How Ashley McBryde Reacted To Pressure To Change Her Appearance

Ashley McBryde found her perfect way to respond to "uncomfortable" advice.

The Grammy-winning country star, 43, opened up about pressures to change her appearance in the early days of her career. McBryde said during an episode of Rolling Stone's Nashville Now podcast, which premiered on Wednesday (September 30), that people in the music industry suggested she change her dark, curly hair, limit her tattoos, and alter her fashion choices.

McBryde shared how she stood up for herself rather than accepting changes that weren't authentic to her.

"You know, when I first popped onto the scene, and they were like, 'curly hair, probably not. How do you feel about being blonde?' And I was like, 'go sit by yourself,'" McBryde told Deputy Editor and Head of Country Joseph Hudak in a clip from the podcast on Instagram. "I'm not tall like the other options in country music, or at the time, I'm not blonde, I'm covered in tattoos - not as many the as there are now - and that's how I met that advice. When they were like, 'stop getting tattoos,' and I was like, 'you stop getting tattoos.'

"'How do you feel about wearing fringe?' And I was like 'on what?' On what?" McBryde continued. 'How do you feel about putting your pants inside our boots?' And I was like, 'is it raining?' Is there a reason? And I tried it. I will do it. I don't have to tell you, it looks ridiculous. You can see that it looks ridiculous. …I have a gift for, if something makes me that uncomfortable, it's now your problem. You will be as uncomfortable as I am. And that's how I met that advice. ..You're giving me terrible advice. why should you not feel the effects?"

Throughout the conversation, McBryde also spoke about her fifth studio record, Wild, which released earlier this year. The album followed Girl Going Nowhere (2018) Never Will (2020), Lindeville (2022) and The Devil I Know (2023). McBryde previously said in a statement that "when people hear this record, I hope it wakes up the part of them that I'm singing about in 'Wild'-the part that still believes in those unrealized dreams and untaken risks. I believe that wild little kid is still alive inside of all of us, and that's the version of everyone that I want to sing to."

McBryde, whose "Into The Wild Tour " dates span through 2026, also spoke about her sobriety journey, redemption (including her non-alcoholic-focused bar amid the honky Tonks in downtown Nashville), and more on Nashville Now. Listen to the full conversation on iHeartRadio here.