Ashley McBryde: A Songwriter At Five Years Old
Ashley McBryde released her latest album, The Devil I Know, last week (9/8) to rave reviews. When we chatted with Ashley before the album came out, we discussed how long she has been writing her own songs. McBryde was just a child when she first realized that she was a songwriter. She said, “I think I must have been really small because I’ve been telling my mom that I was gonna move to Nashville, Tennesse, and become a country singer since I was really small, probably five years old.”
And the song’s lyrics and melodies came quickly to her. She said, “I would make things up. I would just come inside and sing what I had done. Like if I walked to the mailbox or whatever I’d seen, I’d come in and sing that to my mom.”
She added, “I grew up listening to bluegrass and things like that, so playing instruments and songwriters, those were things that were very accessible things. The masters of their instruments were super accessible at bluegrass festivals. So, it never occurred to me not to be a songwriter.”
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McBryde talked to us last week before she released her album The Devil I Know. The triple 2023 CMA nominee (Female Vocalist, Album of The Year For Lindeville, and Video of the Year for “Light On In The Kitchen”) said she’s had the album done for about a year.
We talked with Ashley recently and asked if she felt pressure making the new album. She references her Grammy win for Best Country Duo for “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” with Carly Pearce. She told us that she doesn’t let award nominations and wins influence her music. “We try to keep things like that, CMAs, ACMs, Grammys… We love them, appreciate them fully, and celebrate them, but when we go into creation mode, nothing gets to come into the room. Not what radio thinks and not who thinks what I should wear or what I should say. None of that gets to come into the room; we try to keep them separate. I’m so excited for this record to finally be out.”
2023 Country Grammy Awards Winners
Best Group / Duo Performance - Country - WINNER Announced!
Brothers Osborne – “Midnight Rider’s Prayer”
Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde – “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” – WINNER – For Carly, this is her first Grammy nomination and for Ashley this is her 6th nomination and her very first win. Both Pearce and McBryde were at the pre-telecast ceremony and accepted their award, Carly said in part, “I have known Ashley for a long time and I just wanted to sing a song with her and it has transended my wildest dreams.” Ashley said, in part, “It’s been so nice for our friendship. We did it together, thank you, thank you.”
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde accept the Best Country Duo/Group Performance award for “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Ingrid Andress & Sam Hunt – “Wishful Drinking”
Luke Combs & Miranda Lambert – “Outrunnin’ Your Memory”
Reba McEntire & Dolly Parton – “Does He Love You” (Revisited)
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – “Going Where the Lonely Go”
