“This is How We Become Friends”: Ashley McBryde Shares the Endearing Story Behind Her Last-Minute Post Malone Duet at the Opry

One of the many highlights of the Opry's star-studded 100-year anniversary celebration was undoubtedly when Post Malone and Ashley McBryde stepped into the hallowed wooden circle, with the duo serenading viewers with a stellar rendition of ‘Jackson’.

Popularised by Johnny Cash and June Carter in 1968, ‘Jackson’ remains one of the most iconic country songs in history. Blake Shelton introduced the special tribute by regaling the audience with the tale of how Cash first met Carter backstage at the Opry, laying the foundation for their eventual marriage shortly after the arrival of ‘Jackson’.

In a new video posted to Instagram, Ashley McBryde has shared the endearing story of how this Post Malone duet came about, with the ‘Girl Goin‘ Nowhere’ hitmaker revealing that she was originally supposed to be performing ‘Jackson’ alongside Jelly Roll.

“The whole day was...it was fantastic. I don't even care how long the day was because it's so magical...”, Ashley McBryde recalled, “I'm told, ‘Hey, will you do ‘Jackson’ with Jelly Roll?’ and I was like, ‘Of course!’ That'll be amazing, he'll come out and then we'll do ‘Jackson’ together - only, remix, Jelly got really, really sick”.

The Arkansas native went on, “At this point, Jelly's not gonna be able to make it, and I said, ‘That's okay. Whatever we need to do is what we're gonna do’. Then RAC comes in and he says, ‘So our friend Austin's gonna sing it with you’, and I was like, ‘Oh, I wonder who Austin is...Oh’. He said, ‘Do you know him?’ and I said, ‘No, I don't know him, I mean, we've said, ’Hello!’ to each other at award shows, but I don't know him. I just know he's a rad dude, right?’ This is how we become friends”.

McBryde expanded, “I said, ‘Does he know the song?’ ‘Yes’. Well, I know the song, he knows the song. ‘Has he ever played the song before?’ ‘Yes’. We know how the song goes, it's the best house band on the planet, nothing bad is going to happen...except that it's on live TV, and if something bad happens, everybody gets to see it!”

The duet was sleek and compelling, with Post Malone showcasing the playful swagger he has embraced since venturing into the country music world, while Ashley McBryde demonstrated why she is known as one of the genre's leading vocal powerhouses.

The enchanting nature of the Opry link-up belied the fact that, in reality, it was thrown together very last minute, with Post Malone and Ashley McBryde only getting to rehearse briefly before heading on-stage. McBryde explained, “So, Post is outside playing his guitar. I walked out, gave him a big hug and said, ‘I love that this is how we become friends. I'm gonna go finish my face up!’ I get back inside, I perform with Terri Clark, and my hands are like...you know how I am after performances”.

The ‘A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega’ singer-songwriter emphasised how hectic the preparations were, “Then they said, ‘Okay, while you're switching your hair, then Austin's gonna come in and you guys can run the song’. So he just brought his guitar in and he's like, ‘It's in C, right?’ I said, ‘Yeah’, and he said [mimics guitar sound]”.

Ashley McBryde concluded, “One of their amazing stage managers said, ‘Post, Ashley - let's go!’ and we preset for ‘Jackson’, and I asked permission, I said, ‘Hey, there's a line where you say, ‘Turn-a-loose-a my coat’. Is it okay if I grab your coat?’ and he said, ‘Green lights. Green lights. You're welcome to do more than that’”.

In a separate video shared to her socials, Ashley McBryde expressed her pride at getting to perform her spellbinding early hit, ‘Girl Goin’ Nowhere’, as part of the Opry 100 extravaganza, alongside one of her heroes Terri Clark, “First of all, imagine being a member of the Grand Ole Opry, right? It's the best thing that's ever happened to me, that can ever happen to a country music artist. The Opry turns 100. So you know that the whole year is going to be celebrating the Opry turning 100. And then, they're doing a TV show about it, right? They're gonna do that and it's gonna be live, because the Opry is always live. And so I got invited to do it”.

Ashley McBryde reflected on her song choice, “When we're trying to figure out like, what are we gonna pay tribute to, what are we gonna sing, what's gonna happen, and then I'm told, ‘We think you should do ‘Girl Goin’ Nowhere’ because it was such an Opry moment’. It was definitely a moment for me on my debut, but it was my first standing ovation at the Grand Ole Opry, and it kind of is an Opry moment. So they said, ‘Would you be willing to recreate that with Terri Clark?’”

Movingly, Ashley McBryde wrote ‘Girl Goin‘ Nowhere’ with Jeremy Bussey for the sole purpose of her playing it at her Opry debut, a mission she fulfilled back in 2017. Then, McBryde performed it during her Opry induction in 2022. The ‘One Night Standards’ crooner underlined how the fact that she was able to deliver an evocative rendition of the song during the Opry 100 show felt like a full-circle moment.

‘Girl Goin’ Nowhere’ is a prime example of the songwriting prowess Ashley McBryde possesses. Now that she's buddies with another maestro, Post Malone, we're keeping our fingers crossed that there's a McBryde and Post collaboration on the horizon.

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