Ashley McBryde has accomplished a lot in country music, but her biggest accolade isn’t what some might think. McBryde has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, winning one, for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for her “Never Want To Be That Girl” duet with Carly Pearce. But for McBryde, her biggest achievement is far bigger, and longer lasting, than any trophy she will ever receive.
“The Grammy is the most important, but the only thing that trumps that is the statue that signifies that I’m a member of the Grand Ole Opry,” McBryde says. “Because while you may win another Grammy, you may not. [But being a] member of the Grand Ole Opry stays attached to my name even after I’m gone. In fact, someday when I’m a bajillion years old, and I’m gone, that announcement will say, ‘Grand Ole Opry member, Ashley McBryde.’
McBryde was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry by Garth Brooks in 2022, and was later inducted by Terri Clark.
What Ashley McBryde Says About the Grand Ole Opry
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Since the beginning of her career, McBryde has been vocal about her support of the Grand Ole Opry, and her desire to someday become a member. Her “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” single was written with a goal of someday performing it on the Opry stage. In 2017, that dream came true.
“That was a really cool moment,” McBryde recalls to Everything Nash. “Right after I get done singing, I pointed at the circle and said, ‘I’m going to stand here, right here and do it.’ And I still do that when I play the Opry. The Opry is one of the most important things to me in my whole career. I’ve never come into the building without saying hello to Minnie Pearl. I’ve never left the building without saying, ‘Goodnight, Minnie.’ I’ve never stepped right into the circle. I always put a toe in first. And then I always either point down to it or reach down and touch it when I leave. It’s such a sacred thing to me.”
Ashley McBryde Releases New Single, “What If We Don’t”
McBryde just released a brand-new single, “What If We Don’t.” The song is from her next album.
“‘What If We Don’t’ came to me, Terri Jo Box, and Randall Clay sitting around a fire pit on a back porch, reminiscing on all the moments that we could’ve made a different choice and wondering if we should’ve,” McBryde recalls. “It’s about the leaps of faith that you do or don’t take, and having to learn to live with those consequences either way.”
When releasing “What If We Don’t,” McBryde said the song is a reminder to not let fear be a hindrance.
“We can’t avoid feeling afraid,” McBryde says of the song. “But we can make sure fear doesn’t get to make choices for us.”
Photo Credit: CMA / John Russell