Remember When: Ingrid Andress Earned a Standing Ovation at Her Grand Ole Opry Debut

Ingrid Andress is multi-talented. The country-pop singer had already penned hits for big names like Charli XCX and Halestorm when she broke through with her own solo effort, 2020’ss Lady Like. The album earned Andress, 32, three GRAMMY nods, including one in the Best New Artist category. Additionally, it landed her the title of highest-streaming country female debut album of all time upon release. In 2019, the Highlands Ranch, Colorado native solidified her place in Nashville when she made her debut on country music’s biggest stage.

Ingrid Andress Makes Her Grand Ole Opry Debut

In the country music pantheon, the Grand Ole Opry is hallowed ground. When artists take the stage there, they are standing at the intersection of country music past, present and future.

For Ingrid Andress, though, the most important thing was making her grandfather proud.

“My grandpa always asks me, ‘Have you played the Opry yet?’ because that’s the only thing he cares about,” the “Wishful Drinking” singer said in an interview. “I could have a No. 1 country song and he wouldn’t care. He’d be like, ‘Have you played the Opry?’ So now I can tell him that I’ve played the Opry.”

[RELATED: 3 of Ingrid Andress’ Most Outstanding Live Performances]

Andress took the stage dressed in all pink and belted her hit singles “More Hearts Than Mine” and “Lady Like.” After she sang the final note, the crowd rose to its collective feet and gave the Nashville Songwriter Award winner a standing ovation.

“I just can’t believe that I’m even performing tonight,” Andress said in the interview. “But I’m, like, really excited. I just – my brain is having a hard time comprehending that this is even happening.”

Andress Announces New Music

Ingrid Andress released her studio debut, Lady Like, to much fanfare in 2020. Her 2022 sophomore album Good Person debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album’s lead single, “Wishful Drinking,” cracked the Top 5 on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart and earned Andress her fourth GRAMMY nomination.

Fans can hear Andress’ new single, “Colorado 9,” on July 24. Named for the rural highway that runs through the central part of her home stage, the song waxes nostalgia: My childhood house is a different color now / It was grey and blue, now it’s yellowish / That neighborhood really went to s— / Our living room piano lives in storage now.

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