10 Essential Examples of Ingrid Andress' Gifts as a Singer-Songwriter

Since 2020, Ingrid Andress has emerged as one of country music's most promising new stars. With her talent as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Andress is poised for a even more successful career in Nashville. The Berklee College of Music graduate is already on the right track with her Top 5 debut single "More Hearts Than Mine" and her 2020 debut album for Warner Music Nashville, Lady Like, which charted within the Top 10. Sophomore mainstream LP Good Person followed in 2022 and features a gold single in Sam Hunt duet "Wishful Drinking," which picked up a coveted Grammy nomination in 2023. It's Andress' fourth shot at winning a grammophone during her relatively short time in the country radio spotlight. In 2021, she was up for Best New Artist, Best Country Song for "More Hearts Than Mine" and Best Country Album for Lady Like. She's also racked up multiple CMT, ACM and CMA award nominations.

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As for what makes her special, Andress is a top-notch lyricist with impeccable vocal range and a musical vision that blurs the already loose lines between modern country and pop. She pulls this off in a way that's neither too pop for one audience nor too country for another. It's a formula that should keep her in the popular music spotlight for a long, long time.

While Andress continues to forge her path as a country artist, here Wide Open Country's playlist of her 10 best songs, so far. It skips over a lot of solid material, considering that Andress crafts well-rounded albums in a singles-based genre.

10. "Waste of Lime" (2020)

This lighthearted tune was released as a promotional single separate from her Lady Like album, but it doesn't deserve any less attention than her other songs. The song turns the classic breakup tune on its head with his bouncy beat and clever lyrics as Andress declares that her ex was nothing but a "waste of lime" in a drink. Listen here.— Grace Lenehan Vaughan

9. "Life of the Party" (Lady Like, 2020)

A deeper cut from her first album, "Life of the Party" incorporates just about everything that sets Andress apart: modern Nashville production, soaring pop star vocals and a touch of class. Lyrically, it's an anti-love song about someone who's been living their best life in the face of fresh heartbreak. Listen here.— Addie Moore

8. "Pain" (Good Person, 2022)

Andress picks at listeners' emotional scabs without leaving us feeling helpless. "It might sound insane but I promise one day/ You're gon' be thanking your lucky stars/ For all this pain," she reassures us. After all, we're all survivors in one way or another. Listen here.— AM

7. "The Stranger" (Lady Like, 2020)

While Andress takes the end of relationship lightly in "Waste of Lime," she's dead set on saving a failing love story in "The Stranger." This sweeping piano-driven ballad finds the singer-songwriter longing for her and her partner to be strangers once again, so they can spark the passion of their relationship. This song only managed to break country's Top 50, but it serves as a textbook example of Andress' emotive music and storytelling. Listen here. —GLV

6. "Blue" (Good Person, 2022)

Andress gets introspective here while balancing between irresistible country ballad and AM gold vibes. She processes new love poetically by explaining why the color blue will always bring back memories of a certain pair of eyes. Listen here.— AM

5. "Seeing Someone Else" (Good Person, 2022)

What at first seems like the call-out of a cheater takes a surprise turn when it becomes clear that our antagonist would rather be with the narrator's prior, less mature self. Andress sings as someone deep into a self-improvement journey when they realize that their significant other prefers "the girl that you met/ out at a bar making a mess of 23." It's a brilliant twist on an old trope. Listen here.— AM

4. "Feel Like This" (Good Person, 2022)

Such peers as Kelsea Ballerini and Gabby Barrett probably wish they'd cut this one first. After all, it's a soaring country ballad with a touch here and there of Olivia Rodrigo vibes. Despite its 10K+ streams on Spotify, it's still overlooked in most conversations about Andress' multi-genre appeal. Bonus points for the amazing line "you taste like stability/ and that's new for me." Listen here.— AM

3. "Wishful Drinking" (with Sam Hunt) (Good Person, 2022)

In August 2021, Andress teamed up with Nashville veteran Sam Hunt for "Wishful Drinking." The song, which leans more pop than Andress's previous songs, was co-written by the Colorado native along with Jonny Price and pop singer JP Saxe. The upbeat tune finds Andress and Hunt singing from the perspective of two ex-lovers who meet in the same bar and hope to reignite their relationship. Hunt also joined Andress for the song's music video, which illustrates the story of the song. Listen here.— GLV

2. "Lady Like" (Lady Like, 2020)

One of Andress' most striking songs is "Lady Like," the title track from her debut album. In this larger-than-life tune, Andress sings about the kind of woman she is, and while she might not be "lady like" by societies standards, she's lady like by her own standards. She describes these standards throughout the song with clever lyrics, ending the chorus with, "Lipstick in a cigarette pack on the dash / I'm a lady like that." The music video for "Lady Like" was nominated for the Video of the Year at the 2021 CMT Music Awards. Listen here.— GLV

1. "More Hearts Than Mine" (Lady Like, 2020)

The debut single from her Lady Like album, "More Hearts Than Mine," has undoubtedly been Andress' most successful radio single so far, but it also holds its own among her other tunes. In this tune, a sweet piano melody accompanies Andress as she sings about bringing a boyfriend to see her hometown and meet her parents. She sings about how her father will check her boyfriend's tires, her mother will fall in love him and her high school friends will show him all the old photos of her. While these might seem like good things, they come with a warning -- if they ever break up, the boyfriend won't just be breaking Andress' heart, but he'll be breaking the hearts of her family and friends as well. "More Hearts Than Mine" peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard's Country Airplay chart —as well as reaching No. 5 on the Hot Country Songs chart— and was certified double Platinum. Listen here.— GLV

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This story was originally published on Oct. 11, 2021.