CMA’s New Artist of the Year Ashley McBryde earned two coveted GRAMMY® nominations for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance for her breakout smash, “Girl Goin’ Nowhere,” written by McBryde together with Jeremy Bussey.
“‘Girl Goin’ Nowhere’ is the song that keeps on giving,” McBryde reflects. “I was blown away by our first GRAMMY Nomination for Country Album of the Year last year. And now ‘Girl Goin’ Nowhere’ gets two nominations?! Can’t keep her down. That’s the message Jeremy Bussey and I let off the leash. She’s a fighter. I’m so honored and proud to see this song stay alive.”
“Girl Goin’ Nowhere” recounts the story of an algebra teacher McBryde had in high school who told the Arkansas native that her dream of becoming a songwriter in Nashville was stupid and that she better have a good backup plan. The powerful ballad showcases McBryde’s storytelling abilities, and as NPR noted, “It's a song that can be counted on to hush even the rowdiest club crowd.” Last year, the title track from McBryde’s major label debut album, Girl Going Nowhere, earned a place on The Fader’s Best 100 Songs of 2018 as well as NPR’s Best Songs of 2018.
Girl Going Nowhere was released in March 2018 via Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville. The Jay Joyce-produced album garnered the talented singer/songwriter her first GRAMMY® nomination for Best Country Album and was the only debut album nominated in the category. After notching spots on several “Best Albums of 2018” lists, McBryde also laid claim to the only debut country album on The New York Times, Paste, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, UPROXX and Variety’s year-end wrap ups and was the sole country album on Slate’s “Best Albums” list.
Having paid her dues in dive bars, McBryde spent 11 years in Nashville writing songs and playing for anyone who would listen. With the release of Girl Going Nowhere, McBryde proves she’s got what it takes. Put simply by NPR, “Ashley McBryde established herself as country music’s most charismatic, naturalistic new voice.”
The awards will be presented Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020 during a live television broadcast of the 62nd Annual GRAMMY® Awards on CBS.
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Artists often cite the people who inspired and believed in them when no one else did on their path to success. Ashley McBryde’s motivation came from a different front, an Arkansas algebra teacher who told her she would never achieve her dreams.
So, it is particularly satisfying that the woman dubbed an “Arkansas red-clay badass” by Rolling Stone is ready to release an album titled Girl Going Nowhere on March 30. It’s a collection reflective of her authentic, take-no-prisoners honesty and willingness to not just look at life, but live it, and reflect that experience in her music. Billboard.com premiered the music video for “American Scandal,” which is also available at all digital retail and streaming services today. The premise of the music video is a “Day in Little Rock” with McBryde visiting family, getting a tattoo, and jamming with friends.
Produced and mixed by award-winner Jay Joyce, Girl Going Nowhere showcases an artistic vision that will prove her to be one of the genre's keenest working storytellers, bringing unwavering honesty back into a pop-preoccupied genre.
The album pulls tales from every corner of her life – a happenstance love on "A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega," a neighbor with a heavy past on "Livin' Next to LeRoy," and the autobiographical “Girl Goin' Nowhere," which McBryde wrote the morning that Guy Clark passed away.
"I'm not a pretty crier, and I got to my write with Jeremy Bussey that morning, red and blotchy," she said. "So, he said, 'for Guy, maybe we should write a good song, one you’d want to play at the Opry someday.' So, I told the story of when I was back in Algebra class, and we were going around the room saying what we wanted to do when we grew up. When it got to me, I said, 'I'm going to move to Nashville and write songs, and they're going to be on the radio.' The teacher looked at me and said, ‘That won’t happen and you better have a good backup plan.' It didn't put the fire out, it just added to it."
That fire's been described as a combination of Bonnie Raitt, Lzzy Hale, and Loretta Lynn. McBryde isn’t afraid to tell the truth, get raw and real and use the spirits of country, folk, and rock when it serves her greater purpose. And McBryde indeed played "Girl Goin' Nowhere" at her Opry debut, and still performs it on stage to crowds that now sing along.
That rock-fueled fury and candor burns through every lyric, riff, and song. And it is lyrics that hit the heart and gut like "here's to the breakups that didn't break us," that scored her opening slots with Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, and Miranda Lambert.
She is gaining a lot of attention notching powerful reviews and mentions on several year-end, best-of and most-anticipated lists including New York Times, NPR, Los Angeles Times, and Variety, across multiple genres.
Notable music critic Ann Powers of NPR described McBryde as having “one of those voices that might belong to your sister or your best friend – if your sister or your best friend could belt like Loretta Lynn and croon like Reba McEntire.” She summed up her talent by saying McBryde was “Country music’s most exciting new country voice.”
She was the most added new artist and most added female with her debut Warner Bros./ Warner Music Nashville single “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega.” The track hit No. 1 on SirusXM’s The Highway Top 30 in 2017 and she played select dates on the sought-after Sirius XM Presents: The Highway Finds Tour including stops in Washington, D.C., New York, and Nashville and will join Luke Combs and Miranda Lambert in 2018.
McBryde will make her television debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday (1/23) on NBC.
Girl Going Nowhere is available for pre-order here.
Track Listing for Girl Going Nowhere:
“Girl Goin’ Nowhere”
“Radioland”
“American Scandal”
“Southern Babylon”
“The Jacket”
“Livin’ Next to Leroy”
“A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega”
“Andy” (I Can’t Live Without You)
“El Dorado”
“Tired of Being Happy”
“Home Sweet Highway”
Check out Ashley McBryde at the following dates
2/01 Toledo, OH Seagate Convention Centre*
2/02 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium*
2/03 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium*
2/08 Troy, OH Hobart Arena*
2/09 Grand Rapids, MI DeltaPlex*
2/10 Johnstown, PA Cambria Couny Memorial Arena*
2/15 De Quincy, LA Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
2/16 Oklahoma City, OK The Criterion*
2/17 Wilson, AR The Grange at Wilson Gardens*
2/23 Youngstown, OH Covelli Centre*
2/24 Verona, NY Turning Stone Resort & Casino*
3/01 Salem, VA Salem Civic Center*
3/02 Savannah, GA Grayson Stadium*
3/08 Amsterdam, The Netherlands Melkweg Amsterdam
3/09 London, United Kingdom C2C London
3/10 London, United Kingdom C2C London
3/11 London, United Kingdom C2C London
3/15 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena**
3/16 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center**
3/17 Kansas City, MO Spirit Center**
3/23 Fort Myers, FL The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon
3/24 Kissimmee, FL Runaway Country Music Fest
4/04 San Jose, CA City National Civic*
4/05 Irvine, CA Bren Events Center*
4/06 San Diego, CA The Observatory North Park*
4/11 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex*
4/17 Portland, OR Roseland Theater*
4/19 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo*
4/20 Garden City, ID Revolution Concert House*
4/21 Spokane, WA The Knitting Factory*
4/23 Vancouver, Canada Commodore Ballroom*
4/25 Calgary, Canada MacEwan Hall*
4/26 Edmonton, Canada The Ranch Roadhouse*
4/29 Indio, CA Stagecoach Festival
6/09 Hunter, NY Taste of Country Music Festival
6/20 Oshkosh, WI Country USA
6/21 Brainerd, MN Lakes Jam
6/23 Cadott, WI Country Fest
7/15 Rhinelander, WI Hodag Country Festival
7/20 Twin Lakes, WI Country Thunder- Twin Lakes
*Denotes dates on Luke Combs' Don’t Tempt Me With a Good Time Tour
**Denotes dates on Miranda Lambert’s Livin’ Like Hippies World Tour
