Ashley McBryde at 'Stars and Strings'

With the CMA Awards just around the corner, triple nominee Ashley McBryde is gearing up for a fun night amongst her Country music pals. But there’s one friend she knows she most likely won’t be seated next to… and here’s why. “When you’re in a room full of people that do what you do it’s nice to be able to sit down and talk trash about each other -- because we do,” she said of the playful nature at awards shows. “Especially Miranda [Lambert] and I. I think that’s why they don’t seat us together anymore,” she laughed. “We give each other a hard time, but we’re always cheering each other on. Especially, the women in Country music -- we all are really good at challenging each other and showing up for each other at the same time.” Trash-talking aside, we all know Ashley has a big heart for connecting with others, especially her fans, which is exactly what she’s done with her current top 20 single, “Light On In The Kitchen.” “My favorite thing to see is when a Mom or a Dad has their arms around their child -- which is usually like a teenager -- and they’re kind of holding on to them and singing at their head, trying to get the information in there,” she said of witnessing how the song has impacted people every night on tour. “That’s just proof that a song like this, you didn’t write it, you didn’t make it up -- you were just the thing it came through.” She concluded, “It’s wonderful to watch a Mom or a Dad sing, ‘trust yourself,’ ‘love yourself,’ and hopefully -- for once -- a teenager is listening to their parents.” For more from Ashley, press play on his entire interview with Katie Neal above. Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal