The Insider.com

It's not often that a country star comes out of the closet-- and with good reason. Singer Chely Wright hopes to change all that.

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"I haven't been invited back to do a country music event," Wright confides of her career since she outed herself in 2010, telling Brooke Anderson of The Insider that despite once being an "it" girl of her genre, living "openly and honestly" has come at a high price.

VIDEO: Chely Wright Thanks Hollywood for Their Support

"Fans are loyal to an artist until they feel betrayed," Wright says of her core audience, many of whom have seemingly abandoned her. "That betrayal can come from behavior or beliefs or actions. That's when the loyalty goes."

Nevertheless, she has been keeping busy, releasing her autobiography Like Me soonafter and working on her candid autobiographical film, Wish Me Away. The latter, opening Friday in NYC, follows the singer through the rough period in which she revealed her sexuality to the world.

"It's become evident to me that I have to come out," says a tear-stained Wright in Wish Me Away as she documents the days leading up to her announcement. "Surely to God I'm not the only one suffering."

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Now married to partner Lauren Blitzer, she proudly reflects on her decision to come out, confident that her footprint will remain on the country music landscape and hoping her bravery will inspire change in the business.

"For people now to want to rewrite history and say that I never really mattered… You can't write me out of the record books," she asserts triumphantly. "You can't take away the fact that at one point I was one of music row's golden girls."

Watch the video for more of Chely's interview with Brooke. Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer is available now for purchase.