Ashley Monroe's latest album, Tennessee Lightning, is a bold step forward for the singer-songwriter. It captures her journey through her treatment and remission from a rare form of blood cancer, as well as navigating through grief and motherhood.
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Despite her considerable success, Monroe's journey has been marked by significant personal challenges. She opened up about a harrowing personal experience during a recent episode of Rolling Stone's Nashville Now podcast.
Who Is Ashley Monroe?
The Knoxville, Tennessee native turned to songwriting after her father's death when she was 13. Her debut album, Satisfied, faced years of delays before its online release in 2009. By that time, Monroe was already co-writing songs for Katrina Elam and Jason Aldean. She later penned "Heart Like Mine" for Miranda Lambert.
In 2011, Monroe joined Lambert and Angaleena Presley to form the Pistol Annies, marking a turning point in her career. Later, her 2015 album The Blade further showcased her songwriting talent and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album.
Her journey took another turn in 2021 when Monroe was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer, Waldenström macroglobulinemia. She completed chemotherapy and entered remission in 2022.
Monroe Opens Up About Using Pain Pills
On the podcast, host Joseph Hudak asked Monroe about her experiences with pain pills. She then reflected on a deeply personal time in her life.
"I used pain pills off and on for a while," Monroe said. "No, I did not rehab. And there was a chapter... because I definitely could have. I mean, looking back, I had OD'ed in LA once."
She shared that the incident happened after mixing pain pills with other substances, acknowledging how easily such situations can arise.
"That's the thing I want people to know now, and always tell people that are younger than me, you know, don't mix things," she explained. "You don't have to do a lot of things to die, that's why there's so many accidental overdoses. It's not like you have to take a whole bottle of something."
She adds, "You can just get one little Xanax, and a little pain pill and a double vodka. I mean, you stop breathing, you know. So that in my life, I was like, 'No, I'm not gonna go to rehab. I'm not gonna do it anymore. I'm tired of them anyway.' I flushed it down the toilet, and I just didn't think about it again."
For the complete interview, watch the video below.
Photo by Keith Griner/Getty Images
