Megan Thee Stallion "Went Through All the Feelings" While Making 'Act III'

Megan Thee Stallion is disappointed she couldn't put out an album in time for another hot girl summer—but Act III will be worth the wait.

For Marie Claire's September 2026 Legends Issue, the icon talks to writer Brittany Spanos about her upcoming album and what the hotties—a.k.a. her loyal fans—can expect. "I do make music that reflects the way I feel," she says. "But I could be having a terrible, terrible, terrible day, and then I would go write something like 'Freak Nasty' just because I feel inspired to go write something hard. So in my new album, I feel like I went through all the feelings."

Whatever the final result, Megan made the album without the haters in mind. "I’m not fighting for validation," she says. "I just had to learn, when somebody makes their mind up about you, that’s what it is. I feel like I was able to be a little more free in making music and making decisions because I feel like, for a long point in life, I was definitely trying to make people like me."

With that said, she has listened to one piece of criticism: the oft-leveled accusation that all her songs sound too similar.

"I think I have such a distinct voice, such a distinct sound, such a distinct accent," she tells Marie Claire. "I feel like sometimes people are interpreting it as 'She sounds the same on all her songs.'"

For Act III, she made some changes accordingly. "It was a little bit out of my comfort zone to try my voice in a different way or over a different kind of beat," she says. "I was a little shy this go-round, but everybody has been so supportive in hyping me up. I feel like the hotties are gonna appreciate this."