“Sometimes living one’s honest life is damn near impossible.” Or so it felt to award-winning country music star Chely Wright for most of her closeted life—first raised in a Christian home in a tiny Bible-Belt town and then as a member of the sexually repressed and homophobic country music industry in Nashville.

Surrounded by a family, community, culture and religion that all believed that being gay is just wrong (and, to many, “of the devil”), Wright prayed regularly for God to rid her of her homosexuality, vowing to give up on love in return. Instead, music became her love, as she scored hits like “Shut Up and Drive” and “Single White Female”. But while her dreams of stardom came true, she remained tormented by her sexuality and paralyzed by the fear of coming out. Would the country music industry tolerate a lesbian in their ranks? Would her fans reject her? She tried dating men (including fellow country star Brad Paisley), poured her energy into philanthropic endeavors, and contemplated suicide before finally acknowledging what she knew she needed to do. In 2010, she began calculated preparations to release an album and a book (Like Me) that would finally reveal her coming-out story and make country music history.

Through sometimes-tearful interviews and conversations, video diary entries, music videos, and several of her songs, this touching portrait follows Wright up to her full-court media press, from Oprah to People magazine, as she discovers the transformational power of living an authentic life.

Summerhill Songs by juliansummerhill