Ingrid Andress In Conversation With FAULT Magazine
Ingrid Andress X FAULT Magazine
If you were to ask a Gen Z listener to describe a country music star, their answer would vary wildly from any other generation that came before them. While country music has come a long way the last few decades, its recent boom in popularity is no doubt owing a new wave of country music stars breaking through to the mainstream. One such star is Ingrid Andress, a killer songwriter with writing credits for Alicia Keys and Charli XCX to name but two.
This month Ingrid returned with a deluxe version of her critically acclaimed debut album ‘Lady Like’ so we sat down to discuss her writing, journey, and as always, her FAULTs.
Has the negative impact of the pandemic and Nashville tornado made it hard to celebrate your successes this year?
Ingrid Andress: At first, yes, it was hard to celebrate everything because it felt as if the world flipped upside-down and I didn’t know where I was. But after a couple of months of settling into my “new reality,” I decided to let go of any expectations I had about celebrating and remember that it’s all about the music. The fact that people can still listen to my album during these crazy times is really the thing I should be celebrating, and I do that every day.
When you were co-writing for other artists, do you always wonder the different ways you would convey the music or was Boys a special occurrence?
Ingrid Andress: I rarely have a roadmap of where I want a song to go when I’m writing for other artists. Sure, I bring in song ideas to get things going, but I’m usually more focused on what the artist wants to talk about. Boys, however, was a special occurrence, because there was no artist in the room to write for, so my co-writers and I just decided to write about something that resonated with us.
Ladylike means a lot to many different people. is it difficult knowing that songs which encourage women simply to be who they want to be are still so needed in a modern world?
Ingrid Andress: I think we are definitely getting more female empowerment songs! Even within the past month or two. I mean, Cardi B “WAP” is a huge one. It has been difficult in the past to get the music industry to stand behind female empowerment, but I think now more than ever we as a society are craving some authentic female representation. I wrote “Lady Like” thinking I was going to be the only one who related to it since it’s so brutally honest, but if there’s anything 2020 has shown me, it’s that we’re all deep down more a like than we think.
What’s been the most challenging moment in your musical journey so far?
Ingrid Andress: 2020. I feel like that could be its own sentence, like “no more needs to be said.” It’s probably been one of the most challenging years of my career, but it’s also been the most rewarding. It’s hard not being on the road and not being able to see your fans at shows, especially as a new artist. But this year has given me so much time to write and be creative, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I’d been on the road.
What’s an unlikely cover that you’ve never performed live to a crowd before, but you kill every time at home?
Ingrid Andress: Well, I wouldn’t say I “kill” it at home, but honestly any Whitney Houston song. It’s hard to out-sing the queen, but I grew up singing to her music, so her songs will forever be the songs I sing in the shower.
What’s an experience you haven’t written about yet, but want to?
Ingrid Andress: Hmm…probably something about our current social climate? Country music is pretty quiet about politics, but I figure if it’s called “country” music, shouldn’t we be writing about the things that are happening in the country?
What’s something you want to discuss?
Ingrid Andress: Nobody’s ever asked me to marry them (thankfully), but I’ve always wanted to discuss people’s opinions on the constitution of marriage and how it’s changing. It’s still a very traditional thing in certain parts of America.
What is your FAULT?
Ingrid Andress: Do I only get to name one? Probably my stubbornness. It has come in handy quite a bit, but I’m learning to admit when I don’t know something or if I am wrong. I think that’s a positive characteristic to have. But for now, I am stubborn.