If you haven’t heard of Ingrid Andress, get ready for that to change. The country music singer is nominated for Best New Artist at the 2021 Grammy Awards, along with Phoebe Bridgers, Chika, Noah Cyrus, D Smoke, Doja Cat, Kaytranada, and Megan Thee Stallion. The singer and songwriter’s first studio album, Lady Like, was released in March 2020, and she’s already earned plenty of praise in the country world and beyond.
But if you don’t know much about the “More Hearts Than Mine” singer, prepare to be impressed. For one thing, she’s already setting making waves in the country music space. As noted by Taste of Country, Andress was “the only solo female artist to reach the Top 20 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with a debut single in 2019.” At a time when women in country music are still fighting for equal airtime on country radio stations, it’s an especially impressive feat. And as Taste of Country pointed out, Andress and fellow country star Gabby Barrett were the first two solo female artists whose debut singles were on the Country Airplay chart’s top 10 list at the same time. Ever.
Here’s what fans should know about Ingrid Andress; the country music world will be hearing a lot more about her soon.
At the Country Music Awards, Ingrid Andress wowed the crowd
The country singer’s debut single, “More Hearts Than Mine,” tells an emotional story about bringing a partner home to meet your family for the first time. At the CMA Awards in November 2020, Ingrid Andress performed the hit, and she was filled with tears while singing the song. Fans and fellow artists shared their support for the emotional performance, which solidified Andress as an artist and lyricist to watch.
“I was so proud of how it was written as a songwriter, but then I also I haven’t heard a song talk about this before. It’s such a personal, meaningful song to me,” Andress said to Taste of Country in April 2020. “I think vulnerability is scary to all of us, but it’s so worth it if you can be honest about your life because I think more people can connect to it. We all have more in common than we think.” She’s not wrong; the anxiety about having a special someone meet your family (and the potential heartbreak if things don’t work out) is a pretty universal experience. It’s no wonder she got so worked up singing the song at the awards show!
Ingrid Andress has a degree in music
Ingrid Andress’ name may be new to some Grammys viewers, but she’s been in the music game for more than a decade. The country singer graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2013, per Billboard, after learning about the school when she was just 16 years old. “We went in and I was like, ‘Oh my God, there’s a college for music? I have to go here,'” Andress told the outlet in 2019.
As Billboard explains, the Colorado native moved to Nashville after graduating, and she found a group of other songwriters to work with — and not just writing country songs. “Even though Nashville is primarily country, it’s still a songwriting town,” Andress said to Billboard. “Learning how to write here helped me to be able to go into a room with Akon, or a boy band, or anyone.” That training served her well; she went on to co-write “Boys,” the catchy anthem from Charli XCX.
Michael Pollack is Ingrid Andress' 'songwriting husband'
In May 2016, Ingrid Andress shared an Instagram photo of her with Michael Pollack at his graduation from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. “Proud songwriting wife @michaelpollack is comin for ya #LA Thank you @vanderbiltu for housing our very first cowrite almost 3 years ago….very excited for what this amazing guy has in his future #graduate #songwritinghusband,” Andress wrote.
Fans may not immediately recognize Pollack’s name, but you probably know his work. Andress, Pollack, and Lauv co-wrote Charli XCX’s single “Boys,” and he’s written a number of other pop hits, too. From Lizzo’s “Better in Color” to Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa’s “Prisoner,” Pollack has had a hand in a lot of contemporary hits. And whether she’s working with Pollack or writing her own songs, Andress is a songwriter at heart. She’s not afraid to get personal in her lyrics, as she shared in an Instagram post about “Lady Like,” and fans are loving the honest, moving words that define Andress’ songs.
Ingrid Andress is passionate about social justice
From posting about getting out the vote to marching against gun violence, Ingrid Andress isn’t afraid to speak her mind. In March 2018, Andress posted a series of Instagram photos from the March for Our Lives, an annual student-led event in support of stricter gun control laws. “The time to change was yesterday. This is not a moment, it’s a movement,” Andress captioned her post. She also shared a photo of her “I Voted” sticker in November 2016.
Sharing an Instagram post in support of gun legislation may not seem like much, but for a country star (especially someone who’s new to the scene), it’s still a pretty big deal. Despite the fact that there’s a growing number of liberal country stars, the genre still has a reputation for being conservative-leaning. But Andress isn’t afraid to speak out about what she thinks is right.
Andress also shared two Instagram posts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in summer 2020. “I’ve never really gotten why racism is such a hard thing for people to understand. During quarantine, I’ve been reading a lot of American history about how we’ve treated other races over the years, and we don’t have a great track record. No country does. But this has really got to stop,” Andress wrote in her caption. “I implore you to educate yourself so you can start understanding why this is such an important movement.” She also recommended a list of books by Black authors.
The Chicks and Coldplay are some of Ingrid Andress' influences
In a March 2020 interview with Atwood Magazine, Ingrid Andress shared some of the artists who’ve influenced her own work, and the inspiration is as varied as her songwriting credits. “I really listened to pretty much every genre growing up, but you know, I loved and still love the Dixie Chicks. I love their personality and how it shows in their lyrics, and just their music in general,” Andress told the outlet. “I also love John Denver. His music really spoke to me when I was younger and now. I love that he kind of transcended genres as well and was a singer-songwriter but also could tell good stories in his songs. I mean, Coldplay was a big influence on me as well, as far as, like, their spacey, vibey kind of production.”
Of course, Andress has also been supportive of plenty of her fellow country artists. She shared an Instagram photo of her and Keith Urban in January 2020, calling the artist “one of the best performers in the world.” And she shared an Instagram tribute to Dan + Shay in March 2020; Andress was supposed to tour with the duo before the pandemic hit. She can clearly hit it off with just about any artist, country or otherwise, and she has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
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