How Meghan Trainor’s New Song Was Inspired By Both Time’s Up & Her Little Cousins

A simple message to every man out there who's ever dared to treat Meghan Trainor as "less than": all she's asking for is a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t. Per the release of Trainor's Time's Up-inspired single "No Excuses," the singer is demanding respect from all the men who've ever made her feel like she doesn't know what she's talking about. Sound familiar? The track, which touts a marked air of female grit, seems particularly relevant right now, especially in the wake of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements. And it looks like she 24-year-old pop singer would have to agree. Ahead of the new track's release, Trainor sat down with People for an interview to discuss the inspiration behind "No Excuses."

Interestingly enough, Trainor revealed that "No Excuses" was one of the last songs she wrote off her upcoming third studio album, slated for release later this year. And while she refrained from delving too deep into the specifics of the "personal experience," as she explained to People, that gave way to the track's subject matter. The overarching theme is about making the world better for this generation — and the next.

"[The experience] just reminded me that we need more respect in the world, and we need more respect for each other at every age," Trainor said. She continued,

"As a 24-year-old woman talking to older people who have been in the business for longer than I have been, I'm just confused: How are you not respectful in this situation right now? I have little cousins in school and I hear their stories, and I’m like, 'Oh, you're supposed to treat others the way you want to be treated.' And I think we're losing that a little. Especially right now."

Much to fans' delight, Trainor's newly minted, funk-laden single dropped on Thursday, March 1. And, if that wasn't enough cause for commotion already, the Grammy Award-winning singer gifted the internet with an accompanying music video (now available, in all its pastel-toned majesty, on VEVO). In broad strokes, Trainor's "No Excuses" functions partly as a call-out (of disrespectful men and sexism, in general) and partly as a rhythmic ode to female empowerment.

Cutting between an array of '90s-inspired, technicolored backdrops (as Trainor's fans already know, the pop singer's music videos tend to look like they could've been sponsored by the Museum of Ice Cream), Trainor struts, side-eyes, and smizes through the video with the formidable poise of a bonafide strong woman. "Why you acting like you never met a lady / I don't disrespect you / Don't you disrespect me," Trainor sings. "Your mama raised you better than that."

Given the burgeoning scope of Time's Up, People noted in its interview the parallels between the tenor of "No Excuses" and that of the growing Hollywood movement (which has made a notable push, in recent months, toward encouraging women to speak up about their experiences with sexism and harassment, particularly within the workplace). To that end, Trainor offered a simple reply: "Exactly."

And, in recounting her own confrontations with sexism in the industry, Trainor pinpointed "mansplaining" as her primary gripe. "Mansplaining is very real," Trainor said. "You feel like you're fighting for your word, fighting to show them you do know what you're talking about. It's frustrating sometimes." As she explained to People, she'd finally reached her breaking point, and needed to write a song about it. "I was just so fired up," she told the publication. And thus, "No Excuses" was born.

Trainor's new single comes in the thick of Hollywood's Time's Up movement, which has seen dozens of celebrities speaking out against sexual harassment (and sexism in general) over the last couple of months. And as evidenced by Trainor's "No Excuses," the momentum of Time's Up has served to encourage women to speak up, call out, and demand the respect they know they deserve.

Judging by this new track, it certainly looks like Trainor is well on her way to doing just that. That, in addition to showing those mansplainers who's really boss.