Ashley McBryde's 'Girl Goin' Nowhere' Album is a 'Polaroid' of Her Life

Ashley McBryde will release her debut album, Girl Goin' Nowhere, on March 30, an 11-song project co-written entirely by McBryde. From being told she would never find success as a songwriter, to earning praise from artists like Eric Church and numerous invitations to appear on the Grand Ole Opry, McBryde says Girl Goin' Nowhere is completely and authentically her.

"Listening to this record will give you a really good overview of me as a human being, and collectively, where we are as a band and as people in this industry," McBryde tells AllAccess.com. "I've had my whole life to live, and these songs have been written in the process. Selecting these was really hard, but thank God I had the wisdom of [manager] John Peets and [producer] Jay Joyce to help with that.

"It's a really, really good Polaroid of us, and it does give us room to grow, also," she continues. "There were some things we considered putting on the record that we thought maybe it would be best to wait so that we had room to grow. We didn't want to show up with all of the balloon animals at once, but we did want to give you a solid look at who we are and what we sound like."

McBryde wasn't always willing to be so transparent in her music, but a chance encounter with a hit songwriter made her re-evaluate her decision to keep her guard up.

"The way I was willing to be honest changed a few years ago when I was introduced to Travis Meadows' music," explains McBryde. "He is willing to rip open his chest every single night and let you look at all the little cogs and wheels. I think it's not only cool to be that honest, but it's imperative. It's your duty to do that; if you write songs, you better be willing to be that honest. So, the songwriting aspect is the most important to me. It's also how I keep from stabbing people. It's much cheaper than therapy. In fact, it is therapy."

McBryde, who will spend the next few months serving as the opening act on Luke Combs' Don't Tempt Me With a Good Time Tour, says she is ready to work harder than ever before.

"We're going to keep getting on these big tours, which is going to be fun," she says. "I heard a little rumor about maybe doing a Kip Moore thing in the Fall, which would be a lot of fun. Then, for the very first time, we will headline a club tour. I know that is small potatoes, but not to us! That also means we will have the opportunity to work with some opening acts and be as kind to them as Miranda [Lambert] and Luke [Bryan] and Jon Pardi have been to us. The first person over the wall gets to reach over and grab the next person, so I can't wait to do some headlining stuff and be really kind to openers the way they have been to us."

Girl Goin' Nowhere will be released on March 30, and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and iTunes.

See a list of all of McBryde's upcoming shows on her website.

Photo Credit: Instagram/AshleyMcBryde