Ashley McBryde Explains The Special Meaning Behind Her New Tattoos

Ashley McBryde recently took to social media to tease a couple of new tattoos that she’s added to her collection. While on the red carpet for the 2023 CMT Music Awards, she showed off her fresh new ink and opened up about the meanings behind them.

The first is a colorful gramophone to signify earning her first GRAMMY alongside Carly Pearce. They took home the win for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their chart-topping duet, “Never Wanted To Be That Girl.”

New Ink

“First times only happen one time and it happened with Carly and now that’s represented in ink,” she told Entertainment Tonight’s Cassie DiLaura. 

This song was co-written by Pearce and McBryde with Shane McAnally and holds a tremendous amount of significance as it marks Pearce’s third No. 1 single and McBryde’s first.  

McBryde explained that these tattoos are only about a week old, and when asked if it hurt, she said, “Oh, absolutely. And I would love it if they didn’t hurt, if they were like licked on by unicorns, but they’re not.”

She also joked that if more GRAMMY’s are in her future, “there’s plenty of room” to add those to her collection of ink too.

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Along with the gramophone, the female songstress hinted in the social media clip that the other tattoo she got from Nancy Miller in Little Rock, AR represents some upcoming music. 

“This other one, I can tell you more about it later, but it might have to do with some new music,” she teased. 

However, while on the red carpet, she revealed that the red, devil-like figure that appears to be peering through a rearview mirror signifies a brand-new song dropping very soon. 

“I’ll let you draw any conclusions…’The Devil I Know’ comes out on April 7.’”

In another Instagram post, McBryde grabbed her guitar and shared a snippet of what listeners can expect from this new track.

She sang, “A little outside of Elizabethtown / There’s a little bar where I’d sit down / And trade a couple country songs for Kentucky Bourbon / A little ol’ gal in the middle of the night /  Learning how to love and learning how to fight / Learning how to like my brand of hurting / Hell there’s hell everywhere I go / I’m just sticking with the devil I know.”

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Fans were quick to share their excitement for the vulnerable new song. One user commented, “been counting the days for this one 😍” while another wrote, “I can’t wait to play this on repeat!!!!”

“The Devil I Know” will follow the Arkansas native’s most recent add to radio, “Light On In The Kitchen.” This song was co-written by McBryde with Connie Harrington and Jessi Alexander as a way to pay tribute to the strong woman in their lives who have proved that they will always remain in their corner, ready to offer advice at any given time. 

“When I tell someone there’s a ‘Light On In The Kitchen’ for them, to me it means you’re thinking of them, even if they’re not coming home that night,” she shared following the release. “While writing this, we were all able to look back and remember the women in our lives who comforted us, gave us advice and made sure we knew we had a place to go. Writing this song showed me how necessary that simple comfort had been.”

Coming off her time on the road with Wynonna Judd on The Judds: The Final Tour, Ashley McBryde is hosting a slew of headlining dates throughout the spring. 

Later this year, she will join Eric Church and Jelly Roll on tour. McBryde will serve as support on three dates of Church’s The Outsiders Revival Tour, and seven dates of Jelly Roll’s Backroad Baptism Tour. 

Her next stop will be at the Grand Ole Opry on April 11.