Katelyn Tarver

Katelyn Tarver was born on November 2, 1989, in Glennville, Georgia. Her early career began in 2003 as a contestant on the reality television singing competition series “American Juniors,” where she reached the top 10 finalists. In 2005, she released her debut album, “Wonderfully Crazy.” She further pursued her music career by releasing her first EP, “A Little More Free,” in 2011, produced by Matt Grabe. This was followed by touring with bands such as Honor Society, The Cab, and Parachute in the early 2010s. Her songwriting talents were recognized when she co-wrote Cheryl Cole’s 2014 single “Crazy Stupid Love,” which achieved commercial success.

Tarver expanded her presence in the music industry with independent releases “Nobody Like You” and “Weekend Millionaires” in 2015 via Soundcloud, with the latter being re-released on digital platforms in 2016. In 2017, her second EP, “Tired Eyes,” was released, and her song “You Don’t Know” gained significant attention online, accumulating over 50 million views on YouTube by mid-2021. Her third EP, “Kool Aid,” followed in 2018, receiving positive reviews from music critics. She continued to release singles and EPs, including “Kool Aid: Sugar Free (Acoustic)” in 2019, and multiple singles in 2020 such as “Feel Bad,” the music video for which premiered with Billboard.

Simultaneously with her music career, Katelyn Tarver developed her acting career. She gained recognition for her recurring role as Jo Taylor on the Nickelodeon series “Big Time Rush” from 2010 to 2013, appearing in 34 episodes. She also took on recurring roles as Natalie Poston in the ABC series “No Ordinary Family” (2010-2011) and Mercedes in ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” (2012). In 2018, she played Jesse in 8 episodes of the HBO series “Ballers.” Her song “Young” was featured in a Jeep commercial in 2019 after she won the Old Dominion episode of “Songland,” where she also starred in the commercial. In 2021, she was cast as Cydney Walker in the ABC Signature pilot “None of the Above.” In 2025, it was announced she would join the “In Real Life Worldwide Tour” as a supporting act.