About Lady Like

Ingrid Andress' first single, "Lady Like," embraces a different kind of femininity, one that doesn't necessarily fall in line with traditional gender stereotypes. According to Andress, that sentiment came straight from her personal experiences. Read on to learn the story behind the song, in Andress' own words. I had the concept in my head before I went into the studio that day. I wrote it with Derrick Southerland and Sam Ellis, who are good friends of mine, and we just kinda shoot the s--t and drink and write when we feel like it. So I walked in that day, and I was like, "I really wanna write this today." Because it had really been on my mind. I have always been trying to fit into a certain gender stereotype that we all kind of believe we have to fit into. I feel like it's really strong in the South. I'm from Colorado, and I grew up really being able to do whatever I wanted -- like, my parents never really put a gender thing on us. I would play street hockey and then come home and do science experiments on my Barbie dolls, you know? No one ever said, "You're a girl, so you have to do this." So when I moved to Nashville, all of a sudden, it was, like, guy time and girl time. And I was like, "Why can't we all go fishing together?" "Well, because that's what the guys do." So I got really frustrated. And I tried to fit in, tried to go shopping and whatever, and it just wasn't working. This song was written out of the final moment of self-acceptance -- like, I'm just gonna own who I am. I feel like a woman.