Alexandra Kay’s Lifelong Dream Comes True With Grand Ole Opry Debut: ‘I Will Cherish This Moment For The Rest Of My Life’
Alexandra Kay is relishing in the fact that she just reached a milestone in her career. On Saturday (Nov.19), she…
Alexandra Kay; Photo Courtesy Grand Ole Opry
Alexandra Kay is relishing in the fact that she just reached a milestone in her career. On Saturday (Nov.19), she lived out her childhood dream as she stepped into the historic circle to make her Grand Ole Opry debut.
Ahead of her performance, Kay took to social media to share a few steps on her rocky musical journey that has led up to this special moment.
She posted a video overlayed with text that read, “after two failed record deal, a Netflix show no one knows exists, 10 years and lots of ‘no’ from the industry, tomorrow…I make my Grand Ole Opry debut as a completely independent artist.”
Her caption was filled with words of gratitude for her fans and all those who have supported her along the way and kept her going through the most difficult times.
“What a ride it has been…thank you for believing in me mostly when I didn’t even believe in myself. Thank you for never giving up on me when I wanted to throw in the towel. This moment is going to feel so sweet knowing the blood sweat and tears it took to get here. I love you with my whole heart. @opry lets do this,” she wrote.
After being introduced by Opry member Mark Willis, the “Skip This Part” singer took the stage with her stunning blue ruffled dress and performed one of her “favorite” songs she’s ever written, “I Kinda Don’t.”
“Getting to step in the circle is something that I’ve dreamt about since I was a child when I first fell in love with country music. Thinking about all of the iconic performers that stepped on that stage before me in that circle. I’m so excited to do them proud,” she said in a video captured backstage.
“There is no other song that I would rather sing in that circle,” she added. “And I am so happy to have all of these incredible people that I love here to celebrate with me tonight.”
Kay confessed that when she wrote this passionate mid-tempo song with Ryan Robbinette and Tana Matz Brown, “I knew we had something truly special.” She had been battling a good deal of downfalls at the time and had even made the decision to move back home to Illinois, thinking that her career could be over.
In a recent Instagram post, she revealed that during this phase of her career, “I felt like a failure.”
“I felt that this song was going to be my last and that I had to learn to accept that my dream of doing this for a living would not become reality,” she continued. “God gifted us this song in the room that day.. and you took it and blew it up and showed me that my dream wasn’t dead.. that I still had so much life to live as Alexandra Kay.”
The rising star’s night at the Opry gave her the momentum and solidified the confidence she needed to stop her from throwing in the towel on her greatest passion.
“When Lexi (which is what my friends and family call me) wanted to give up.. you didn’t let me. And last night I stepped into that circle feeling so many emotions.. but the one that overrode the rest was gratitude. I am unbelievably grateful for you all for continuing to believe in me when I didn’t believe in myself. For showing me that my art matters and for showing me love when I felt undeserving. We did it. Against all odds.. we did this together. I love you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you @opry for having me. I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life. ❤️”
When the Illinois native first found out she would be making her Opry debut, her reaction was priceless. The moment she learned the news, Kay was sitting down with her “fearless manager” Beth Keith. To make things even more special, her parents also came to town to celebrate the accomplishment with her.
In the Instagram post, which captured the surprise, she wrote, “My parents drove to Nashville for a pretend “work trip” to surprise me with the most exciting news of my career. Watch to find out what it is!”
Her dad was the one to officially share the invitation when he said, “did you know Jelly Roll just did his Opry debut on November 19th of last year? Why is that significant? Why? Why is that significant? Because you’re doing yours November 19th of this year.”
Kay instantly fell into a state of shock after hearing her dad say those words.
“Oh my gosh, guys, it’s really, it’s really real. That’s crazy,” she said as tears of joy formed in her eyes. “I really thought it wasn’t gonna get to do that.”
This is the cherry on top of Kay’s wildly successful year, after getting to spend some time on the road in support of country hitmakers Tracy Lawrence and Clay Walker and later, joining superstar Tim McGraw on his amphitheater tour.
Beginning November 29, she will be hitting the road with special guest Julia Cole, for her headlining Backroad Therapy Tour. The trek will kick off in Lexington, KY and continue through December 16 when she will wrap things up in Huntington, WV.
Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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