Background and career
Chely Wright (born Richell Rene Wright; October 25, 1970) is an American country music artist, activist, author, and corporate executive. She initially rose to fame as a commercial country recording artist with several charting singles, including the number one hit, "Single White Female". She later became known for her role in LGBTQ activism after publicly coming out as a gay woman in 2010. She has sold over 1,500,000 copies and 10,000,000 digital impressions to date in the United States. Raised in Kansas, Wright developed aspirations to become a country singer and songwriter. Yet, as a young child, she discovered her homosexuality and realized it conflicted with her Christian faith and her hopes of becoming a performer. Determined to become successful, she vowed to hide her sexuality and continued performing. Wright moved to Nashville, Tennessee, following high school graduation and was cast in stage productions at the now-defunct Opryland USA amusement park. She eventually signed her first recording contract in 1993 with PolyGram/Mercury Records and released two albums. With limited success, Wright switched record labels and had her first hit with 1997's "Shut Up and Drive". It was followed in 1999 with "Single White Female", and a gold-certified album of the same name. At her commercial zenith, Wright continued living a closeted life and became increasingly unhappy. She engaged in a long-term relationship with a woman but ultimately separated at the risk of being outed by members of the Nashville community. In 2006, Wright began suffering an emotional collapse and nearly took her own life. She then realized she needed to come out publicly and started working on projects that would help her come to terms with her homosexuality. In 2010, Wright released the memoir, Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer, and the album, Lifted Off the Ground. Both projects centered around her coming out process and the acceptance of herself. Wright became involved in LGBT activism following her 2010 decision. During that time she moved to New York City and released a documentary that chronicled her coming out, Wish Me Away. She would later establish the charity Like Me, which helped provide assistance to LGBT youth. She has since been a spokesperson for programs such as GLSEN. Wright would also marry and have two children. Wright also continued her music career, but transitioned more towards Americana and folk. She has since released 2016's I Am the Rain and 2019's Revival. In recent years, she has held the role of Unispace's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer, and since March 2025, for ISS A/S, senior vice president and head of corporate social responsibility and new markets for North America.
Wright was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1970, and was raised in the nearby community of Wellsville, Kansas. Wright was the youngest of three children born to Cheri and Stan Wright. Her parents' marriage was unhappy, partly due to her father's drinking. This caused the family to temporarily separate while Wright was a small child. She lived with her mother and two siblings in Ottawa, Kansas, before her mother and father reunited. Wright had a strained relationship with her mother throughout her life. "I wouldn't say we were friends or buddies, but I liked my Mom," she wrote in her 2010 memoir. Wright became interested in her Christian faith and convinced her mother to become baptized when she was six years old. She also discovered her homosexuality after noticing she had a crush on her third grade teacher. However, church teachings taught her that homosexuality was considered sinful behavior. "I heard the words 'whore,' 'criminal,' 'drunk,' 'homosexual,' 'pervert,' 'liar' and 'non-believer' all strung together so many times that I understood that those were the building blocks of sin and evildoing," she wrote in 2010. Every day as a child she prayed for her homosexual thoughts to be taken away. She attempted to find other examples of people in her hometown who were also homosexual, but had no luck. In her childhood, Wright often blamed negative events on her homosexual thoughts. This included when her brother broke a bone and the death of her cousin, David. "It was God's punishment for my being gay," she recalled.
Wright developed a passion for music at a young age. Both her parents enjoyed country music and encouraged her to also appreciate it. Her father played acoustic guitar, while she often sang along. Her mother kept handwritten lyrics to her favorite songs in a binder. The family often entertained guests on Saturday evenings and would throw "pickin' parties." Wright often sang along with guests as they listened and played along to music. At age four, she began taking piano lessons. In her elementary years, she played trumpet in her school band. As a preteen, she started performing in singing groups. Wright also began performing in a local venues during this period, such as VFW halls, picnics, bars and churches. At age 14, she started her own country music band called County Line, which included her father as their bass player. The summer of her final year in high school, she worked as a performing musician at the Ozark Jubilee, a long-running country music show in Branson, Missouri. In Branson, she rented a small trailer and bought her first car for $600. She also began dating a college-aged man whom she met sitting in the audience of her shows. Yet, Wright also realized she could not form the ideal romantic relationship with him: "But soon I was wresting with my old fears again. Nothing could save me from being gay." In 1989, she landed a position in a musical production at Opryland USA, a now-defunct theme park in Nashville, Tennessee. Making numerous costume changes in tight quarters led Wright to become good friends with several cast members. She also learned to sing as part of a vocal chorus and learned dance routines. Her contract only lasted one season and she later moved into the basement of a friend's home closer to Nashville. She found employment at a local sporting goods store. It was at the store that she met a woman whom she would have her first brief intimate relationship with. During the summer of 1990, she was re-hired as part of the Opryland cast for a second season and started taking classes at Middle Tennessee State University.
Wright was signed to a publishing deal as a songwriter, which helped secure a recording contract as a recording artist with PolyGram/Mercury Records in 1993. Wright chose to keep her sexuality hidden from her record label and buying public, a theme which continued throughout her commercial career. She collaborated on her first album with Nashville producer, Harold Shedd. In a mutual agreement, Shedd agreed that Wright's persona would not be centered around being "a [music] video babe," but instead regarded for her artistic work as a country music artist. In 1994, Wright's debut studio album was released through the label titled Woman in the Moon. The album would receive critical acclaim, despite limited success. The project spawned three singles ("He's a Good Ole Boy," "Till I Was Loved by You" and "Sea of Cowboy Hats") that all peaked outside the top 40 of the Billboard country chart. The album helped Wright win Top New Female Vocalist at the 1995 Academy of Country Music Awards. Wright recalled in her memoir that she had low expectations of winning and was shocked to receive the accolade. "I had not prepared a speech for that night, but I'd been rehearsing one since I was a little girl," she commented. In 1996, Wright released her second album titled Right in the Middle of It. According to Wright, songs for the project were chosen carefully, even if they strayed from a traditional country sound. The album was produced by Ed Seay, along with Harold Shedd. At the time of its release, PolyGram/Mercury was hopeful of its success. The album had sold 42,000 copies in its initial release and its first music video had regular airtime on Country Music Television. Yet, the album was unsuccessful. Only two of its three singles charted on the Billboard country chart. Its highest-peaking single was 1996's "The Love That We Lost," which reached the top 50. Right in the Middle of It received acclaim from critics. Allmusic's Charlotte Dillon rated the project at four and a half stars, praising Wright's vocals and the album's mix of material. With her lack of success, Wright was given permission to leave her contract with PolyGram/Mercury and she began exploring new options for commercial stardom.
Free from her previous record label, Wright made several changes to her career. She began working with a new manager (Clarence Spalding) and a publicist (Wes Vause), who helped secure her a contract with MCA Records Nashville. Wright then contacted producer Tony Brown, who had previously made hit albums with Reba McEntire and Wynonna. Brown agreed to work with her and together they recorded her third album. In 1997, Let Me In, was released on MCA. According to Brown, the album's material was backed by a simplified arrangement to help amplify Wright's vocal performance. It received a four star rating from Thom Owens at Allmusic who highlighted its "clean acoustic arrangements." Owens also called it her "most accomplished and arguably best album to date." Meanwhile, Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time gave it a less favorable response, finding some of the material to be fillers rather than quality music. Let Me In was her first to reach the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, peaking at number 25 and spent 44 weeks there. It was also her first to enter the Billboard 200 where it charted for seven weeks. The album spawned Wright's first major hit, "Shut Up and Drive." The single peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and number 21 on the RPM Country chart in Canada. The album's next two singles would reach the Billboard country top 40.
In 1999, Wright recorded her next song release, titled "Single White Female." Once the recording was completed, producers Tony Brown, Buddy Cannon and Norro Wilson, believed the song could be a hit. The song would eventually reach number one on the Billboard country chart and the RPM country chart. Wright celebrated the number one on the road with fellow band members, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney (both of whom would later form Rascal Flatts). One month later, MCA celebrated by throwing Wright a "Number One Party" where she invited numerous guests inside and outside the music industry. The song was followed-up by another major hit, "It Was," which reached number 11 on the American country chart. The same year, Wright's fourth studio album of the same name was released. It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard country albums chart and number 16 on Canada's country albums chart. The album would eventually sell 500,000 copies and certify gold in sales from the Recording Industry Association of America. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the studio effort, calling it "a welcome addition to an already impressive catalog." Bill Friskics-Warren of The Washington Post noted that despite its country pop production, the record "hangs together as a sustained--and fairly compelling--song cycle about one woman's search for intimacy." In the fall of 2000, Wright began choosing songs for her upcoming fifth studio album. She composed the songs by herself, with help from Tim Nichols and Brad Paisley. Wright also served as the opening act on Paisley's 2000 tour. The pair would also record a duet that would later be nominated for an accolade by the Country Music Association. The two would also become romantically involved during this time, all while Wright remained in a closeted relationship with a woman. In 2001, Never Love You Enough was released on MCA. Following on the heels of her previous release, the album was a chart success, climbing to number four on the Top Country Albums chart and number 62 on the Billboard 200. Yet its two singles only reached the top 30 of the Billboard chart. Its highest-charting hit was "Jezebel," which reached number 23. The album received mixed reception from critics. Michael Gallucci called it a "conservative follow-up," while Country Standard Time called it, "a pleasant pop album, but hardly the sort of truly memorable work that Wright is so obviously capable of." In 2001, Wright embarked on "The Coca-Cola Hometown Hero Tour," a 30-date set of concerts and presented at the CMT Music Awards. She also made her acting debut the same year in the Disney film, Max Keeble's Big Move. Wright was cast as the main character's homeroom teacher. In 2002, Wright won the "Fashion Plate Award" from the CMT Flameworthy Awards. She would also be rated among People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" during this time as well. In 2002, she recorded a song for the soundtrack of The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and was asked to be the "guest of honor" at Disney World. In 2003, Wright left MCA Records.
