Miranda Lambert is parting ways with her longtime label, Sony, after 20 years together.
She signed with them in 2004 and released her major label debut studio album Kerosene shortly thereafter (which was ironically released 18 years ago today), and has put out eight solo studio albums and one collaborative record in the Marfa Tapes in the years since.
Of course, over the past two decades, she’s become a country superstar and household name, winning all kinds of ACM and CMA Awards for her music, in addition to winning Grammy’s for Four the Record and Wildcard.
Miranda shared the news in a post on Instagram this afternoon, saying that Sony has “been my home in Nashville,” and the label has helped her “reach heights I’d never even dreamed were possible.”
She added that, while she’s very thankful for her time with them, she needs to be true to herself and keep finding ways to “stretch my creativity”:
“Since I was 19-years-old, Sony has been my home in Nashville. Over the last 20 years together, we have released albums that allowed me to share my story with the world, and we’ve reached heights I’d never even dreamed were possible.
I’m so thankful for our time together and everything they made possible for me, yet I wouldn’t be true to myself if I wasn’t constantly looking for the next challenge and a new way to stretch my creativity.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to say goodbye to my Sony family. I can’t wait to see what the next adventure holds.”
Here’s a look at all the projects she put out with Sony:
Miranda’s most recent single at country radio from her 2022 Palomino album was “Strange,” though it seems like Miranda had really wanted to send (and should’ve sent) fan-favorites “Waxahachie” or “Carousel” instead, and it pretty much fizzled out without ever doing too much or charting very high.
Miranda didn’t give an exact reason for why she’s leaving Sony, either, though she did respond to a comment in the post from a fan congratulating her on starting a new chapter, saying:
“Thank you. Knowing your worth is everything.”
Amen to that… I feel like that pretty much says it all:
It remains to be seen if she’ll sign with another major Nashville label, or maybe a major label outside of Music City, but personally, I’d really love to see her stay independent and keep doin’ what she’s doing with full control over every aspect of her music.
I mean, it’s not like she really needs a major label from a financial aspect at this point in her career, but either way, this move feels like a longtime coming and a welcome change from Miranda Lambert fans (myself included).
Hell, I’d really love to see her just start her own dang label, if I’m being honest…
With so many business endeavors she’s constantly working on, like her clothing label Idyllwind, her Mutt Nation foundation, and even current Las Vegas residency, I don’t think this means she’s going to be slowing down anytime soon.
I’ll forever be on a journey to seek justice for these two, though:
“Carousel”
“Waxahachie”
