Avery Anna: Self-Worth and The Grace of Letting Go

Could Avery Anna's approach to life lessons usher in a new country music standard for women young and old? For this Gen Xer, the message hit the mark.

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Now, let’s get back to the main event!

Avery Anna: ACM Winner Testifies

Aging is not for the weak. One day your “internal age” is 32. The next day your body screams, “Try this 57-year-old health crisis on for size!”

Reality check: I am a shadow of my 32 year-old rock star self. It’s horrifying. Especially when there are MRI’s and medicinal side effects to back it up. That’s my 2026 story since January.

Let’s set the scene… Unable to properly move my limbs and immune compromised with steroid “moon pie” face, this party girl has felt trapped and scared and not pretty or empowered at all. When you’re that sick, the few random good days are spent recovering from the many bad days. Plans are canceled or forgotten… repeatedly. Guilt sets in. Emotions run amok. In my case, the word “unhinged” comes to mind.

Steroid-induced sleepless nights and anaphylactic reactions to antibiotics and all FOOD scrambled what was left of my brain. While my central nervous system buzzed, the focus required for writing articles or producing new podcasts/showcases proved elusive at best.

My phone and earbuds became conduits to impulsive, 3 am fashion purchases on Instagram, most later returned. Then came Speed Music Video Dating. An artist’s single had ~45 seconds to impress me enough to advance to my Qobuz library for consideration. Fail, and I scrolled to the next video or reel without pause or remorse. Eat your heart out Simon Cowell. Yes, I’ll be a judge on your next soul-crushing talent competition if you need me.

My cruel game screeched to a halt in March when music review duo Terry & Kaniyia’s reel popped up:

Stop the press!!! (Do people still say that or even know what it means?) Avery Anna’s light broke through my pre-dawn mania like a beacon with her Prince of Darkness tribute “No More Tears.” Anna performed this live version in spite of her band laughing at the idea. Ozzy Osbourne’s song is older than most of her fans and off brand from her country/americana stylings. The gamble paid off. “No More Tears” became the public herald to her next musical evolution.

Anna’s catalog is the journey of a young woman finding her voice, purpose, and higher power. The stylistic transition from 2022’s EP Mood Swings to her 2025 album Let Go Letters and 2026 EP forgive, forget. takes fans from country teen musings to rawkin’ crossover anthems and introspective themes. She bravely bucks Nashville formulas and themes without apology.

Optimistic for a full recovery, I bought tix for Anna’s May 9th Grand Rapids show at the Intersection. Miraculously, my health was stable enough to hobble to her show. Eight days later, she won the ACM New Female Artist Of The Year Award.

Anna’s performance sparked a series of epiphanies.

Fans are avid.

Avery Anna on stage. Photo: Ryan Young

From start to finish, the audience sang along and danced to every song. Clearly, I was late to the fan girl party. Most surprising was how many Gen Exers attended this 22 year-old’s show. Some were admittedly chaperones, but many were there for the experience. Her alter ego Little Debbie performing “Ice Ice Baby” with show opener Ashley Anne again gave nod to retro grooves that satisfied fans young and old.

If genre-hopping icon Miley Cyrus comes to mind, you are not alone. “Party In The USA” even showed up on Anna’s setlist that night. The crowd went crazy.

Self-Worth is the central theme.

This is where Anna really shines. Anna’s songs preach standing your ground, speaking your mind, and following your instincts when facing negative social pressures. These self-proclaimed life lessons belie her youth, which is why they are relatable to a wide age spectrum. They also touch upon accountability in a way that country music has traditionally ignored. “Boys will be boys” is not an acceptable excuse for gaslighting, violence, shaming, and cheating on women in Anna’s world. And that’s a message that fans are embracing in a world desperately in need of honesty. Let’s explore, shall we?

Narcissist
Boy behaves badly. You call him on it. He says you're crazy and overreacting.

Studies by Schmitt & Buss (2001) and Allen & Baucom (2006) found that as many as 70% of dating couples in the United States experience infidelity.

Mr. Predictable
You ignore your instincts and forgive boy who behaved badly. You catch him doing it again with “just friends” Scarlet. This is when the rage unleashes (minute 1:26 of the music video to be exact). Soak it up!

Dr. Kathy Nickerson’s survey revealed that people who cheated confessed of their own accord 15% of the time. When betrayed partners were the ones to discover the affair, respondents reported around 21% of their partners came clean right away.

Vanilla
Boy pushes girl to go all the way in his car. Girl regrets it immediately and is changed forever. Warning from Anna: saying “no” doesn’t make you vanilla. The Urban Dictionary defines vanilla as "a member of the boring sexual majority.”

Seventeen Magazine reported (2022) that the average age of virginity loss is 17. The number of teens having sex decreased from 48% in 2007 to 38% in 2019.

Skinny
Girl laments her appearance and suffers the extremes she will go to for perceived physical perfection. No more need be said.

NEDA reports that 31 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetimes. Every 52 minutes 1 person dies as a direct consequence of an eating disorder.

Grave
Girl musters the courage to leave a violent relationship and promises not to take her secret to the grave. Video ends by revealing that one in four women experience domestic violence in their lives. Most never report it.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call 1-800-799-SAFE or go to thehotline.org for anonymous, confidential online chats.

The Grace of Letting Go

Avery Anna testified in Grand Rapids, and it shook me. She took a few minutes to get vulnerable about a dark time she experienced and how she finally handed her problems and worries over to God. She found “letting go” brought her much needed peace.

I’m no churchy la femme, but her message hit home. After a year of ups and downs, it’s time a let go of what people may think and explain my health struggles in more than cryptic flybys.

Meet Bob.

“Bob” is the white non-cancerous tumor at the top of this image. The technical term is a meningioma. MRI taken before treatment.

In May 2025, I opted for a Gamma Knife treatment that uses pointed lasers of radiation to “kill” a tumor I call Bob. While the tumor indeed started to calcify and shows signs of death (yay!) the radiation caused the tumor to “leak” fluids that then caused swelling (boo!). This edema is so close to my brain’s cortex that it affects my mobility and fogs my brain. Losing movement in half my body and experiencing my first seizure was quite frightening.

To date, steroids and anti-seizure meds have minimized the symptoms. But the long-term side effects are harsh, emotionally and physically. My face and body are swollen and red.— I’ve gained almost 30 lbs. Numbers, dates, and general scheduling gets jumbled no matter how many times I check for accuracy. My immune system is compromised and unexplained anaphylactic food responses have appeared that require daily allergy meds and the occasional shot. When weened off the steroids in April, all my immobility symptoms returned so I’m back on them. Currently, I take a total of 16 prescriptions and supplements to keep me functional.

My sparkling outlook sunk to the lowest of my lifetime. Avery Anna’s advice of letting go has been instrumental in realizing that trying to control something I cannot only makes things worse. That doesn’t mean giving up or doing nothing. It means accepting that not everything is going to turn out as planned. It’s really damn hard, especially when so many setbacks and disappointments have chipped away at my hope and confidence. Spontaneous tears are frequent as are fits of anger. So I ask in my hour of need: What Would Dolly Do?

“Prayer is not a formal affair, it’s more a come-as-you-are.” - Dolly Parton

Yikes, it’s a good thing there isn’t a mental dress code. What I do know: My body is my friend and is working hard to protect me and do what it can to recover. Nurturing it and giving it the love and rest it needs is what I do have control over. Now, I’ve adjusted my diet, started therapy, and slowed my roll with gentle exercises and plenty of horizontal time. Thank God for the support of my family who have been caring for me daily— especially my husband and mom.

Upon finishing this article, I’m preparing for a 12-week treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. I’ll receive four IV drips to dry up the leaky fluid over that period, which will in turn reduce the swelling and get my mobility and immune system back in sync.

I plan to listen to Avery Anna’s catalog, breathe deep, and let go of expectations as much as possible while connected to the drip. Even this old dog can discover new talent, learn new tricks, and even take advice from a young pup. Life lessons to live by.

Love and light to you,
Thea