For Ingrid Andress, her darkest moment might also have been her best. Andress made headlines in 2024 when she performed a drunk version of the national anthem at the MLB Homerun Derby. Instantly, both baseball fans and country music fans bashed Andress on social media.
Videos by Wide Open Country
For some, the occasion would have been a permanent death knell on their career. For Andress, it was just the beginning. One day later, Andress checked herself into rehab. She is now back with new music, sober, and thankful for the life-changing experience.
"Up to the anthem moment, I was so nervous about saying the wrong thing or looking bad," Andress admits to Glamour. "I was so uptight because I felt like my fans didn't really know who I was. My fear of failure was so strong, which helped get me to a successful place, but also drove me to the lowest point in my life. "
Andress not only came back stronger, but proved to the world, and herself, that she could sing the notoriously difficult song.
"When I sang the national anthem again in 2025 at the Colorado Avalanche hockey game in Denver, I was so nervous, obviously, and there was an echo in the arena," the Michigan native recalls. "I was like, 'Oh, great—now it's going to sound bad.' But I faced my fear in singing it again and didn't ruin it. It was well received."
What Ingrid Andress Learned In Rehab
Who knows where Andress might be had she not gone to rehab. For Andress, it is a gift she will never take for granted.
"I'm very open about going to rehab, because I think it's a privilege to be able to go," the 33-year-old says. "Sometimes there's such a taboo about it, like, 'Oh, that person's broken.' But it felt like an emotional hospital for processing emotions and doing trauma work, and learning to care about how you feel again, and what your coping mechanisms are. It was a bit of a relief too. I wasn't allowed to have my phone, which was helpful because I basically went straight from the anthem to rehab."
Andress learned plenty, both from the experience and her time in rehab. They are lessons that she will carry with her, as she moves forward with her country music career.
"I no longer seek perfection, because I don't want to ever get back to that place again," Andress acknowledges. "And I hope more people don't have to hit a rock bottom to realize that perfection is an unattainable thing."
