Ashley McBryde Gets Real About Competitiveness in Country Music And Miranda Lambert’s Mentorship

Ashley McBryde knows what it’s like to arrive in Nashville and feel like the new kid in town. Luckily, when she first stepped into the Music City scene, it felt more like a community of artists supporting each other, but as soon as momentum picked up, the competitiveness started to show its head.

The songstress dives into the reality of being in the music business, especially as a woman navigating the cutthroat competitiveness, during a recent conversation with  Bobby Bones on Bobby Bones Presents: The BobbyCast.

McBryde reflected on her early days in town, explaining the constant grind of trying to meet new people and make valuable connections that.

“You’re bumping into the people that are doing kind of the same thing you’re doing, trying to get their feet under them, I think it’s a, we get farther together feeling,” she noted. “And you go to the commodore and you play the writer’s night and then you talk to the guy that just sang and you’re like, ‘Hey, what other writer’s nights do you like?’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, I really love the one that’s at blah, blah, blah Tavern at blah, blah, blah street.’ Oh, when is that? ‘That’s on Tuesdays from nine to 10.’ And you’re like, ‘Okay, cool. What’s the open mic? Who’s the host?’ And then you go to that writer’s night and you meet the same type of people.”

She found that when everyone is trying to make their dreams come true and make a living, a real sense of community is formed. Artists are happy to share the tips they’ve picked up, swap stage times, and support each other in that early stage.

“I think we’re so willing to give the information around because we all know that we’re here to do the same thing. It was sort of like playing the bar circuit. If I ran into you and you played four to eight and I’m playing eight to midnight, we aren’t in competition with each other because we are the same animal and we are both in this bar playing songs that we love to play to keep the lights on in our house and there’s no competition involved.”

However, it wasn’t always like that. Once she started to gain some traction in her career and become a more notable figure in the genre, that’s when McBryde says the competitiveness tarted to kick in.

“Immediately, as soon as you get any momentum at all,” she told Bones.

Being a woman in country music also adds an extra pressure to do whatever it takes to succeed. The Arkansas native got candid as she reflected on the realities of being a female in the genre and having to fight for the limited space in the spotlight.

“We all know what the climate is, but we know that in country music, we are only allowed to celebrate and promote and get behind one at a time, even if there’s 10 of us. We know only one of these girls is getting the stool at the bar and that’s when it starts to get gross and catty.”

She adds that those who spent their early days focusing on building real connections and relationships tend to earn respect in the community, which in turn is likely to help avoid getting caught up in the cattiness. McBryde credits Miranda Lambert as one of the artists who consistently pushed her to grow and to rise to every challenge that came her way.

“Miranda used to say it to me, ‘I want you to challenge me. I want you to make me a better performer. I want to make you a better performer. This is how we sharpen our edges. We challenge each other. We show up for each other. This is the way it should be.’ And I completely agree.”

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Regardless that competitiveness will always linger in the background because the truth is that the business is high-stakes by nature as everyone is fighting for their spot.

“Now, when it comes down to it, if there’s only one parachute, you’re going to cut my throat. I know that and you know I’m going to cut yours. It’s nothing personal. It’s just that only one of us gets the parachute,” she added.

Ashley McBryde held nothing back during her discussion with Bobby Bones, touching on topics like sobriety, new music, the reality of being a country star and more. The full interview can be found on  Bobby Bones Presents: The BobbyCast, now streaming on Netflix with new episodes dropping every Tuesday and Thursday. Audio versions are also available on iHeartRadio and all major podcast platforms.