they were like, ‘You’re done,’ ” the Nantucket, Mass., native recalls. “I was told at 20 by an older gentleman in the industry, ‘Well, she’s a mom, so nobody really cares.’ I was like, ‘Ouch!’ ”

Following the success of Title — which included “Bass” and hits like “Lips Are Movin” and the John Legend duet “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” — Trainor’s star was on the rise, and she was motivated to maintain that momentum. But she was disappointed when her sophomore album didn’t perform as well on the charts.

“I thought, ‘Okay, well, the charts are representing my music, so I must be just bad at songwriting now,’ ” Trainor recalls. “I felt like I was a failure because it wasn’t No. 1. It’s sad that all that pressure is on you.”

Trainor’s perspective changed when she became a mom. “Priorities shifted. It’s like, ‘What charts? My kids love this,’ ” she says. “At night when we’re doing bath time, I’m like, ‘Want to hear Mommy’s new song?’ Getting to talk to my older son now, I’ll ask, ‘What does Mommy do?’ He’s like, ‘She’s a pop star.’ Like, yeah, Mommy’s cool!”

Motherhood gave Trainor a creative reset — and so did TikTok. She found a new fan base on the app when she began posting videos with influencer Chris Olsen, and she scored her biggest hit in years when her single “Made You Look” went viral (with a choreographed dance and all!) in 2022. Trainor had similar success last year when the cast of Netflix’s The Perfect Couple danced to her song “Criminals” in the opening credits, sparking another online trend.

“I got a lot of comments like, ‘I didn’t know you were still doing it.’ I’ve been here, but thank you for joining!” she says.

Trainor performed hits new and old when she promoted her latest album, Timeless, on tour last year — with her kids in tow.

“I’d be fully glammed up, picking boogies, putting diapers on, putting them in their pajamas before a show. My glitter would be leaking on them; I would peel eyelashes off them all the time, but they loved it,” she says. “Nobody misses it more than Riley. Every day he’s like, ‘Can we go back on tour?’ ”

As the Grammy winner prepares to celebrate her roots with the 10th-anniversary rerelease of Title on March 28, she’s facing the future with renewed passion.

“Where I am right now is far beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of,” Trainor says. “I always wanted a family. Check. Now I need some daughters. But I never thought I could be a pop star because I didn’t believe in myself. Now 19-year-old Meghan putting out ‘All About that Bass’ is stoked; she’s so proud, like, ‘I didn’t know you could do that.’ It took 10 years to become brave, but I’m finally thriving.”

For more on Meghan Trainor, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.