One of my favorite things about The Bachelor has nothing to do with the show itself, but rather, the aftermath. Year after year, I love seeing how these glorified randos scramble to stretch their 15 minutes of fame into some kind of legitimate career. While many stick to the tried-and-true route of shilling for brands and hoping that they get invited to Bachelor in Paradise, some have gotten a bit more creative and business-savvy. Case in point: Kaitlyn Bristowe, who is still a household name in Bachelor Nation despite her season of The Bachelorette being a full five years ago.
In the years since her time on TV, Kaitlyn has stayed busy with projects ranging from a line of scrunchies to a Broadway show, and this week, she added another profession to her resume: singer-songwriter. On Thursday, she released her debut single, “If I’m Being Honest,” and of course we need to talk about it.
Before I even say anything else, I actually like the song. It’s a catchy country-pop record, and it solidly gets the job done. On Instagram, Kaitlyn said that the song has been “collecting dust for over a year,” and due to her fear and insecurity, she didn’t know if she would ever release it. But, like the rest of us in 2020, Kaitlyn said f*ck it, and here we are.
The lyrics talk about being your own toughest critic, and tuning out what others have to say about you. The first line in the song is “Maybe I drink a little more wine than I should,” so at this point I’m considering making this my official quarantine anthem. Glad to know that Kaitlyn and I have at least one thing in common. She then says that she’s “good at making things look all good,” which I can definitely relate to, since I have committed to the same head tilt in every single selfie for years. What, it’s important to know your angles!
For someone who’s never done music before, Kaitlyn seems really vulnerable in the song, saying “If I’m being honest, I’m not always as tough as I seem.” Later in the song, she sings, “Just ’cause I’m an open book, don’t mean you get the whole story.” I will say, after watching her on TV and in the world for several years, she literally always seems put-together. Aside from the breakup with Shawn, things have consistently seemed great in her life. And now, she and Jason have the perfect relationship and the perfect dogs, and her hair is perfect, and it’s not like I’m jealous, but I might be a little jealous, okay? But obviously, no one is that perfect, and it’s nice to hear her admit it.
So, where do we go from here? Is Kaitlyn trying to go full Taylor Swift, or is this just a one-off thing that she did for fun a year ago? It’s probably somewhere in the middle. I don’t think she’ll be planning an arena tour any time soon, but I wouldn’t be mad about her putting out some new music every once in a while. “If I’m Being Honest” is currently at #3 on the iTunes “Top Songs” chart, so clearly a lot of people like the song, so maybe there will be more music to come. When I first found out Kaitlyn had a song, I expected that this article would be a complete roast, but I really don’t have anything mean to say. Is quarantine making me soft?
Images: Walter McBride / Contributor / Getty Images; kaitlynbristowe / Instagram
