Ingrid Andress is on top of the world, even when she’s not quite sure where she is. The 3-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter originally from Highlands Ranch has spent the past several months on the road, opening for country superstar Keith Urban on his “The Speed of Now'' North American tour. On Halloween, she couldn’t contain her pinch-me shock on Insta at being invited to open for rock ’n’ roll icon Stevie Nicks in Huntsville, Ala.
And in November, Ingrid and duet partner Sam Hunt (yep, that’s right) hit No. 1 on the country billboard charts with “Wishful Drinking,” a Platinum-certified hit that Ingrid co-wrote and features on her sophomore album “Good Person.”
“Manifesting,” is how the 2009 Rock Canyon High School graduate describes her current zero-to-60 road to success. She’s turning dreams into reality.
“It’s been a whirlwind and also has felt like a lifetime,” Ingrid says.
Her first album, “Lady Like” was released in March 2020, just as the pandemic shut down the world, which made touring to support her album impossible. And what an incredible debut. “Lady Like” garnered three Grammy nominations and turned heads on the country music scene. She’d already made a name for herself as a songwriter, co-writing for tracks recorded by Hunt, Alicia Keys, Charli XCX, Bebe Rexha, among others.
Ingrid Andress grew up in Highlands Ranch, and her mom has said she was always performing, pretending to be Snow White or talking to ladybugs — and always singing. Ingrid’s dad, Brad Andress, was the strength and conditioning coach for the Colorado Rockies and they traveled frequently for his work.
In Boston to see the Rockies play the Red Sox during the 2007 World Series, Ingrid and her family walked past a building with music spilling out of its open doors from a student jam session. That building, she discovered, was part of the renowned Berklee College of Music, and that was a turning point in her life. She came home, quit sports (volleyball, soccer and track, if you’re keeping score) and threw herself into performing, joining every choir and musical theater production she could manage.
“I’m a very headstrong person. Once I decided that that’s where I wanted to go, nothing would get in my way,” Ingrid says.
Always a sucker for the storytelling aspect of music — there’s just something about the way life experiences make all of us feel — Ingrid focused on songwriting at Berklee and afterward, moved to Nashville, waited a lot of tables, and focused on honing her craft. That’s where she landed her publishing deal.
“You’re not born a good songwriter,” Ingrid says. “You have to practice writing, network with other songwriters, practice your songs on the public. It can be a long process.”
It took Ingrid a few years to realize she couldn’t bear to have someone else lend voice to her songs, which oftentimes came out of deeply personal heartache, and she was ready to front her own work. “Lady Like” was her salvo.
“I just thought I was a songwriter. I thought I had too many opinions to be an artist. I wasn’t hearing people singing about things I was singing and writing about,” Ingrid says.
Her Colorado roots are all over her lyrics, from “Blue’s” “Thought I knew just what to call
The color of the Colorado sky, But looking in your eyes, It's like seeing blue for the first time.”
Or in the multi-platinum No. 1 single “More Hearts than Mine”: “I can't wait to show you where I grew up, Walk you 'round the foothills of my town.”
Ingrid has been in full tour mode, hanging out with her band — “We’re good friends” — and loving being able to see the whole country. After wrap, she'll return to writing. Success for her is seeing more and more people sing her songs during shows.
“It feels like you are all agreeing that you feel whatever is in the song. You’re all sort of coming together and saying ‘I’ve felt this’ and as a songwriter that’s your goal, to show your feelings and put those out into the world.”
Right now, Ingrid is basking in the success of two critically acclaimed albums and the world that has opened for her. Expect to hear more about her in 2023, including her own headlining tour with a European leg.
“Definitely being on stage playing music is one of the happiest places for me. I do feel very in my element, now that I’ve embraced it. I feel a lot of times the world is showing you signs, this is your purpose, and if we aren’t paying attention, we miss it.”
Follow Ingrid on Instagram @ingridandress or hear more at ingridandress.com.
