Ashley McBryde received the 2023 Groundbreaker Award at the Billboard Country Live Power Players event in Nashville, Tenn. on Tuesday, June 6. Terri Clark presented McBryde with the award, and during her introduction, she called her fellow singer a "little sister" and a "true trailblazer" in the genre of country music.
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"I've never met anyone who sets their mind to something and doesn't waiver quite like Ashley, and that is truly inspiring on many levels," Clark said while honoring her fellow singer.
"I believe Ashley's name will top the list of true trailblazers in years to come," Clark adds.
McBryde then took to the stage — already teary-eyed — to accept the award. She recalled her early days in Nashville in her speech, saying that leaders in the music industry wanted her to change her image and her music to fit in with the trends.
"When I got to town, boy they were quick to tell me what to change," McBryde said. "That was, 'Your hair's too curly, lose 30 pounds.' We're all trying to lose 30 pounds. And, 'Too many tattoos.' Back then, there were three."
"They did the same with what to write and what not to write, and it was exhausting," she continues. "The most important thing we can be as an artist, as a bandmate, as a songwriter, as a human being is ourselves. The other kind of person I was trying to be was absolutely exhausting."
Fortunately, the singer resisted those changes, and she thanked the people who accepted her for who she truly was.
"I want to say thanks for seeing that as a positive instead of simply labeling me defiant or stubborn just to be stubborn," she says.
"It means a lot to receive this because it means that betting on yourself is the right move," she concludes. "Betting on yourself wins a Grammy, it becomes a Grand Ole Opry member. Surrounding yourself with others that are betting on themselves ... that makes all the difference."
The event also handed out honors to Jelly Roll for Breakthrough Artist, Bailey Zimmerman for Rookie of the Year and Sony Music Publishing's Rusty Gaston for Executive of the Year. The ceremony was one of many industry and concert events that will take place during CMA Fest, which officially runs Thursday, June 8, through Sunday, June 11.
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