The Stunning Transformation Of Ashley McBryde

What success looks like is often a matter of perspective. For Ashley McBryde, it's standing among great country artists such as Dolly Parton and Wynonna Judd. It wasn't a fast one-way track for the 40-year-old, who has gone through the wringer for wanting to chase her musical dreams. Growing up in a small town in Arkansas, McBryde had all the drive to make her dream a reality. Some may say she did it with spectacular grace. With four studio albums, multiple award nominations, and a range of writing credits under her belt, McBryde raised the bar year after year — further cementing her legacy within the music industry. 

So much so that she is frequently deemed the future of country music. Following her ever-growing success, McBryde was presented with the Groundbreaker Award in 2023 at the Billboard Country Power Players ceremony. During the event, McBryde fielded questions regarding what it meant to be a groundbreaking artist. "When I first heard about it, I was like, 'Wait, groundbreaker? Is that the same as breakthrough? 'Cause I've been around a while,' and they were like, 'No, it means you've had the most groundbreaking year,' and I was like, 'I would agree!' It's been an amazing couple of years," she stated. Given her strong sense of self and vulnerable nature, it's no wonder she transitioned from the girl going nowhere to the girl who's made it. To learn more about her never-ending growth, here is the stunning transformation of Ashley McBryde.

Ashley McBryde knew she would pursue a music career at a young age. After frequently disobeying her father's rule about playing his guitars, her parents gave McBryde a mandolin to keep her occupied, and later her own guitar. From there, the Arkansas-native singer regularly attended bluegrass festivals with her mom, where the community was more than helpful enough to show her how to perfect her instrument. After she learned about chord progressions and other musical elements, it was time for McBryde to add vocals.

Despite writing a few song lyrics prior, McBryde told Peter Cooper on the "Voices in the Hall" podcast that she wrote her first song when she was 12. This came after a brief period when she couldn't combine singing with playing the guitar. Following this creative challenge, McBryde wrote a song that was more or less too mature for her at the time. Surprisingly enough, the first people to hear it would be her parents. "It was a song called 'Fight the Flames' about some love affair. How I came up with it, I don't know," she said. "But I sang it for my parents. And I was at my grandparents' house. And Mom asked me where I'd heard that song. And I was so offended because I was like, 'No. I made it up! I was by the deep freeze in the den.'"

After graduating from Highland High School, Ashley McBryde attended Arkansas State University. According to her interview with FaceCulture in 2018, she went there to study music. "I was a French horn major and I loved it. I loved studying classical music," she recalled. "It's pretty important, especially to me now. I wish I'd appreciated it more then, the way I do it now." While there, McBryde started to perform at bars in Memphis after a friend convinced her to do so. 

As McBryde became more confident in her musical abilities, she began to juggle performing at dive bars with her college obligations for a brief period. According to her 2018 interview with The Tennessean, the aspiring singer began to wrestle with the thought of moving to Nashville because it granted more of an opportunity to succeed in music. "If I want to find out if I'm any good at this or not, I have to go to Nashville," she stated. Surprisingly enough, her French horn teacher — unlike her algebra teacher in high school — seemingly supported this venture as she noticed McBryde's growing disinterest in school. McBryde recalled a lesson in which her teacher interrupted her class to tell her, "I think you need to just drop out of school and go," and that same day, she dropped out to pursue music full time.

Within a year of her notable performance with Eric Church, Ashley McBryde released her debut album "Girl Going Nowhere" in 2018. With the album charting on various billboard charts, tragic details regarding McBryde's life would surface just as she found success. Amid her breakthrough, McBryde was met with a devastating loss just months after her debut album was released.

In June 2018, McBryde's brother, Clay McBryde, died by suicide. Though she'd remain relatively quiet about his passing, McBryde told People in 2019 that she had to maintain a strong exterior because she was busy headlining her own tour at the time. In turn, McBryde experienced strong symptoms of anxiety. "I developed anxiety really, really, really bad right after Clay died," she said. "I mean, they were bad panic attacks. They are under control now, but I didn't understand what was going on." Instead of taking time away, McBryde continued to fulfill her musical obligations to the best of her ability. "I said to myself, 'It's not about you, so get over yourself.' ... Nobody cares if I'm hungover or if I'm sad or if I'm tired or if I got s***ty news this morning. They care how they feel. And in the end, that's all I care about."

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Ashley McBryde built a credible list of achievements following her meteoric rise to stardom. In 2017, McBryde made her Grand Ole Opry debut, performing "Girl Goin' Nowhere," which — to most country singers — is an opportunity to solidify themselves as mainstay musicians. Though it was the beginning of her career, it catapulted her further into legendary status. 

With her albums "Never Will" and "Lindeville" under her belt, country luminaries such as Wynonna Judd and Miranda Lambert — with whom she eventually built a friendship — quickly realized how special McBryde was to the genre. As a result, McBryde was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2022. Like her 2017 debut, McBryde performed "Girl Goin' Nowhere" — only this time with tears rolling down her cheeks. 

Following the emotional performance, several colleagues including Terri Clark and Eric Church recognized McBryde for her talents. Following this, McBryde gave an emotional speech, deeming her induction the biggest moment of her life (via People). In a video celebrating her induction, McBryde stated what being an Opry member meant to her and how she intended to represent the organization. "I guess I just have to be the next little ambassador that could, and I feel like I'm up to the task," she said. "I'm not here to fill anyone's shoes, but I'm so excited that my shoes are in the circle."

With her long career performing in dive bars and her reputation as a "whiskey-drinking badass," it was expected for Ashley McBryde to get caught up in a hard-partying lifestyle. As McBryde continued her rise to stardom, however, she became warier about her health. After sustaining a severe head injury in a nearly fatal accident in 2021, McBryde gained a new perspective on life and what she could do to feel better physically. In addition to exercising regularly, McBryde also changed her relationship with alcohol. 

In a 2023 interview with People, McBryde stated that she stopped drinking alcohol in 2022 after realizing that it was negatively impacting her. Although she's been open to talking about various topics like her parents' divorce and the confusing dynamics of infidelity, she kept her sobriety a secret from the public. "I decided that I wasn't gonna talk about it at all until at least a year because what I didn't need was people on social media being like, 'Ashley McBryde swears off alcohol!' All people are gonna do is just wait for you to screw up, and that's really annoying," she expressed. "I did it for me. I didn't do it for social media." According to the singer herself, cutting out alcohol not only benefited her physical health but her overall career as well.