Ingrid Andres Keeps Smiling Through ‘Good Man’ Tears

The new album of Ingrid Andres Good man begins with her asking all the positive, upbeat people in this world what she looks like, “Seeing the world as one big happy place.”

Then she really gets into her feelings.

The “Wishful Drinking” singer (“When I’m a couple, I become an optimist / Like you and I are realists”) and songwriter used songs like “Yearbook,” “Seeing Someone Else” and “No Choice” (“I carried us a million miles without your help / Till I barely had the strength to even save myself“) as precise instruments capable of carving out the listener’s heart without defeating the heartbeat.

Even the melodic ballad “Blue” sheds happy tears as he sings, “I thought I knew exactly what to call the color of the Colorado sky / But looking into your eyes is like seeing blue for the first time.” Steel guitar and Dulcet acoustic guitar support her vocals on this signature track from Andress’s second studio album.

“So I just noticed that all these couples are unhappy together, but they’re still together.”

“A lot of songwriters here in town are like, ‘You’re so brave to write sad songs,'” Andres says. A taste of country nights during a recent studio visit. For the record, she is smiling as she says this and has laughed a lot.

“Like everyone sends me their sad songs to listen to. They’re like, “We’d love to have Ingrid in this,” and it’s like, just sad. And I’m like, “Cool. Very on brand. I’m a happy man if you have cheerful songs.”

The album is—as you’ll soon see—a journey told chronologically, and Andres was so committed to telling that story that she did something unthinkable in modern country recording. Her collaboration with Sam Hunt didn’t make the album, but it’s hard to find fault with her explanation. The album – and this interview – end on a high note, with the 30-year-old finding love and celebrating.

“He’s not into music, so that’s cool,” is all she’ll say about her friend. And: “He’s very normal and consistent and I love him.”

Perhaps it will inspire a new chapter of upbeat songs for the “More Hearts Than Mine” hitmaker. Or maybe he’ll find something else to make us cry about.

The taste of the country: Is there a song Good man that you almost didn’t share because it’s very personal?

Ingrid Andres: Yes. There’s one called “No Choice” where I got emotional from it and was like, “Okay, this obviously doesn’t make the cut” (laughing). Everyone said, “No, you should definitely put it in there.”

You told me before that when you wrote “Wishful Drinking” you just imagined Sam Hunt to be in it. What if he had said no?

I didn’t have anyone else in mind so I was just going to put it out myself. I’m not sure why because there are so many people who could crush it. I just wanted his tone of voice specifically for the song.

Why is this song not on the album?

That’s a great question. The album, the way I made the track list, actually tells a story from beginning to end of the events that happened in my life. And “Wishful Drinking” was very much during that, but it doesn’t really help tell the story I’m trying to make. I love the song. It has nothing to do with whether I like it or not. It’s just that more than that isn’t part of the story I’m telling.

A number of people helped you write the Yearbook. Is it your parents, or will someone else’s parents have a stiff drink after hearing this song?

(Laughing) It is based on many different relationships that I have observed. My parents are good, but there are times when I’m like, “Huh, I wonder why you’re still together.” For most of this I was moving from the West to the South and I didn’t realize how much stigma there was on divorce in the South. It’s bad. I just noticed that all these couples are unhappy together but still together. So I’m like, “I know you met in high school and that’s really sweet…” But I feel like there’s a stigma around divorce in a lot of cultures that I’ve never understood.

Did you have to explain it to your parents? Me, if I post a meme about “Growing up we drank water from the hose” my mom will text me “You weren’t poor!”

After I wrote it, I was like, “Whoa. Yeah, I should probably sit on that for a minute and see.” Because that’s like a good way to look at it all. I think my parents know at this point that I take a little bit of everything, so it’s never all about them. But you know, they are the prominent parents in my life.

What was 18-year-old Ingrid like in high school?

She was everywhere. He thought he was into sports and would study at a sports college. In fact, 18-year-old me was already in college. So, experimenting with alcohol and drugs. This was me at 18 (laughing).

Have you ever thought of trying for American Idol?

Something like. I did a TV show called The Sing Off and I really didn’t like how they ran shows because everything was so scripted. They make it seem like everything is fair, but it’s very political. After experiencing it, I was like, “Eh, there’s really no point.”

On Instagram, you identify as a three-time Grammy loser. People always say they’re happy just to be nominated. Is not it like that?

For me the nomination — I wanted Megan Thee Stallion to win and she did. I think I actually voted for her – for me, just the nomination itself, people have been portraying you as that forever. It changes your whole intro, so I changed mine to “Three Time Grammy Loser.”

Finally, here’s something Keith Urban said about you during a recent interview with us. I wanted to put this out there for you and get your thoughts? (plays audio of Keith Urban speaking. They’re currently on tour together.)

She just has this, I don’t know, this cool factor. Great songwriter. Great communicator on stage. She really has a great way of connecting with the audience in her storytelling, songwriting, etc. … It was great to have her on this tour.

Oh Keith! That was so nice. Does he think I’m cool? What on earth? I paid him to say it for sure. Very sweet. I feel the same about him, everything you said. I mean, he’s exactly the same in my mind, so it’s so wild that he thinks I’m that. It’s weird.