A Country Star Seeks Redemption

BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT, THE MUSICIAN IS PICKING UP THE PIECES AFTER A DRUNKEN PERFORMANCE LANDED HER IN REHAB

- By NANCY KRUH

After Andress performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" drunk on July 15, she faced "pure hatred" online, she says. Months after seeking help, she performed a triumphant rendition in her native Colorado (inset, on Feb. 28).

When country singer Ingrid Andress butchered the national anthem at a Major League Baseball event last July, video of the disastrous performance instantly went viral. But it would take her months to watch what she calls “my worst nightmare come true” for herself. She held off, she says, “until I knew that I could watch it with empathy for the girl who was singing it.” To get there, Andress, 33, had to admit that alcohol abuse had caused the wreckage. Then she went to rehab to begin rebuilding her life in sobriety. The journey remains ongoing, but Andress is determined to see it through.

Now that she’s resuming her career, she feels compelled to address the episode. Her goal isn’t to make excuses but rather—in 12-step parlance—to make amends. “A lot of people who saw the botched anthem had no idea who I was,” she says, “and for them to know me as that is upsetting. It was such a small moment of everything that I’ve worked so hard to do.”