Martina McBride's 3 Children: All About Delaney, Emma and Ava (2024)

Martina McBride is a proud mom to her three children: Delaney, Emma and Ava.

The country music star has been married to her husband, John McBride, since May 15, 1988. Two years after their wedding, the pair moved from their Kansas hometown to Nashville so Martina could pursue a music career.

The "This One’s for the Girls" singer released her debut album in 1992, and the couple soon welcomed three daughters. Their oldest, Delaney Katherine, was born in 1994, middle child Emma Justine joined the family in 1998, and she was followed by the youngest, Ava Rose Kathleen, in 2005.

Over the last three decades, Martina has released 14 studio albums, been nominated for 14 Grammys, won CMA female vocalist of the year four times, written two cookbooks and hosted a Food Network show, Martina's Table, among many other projects.

"Since the start of my career, I only wanted two things: respect and longevity," she told PEOPLE in 2021. "So to still be doing this many years later, and to have a good marriage and well-adjusted kids, is success to me."

As busy as the multi-hyphenate keeps herself, Martina’s family has always come first. She once told PEOPLE that she’s turned down many TV and lengthy overseas touring opportunities to keep life “as sane and normal as possible for the kids.”

“But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I really did get the best of both worlds,” the “Blessed” singer said. "I got to have this amazing, exciting, fulfilling career, and I got to raise these human beings who are just the loves of my life."

Growing up, the three McBride girls traveled with their mom and joined her for big events, like a 2012 appearance on CMA Country Christmas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Martina made her podcast, Vocal Point With Martina McBride, a family affair, with the whole McBride family joining her on a 2020 episode.

“I am so blessed with these 3. They continue to enrich my life each day,” she later wrote on Instagram in 2023.

Here's everything to know about Martina McBride’s, three children, Delaney, Emma and Ava.

Delaney McBride, 29

Delaney Katherine McBride was born on Dec. 22, 1994, and brought home on Christmas Eve. She graduated high school in May 2013 and finished massage therapy school in 2018, with Martina sharing on Facebook that Delaney "worked so hard and made top notch grades.”

“This one has always had a bright light within her and she’s using it to help and heal others and make the world a better place,” Martina wrote of her daughter.

Based in her hometown of Nashville, Delaney is a licensed massage therapist, postpartum doula and yoga instructor who founded Hand to Heart Wellness. Like her mom, Delaney knows her way around a kitchen. Martina told PEOPLE in 2018 that when her kids were growing up, the kitchen was their house’s hub.

“Growing up I was always helping my mom in the kitchen, so I’ve been naturally drawn to cooking since a young age,” Delaney told Nashville Voyager in 2021, adding, “As I got older, I felt totally drawn to share my passion for holistic health with others, and I feel so lucky that I get to do it as my career.”

Delaney has joined her mom for red carpet events, including the 2009 premiere of The Blind Side, where they posed for photos with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, and a 2019 event with Christian Louboutin.

Martina loves sending her daughters birthday wishes via Instagram, and Delaney is no exception.

“You are an inspiration and a gem of a human and we all love you so much!” Martina wrote of her oldest in 2023.

Emma McBride, 26

Emma Justine McBride was born on March 29, 1998. She graduated from high school in 2016 and was the first McBride to go to college out of state, as Delaney remained in their hometown of Nashville.

“It is a big adjustment,” Martina told Sounds Like Nashville of Emma’s big move in 2016. “I think we’re all gonna walk around a little lost for a while, but I’m really happy for her, and she’s gonna do amazing things.”

In 2017, Emma relocated to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Martina shared on Instagram that her middle daughter wanted to be a film and TV actress for years and “set her sights on it and dreamed big.”

“It didn't hit me until after I got back home from the airport that she isn't just going on a visit....but moving out of our house...maybe for good. Of course she knows she can always come back. But in a way...a very bittersweet way....I almost hope she doesn’t,” Martina wrote on Emma’s moving day. “You know I believe in you and I'm so proud of you my brave, sweet girl. I love you.”

Growing up, Emma joined her mom at red-carpet events, including a New York Fashion Week show in 2007 and the We're All For the Hall Benefit Concert in 2010, where the mother-daughter duo hung out with Dolly Parton.

“There is so much I could say about her and the absolute delight that she is,” Martina later wrote on Instagram in 2023 in honor of Emma’s birthday. “She has always been feisty and fun, yet tenderhearted. She is capable, smart, creative, and she lights up any and every room she enters. She stands up for what she wants and holds those around her accountable. She has made me a better person by doing so."

Emma now lives in New York City and earned her first film credit in the 2022 short, A Shared Moment of Loneliness.

Ava McBride, 19

Ava Rose Kathleen McBride was born on June 20, 2005.

“I am so very proud of you. You are a true original. Maybe the funniest person I know. So smart. Kind. Fun. And complicated in the most beautiful way. We are all learning from you. I love you,” Martina wrote on Instagram on Ava’s 18th birthday in 2023.

Ava is the most private of the three McBride sisters, but according to Martina’s Instagram posts, all three girls are close and have had some very fun hangouts together, like taking in a 2018 Harry Styles concert.

“Love these 3. And my biggest joy is that the three of them are friends and support and love each other so well. Happy Mother’s Day to me!” Martina wrote on Instagram in 2020.

The country singer has described Ava as an old soul, sharing on Instagram that her youngest is “wise beyond her years.”

“She has always kept us intrigued trying to figure out who she is. I’ve recently realized she’s beyond ‘figuring out.’ She just is,” Martina wrote. "She is Ava and I’ve never met anyone so sure of who she is and what she stands for.”