Ashley McBryde and Martina McBride are both American country music singers and songwriters who have very similar surnames. Looking closely, McBryde and McBride’s surnames are pronounced the same way and spelled slightly differently, with only one letter being different in their respective surnames. This has led to much speculation in the past about whether Ashley McBryde is related to the country music icon Martina McBride and whether she is part of her family. However, McBryde and McBride have clarified that they are in fact not related. And yet, while not related, it is worth pointing out that Ashley McBryde has followed a similar career path to Martina McBride and that both women have in fact had similar careers in country music.
Contents
Ashley McBryde’s Background and Career
Ashley McBryde was born on July 29th, 1983, in Waldron, Arkansas and attended Arkansas State University. After university, she moved to Nashville to become a country singer and quickly released two independent albums, ‘Ashley McBryde’ (2006) and ‘Elsebound’ (2011), and an EP ‘Jalopies & Expensive Guitars’ (2016). Following her first commercial success in country music, McBryde then signed with Warner Music Nashville in 2017, where she released her major-label debut album, ‘Girl Going Nowhere’, the following year. The album earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album during the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.
McBryde’s song ‘A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega’ was named one of the 54 Best Songs of 2017 by The New York Times, and one of the Top 25 Best Country Songs of 2017 by Rolling Stone. Solidifying her success, McBryde was named New Artist of the Year during 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards. She also won Female Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for her second major-label album ‘Never Will’ (2020) at the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards.
Martina McBride’s Background and Career
Meanwhile, Martina McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas on July 29th, 1966, and, similarly to McBryde, also moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music. McBride signed with RCA Records in 1991 and has since released 13 chart-topping albums like ‘The Time Has Come’ (1992), ‘The Way That I Am’ (1993), ‘Emotion’ (1999), ‘Martina’ (2003), ‘Shine’ (2008) and, most recently, ‘Reckless’ (2016).
McBride is known for her powerful soprano voice and her songs that often address social issues such as domestic violence, child abuse, and female empowerment. She has won four Country Music Association Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year and three Academy of Country Music Awards for Top Female Vocalist. She has also been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards.
Why They Are Not Related
Despite the similarities in their surnames and careers, Ashley McBryde and Martina McBride are not related by blood or marriage. According to Celeb Answers, their surnames are spelled differently because they have different origins. McBryde is a Scottish surname that means “son of Bride”, while McBride is an Irish surname that means “son of Brighid”.
Both singers have also confirmed that they are not related in interviews. In 2018, Ashley McBryde told Taste of Country that she had met Martina McBride once at a radio event and that they joked about their surnames. She said that Martina told her that she liked her music and that she was proud of her. Ashley also said that she admired Martina as a singer and a person.
Martina McBride also addressed the question of whether she was related to Ashley McBryde on Twitter in 2019. She replied to a fan who asked if they were cousins by saying “Nope. But I love her!”.
Conclusion
Ashley McBryde and Martina McBride are not related despite having very similar surnames and careers in country music. They are both successful singers and songwriters who have earned critical acclaim and awards for their music. They have also expressed mutual respect and admiration for each other as artists.
