Ashley McBryde’s songwriting process has produced some serious country music magic in her years in the industry, from her breakout hit “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” to her latest release, a character-focused collaborative album called Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville.
But they can’t all be winners, and fans aren’t ever going to hear the songs Ashley writes that don’t make the cut -- because she trashes them right away.
“There have been times with co-writers like Nicolette Hayford where we’ll get a verse and chorus and we’ll hit a snag,” the singer tells Rolling Stone Country. “And we’ll literally rip it out from the notebook, not save it in the computer, and just trash it.”
She adds, “It feels good to know you have the option.”
So, what kind of song would make Ashley want to hit the delete button? “When we’re writing, the only criteria we have is, ‘Do we like it?’ And, ‘Do I believe what’s coming out of my mouth right now?’” She continues, “Like, if I sang about vodka, I wouldn’t believe it.”