"The Stranger"
A woman wearing a yellow outfit standing in front of a sunset view with greenery behind her.
2020 cover artwork
Single by Ingrid Andress
from the album Lady Like
ReleasedJune 1, 2020
Studio
  • Rosebank Studio (Nashville)
  • The Planetarium (Nashville)
GenreCountry
Length
  • 3:07 (2017 version)
  • 3:12 (2020 version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Ingrid Andress
  • Ryan Lafferty
Producer(s)
Ingrid Andress singles chronology
"More Hearts Than Mine"
(2019)		 "The Stranger"
(2020)		 "Lady Like"
(2020)
Alternative cover
A woman wearing a jacket on a black background
2017 cover artwork
Music video
"The Stranger" on YouTube

"The Stranger" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ingrid Andress from her debut studio album, Lady Like (2020). The song was written by Andress alongside Ryan Lafferty, while the production was handled by the former and Sam Ellis. It was released as Andress' debut single by Arthouse Entertainment and What Is an Ingrid on February 4, 2017, for digital download and streaming. After Andress signed a record deal with Warner Music Nashville, the label re-released the song as the second single from the album in June 2020. The country track details a lost romance and Andress was inspired to write it after noticing the unrealistic expectations of love.

"The Stranger" received positive reviews from music critics, who praised the song's theme, as well as Andress' vocal delivery. Commercially, it reached number 49 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and number 54 on the Country Airplay chart. Two music videos were filmed for the song. The first was released in February 2017, via CMT and was directed by Lauren Jenkins. The second, directed by Emma Higgins, was released on the same day as Lady Like. It depicts various couples gazing in each other's eyes.

Background and composition

Upon enrolling at Berklee College of Music, Andress joined the a cappella group Pitch Slapped. The group took part on the second season of American television singing competition The Sing-Off, finishing in last place.[1][2] Andress returned to the competition for the next season as part of a different a cappella group, finishing sixth.[1] After she graduated, American songwriter Kara DioGuardi, who was Andress' professor at the college, signed Andress to her music publishing company Arthouse Entertainment.[3] In 2018, Warner Music Nashville signed Andress as a recording artist.[3]

Musically, "The Stranger" is a country song.[4] Andress wrote it with Ryan Lafferty and handled the production with Sam Ellis. "The Stranger" was recorded at Rosebank Studio and The Planetarium, and mixed at Sonic Element Studio.[5] The 2017 version of the track lasts for three minutes and seven seconds, while the 2020 version lasts for five more seconds.[6][5] The song discusses a fractured relationship.[4][7] In an interview with Teen Vogue, Andress stated that she "wanted to weave in how unrealistic our generation's idea of romance tends to be", elaborating: "Most songs either talk about being super in love or not in love anymore, and there's never an in-between."[8] Olivia Ladd of The Boot affirmed that "The Stranger" is "about the idea of love that her generation picked up from romanticized movies" and "[they] portray relationships as easy, but the song's lyrics look at it as a choice that requires hard work".[9] CMT's Samantha Stephens described the song as a "haunting, piano-driven expose".[7] Writing for The New York Times, Jon Caramanica claimed that Andress sings "full of resignation, to a lover who's grown distant" the line "You play the stranger, I'll play the girl at the bar".[10]

Release and reception

"The Stranger" was released as Andress' debut single by the company and What Is an Ingrid for digital download and streaming on February 4, 2017.[10][6] Warner Music Nashville issued a press release in May 2020, announcing that the song will be sent to American country radio stations on June 1 as a new single from Lady Like (2020).[11] A reimagined version of the track was also released in August 2020 by Warner Music Nashville and was later included on the deluxe edition of her debut album, which was released on October 2, 2020.[12][13]

"The Stranger" was met with positive reviews from music critics. Caramanica deemed it "an elegant evocation of corrosive loneliness" and praised Andress' vocals.[10] Teen Vogue's Gabe Bergado also complimented Andress' vocal delivery, stating that the song "shows off [Andress'] beautiful vocals backed by an elegant piano melody".[8] Billy Dukes of Taste of Country declared that "heavy chords add importance to the mellifluous presentation" of the track and it "gives major Brandi Carlile vibes by the end".[4] Melinda Newman from Billboard considered "The Stranger" to be an "ethereal track".[14] The staff of ABC News Radio called it an "emotional power ballad".[15] Jeremy Chua, writing for Sounds Like Nashville, deemed it a "stellar ballad".[16] Commercially, the song peaked at numbers 49 and 54 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, respectively.[17][18]

Promotion

The first music video for the song was released on February 22, 2017, via CMT. It was directed by Lauren Jenkins.[19] The second video was directed by Emma Higgins and released on March 27, 2020, coinciding with Lady Like's release.[11][8] In the latter visual, different couples are shown looking each other in the eyes.[8] It was filmed in a house in Beverly Hills, California. Andress revealed to CMT that when she entered the house she was scared by a parrot, wishing in retrospect she would have included it in the video "somehow".[20] Bergado noticed the inclusion of same-sex couples, to which Andress responded by saying that she "feel[s] extremely lucky to have this kind of platform to help spread love and awareness" and was hoping "videos like [hers]" would "help" country music "move forward".[8] CMT's staff called the second visual "stunning".[20] Andress sang the track at WDSY-FM on June 18, 2019.[21] In 2020, she performed it during Country Radio Seminar's New Faces of Country Music event in February and at YouTube Space New York in May, respectively.[9][22]

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Lady Like.[5]

Recording and management

  • Recorded at Rosebank Studio (Nashville, Tennessee) and The Planetarium (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Mixed at Sonic Element Studio (Los Angeles, California)
  • Mastered at Georgetown Masters (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Published by Songs of Universal Inc. / What Is an Ingrid / Straight from the Art Music (BMI); BMG Platinum Songs US / SWMBMGBMI (BMI)

Personnel

  • Sam Ellis – songwriter, producer, additional engineering, bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, B3, programming, digital editing, background vocals
  • Ingrid Andress – lead vocals, songwriter, producer, piano, background vocals
  • Ryan Lafferty – songwriter
  • Thomas Dulin – additional engineering
  • Erik Madrid – mixing
  • Aaron Matters – mixing assistant
  • Court Blankenship – production assistant
  • Jared Kneale – drums
  • Justin Schipper – steel guitar
  • Andrew Mendelson – mastering

Charts

Chart performance for "The Stranger"
Chart (2020) Peak
position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[18] 54
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[17] 49

Release history

Release dates and formats for "The Stranger"
Region Date Format(s) Version Label(s) Ref.
Various February 4, 2017 Original
[6]
United States June 1, 2020 Country radio Warner Music Nashville [23]
Various August 10, 2020
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Reimagined [12]

References

  1. 1 2 Collar, Matt. "Ingrid Andress Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  2. ↑ Scott, Jason (March 27, 2020). "Ingrid Andress: A Cappella Powerhouse Turned Country Breakout". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on March 30, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Reuter, Annie (December 3, 2019). "Chartbreaker: Ingrid Andress Learned To Write Songs In Any Style Before Her Country Breakthrough". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Dukes, Billy (June 5, 2020). "Ingrid Andress Looks to Turn Back Time With 'The Stranger'". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Lady Like (Liner notes). Ingrid Andress. United States: Warner Music Nashville. 2020. 093624895541.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Ingrid Andress – The Stranger". Spotify. February 4, 2017. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Stephens, Samantha (March 9, 2017). "New Videos From CMT's Latest Round of Artist Discovery". CMT. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Bergado, Gabe (March 27, 2020). "Ingrid Andress Premieres 'The Stranger' Music Video Alongside Debut Album 'Lady Like'". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Ladd, Olivia (February 21, 2020). "Ingrid Andress Steals the Show at CRS 2020 New Faces Show". The Boot. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 Caramanica, Jon (February 24, 2017). "The Playlist: Lana Del Rey Finds Love in a Hopeless Place". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Ingrid Andress Announces New Single 'The Stranger' Set To Impact Country Radio On June 1" (Press release). Warner Music Nashville. May 7, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 Citations regarding the release of the reimagined version of "The Stranger" in various countries:
  13. ↑ "Lady Like (Deluxe) by Ingrid Andress on Apple Music". iTunes Store (US). October 2, 2020. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  14. ↑ Newman, Melinda (June 12, 2020). "First Country: New Music From Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Zac Brown Band & More". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Ingrid Andress is no 'Stranger' to country radio success as she selects her next single". ABC News Radio. May 7, 2020. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  16. ↑ Chua, Jeremy (May 12, 2020). "Ingrid Andress Announces Stirring Ballad 'The Stranger' As New Single". Sounds Like Nashville. Archived from the original on May 18, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  17. 1 2 "Ingrid Andress Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  18. 1 2 "Ingrid Andress Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Ingrid Andress | The Stranger | Music Video". CMT. February 22, 2017. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  20. 1 2 "Ingrid Andress Introduces 'The Stranger'". CMT. March 27, 2020. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Ingrid Andress – The Stranger". Y108. June 18, 2019. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  22. ↑ "Ingrid Andress – The Stranger (Live at YouTube Space NY)". May 6, 2020. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022 – via YouTube.
  23. ↑ "Future Releases for Country Radio Stations". All Access. June 1, 2020. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
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