There’s no denying Miranda Lambert has been an absolute trailblazer for women in country music over the past two decades. With 33 ACM Awards, 14 CMA Awards, three Grammys, 11 #1 singles, seven #1 albums and a recent induction into the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame, the “White Liar” singer has built a legacy few artists in the genre, let alone female artists, can compete with.
Simply put, it’s hard not to love Miranda. Even ignoring her long-history of being one of the most bada** women in country music over the years, she’s arguably been one of the best and most influential mainstream artists of the current generation. Falling into an Eric Church-like category, she’s an artist who bridges the gap between the mainstream and flourishing independent scene.
In turn, the Texas native has influenced a plethora of today’s new crop of female talent in the genre, including the likes of Megan Moroney, Kaitlin Butts, Lainey Wilson, Ashley McBryde and most importantly, Ella Langley.
Recently, Lambert experienced the most success of her career from a pure songwriting perspective thanks to the phenomenon that is Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas.” Written by Lambert, Langley, Luke Dick and Joybeth Taylor, the track has become nothing short of a cultural phenomenon at this point, going #1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks now and allowing Langley to become just the seventh female artist IN HISTORY to go #1 on the Hot 100 with a country song.
Given that Lambert both wrote and produced “Choosin’ Texas” (in addition to producing the entirety of Langley’s upcoming album, Dandelion), she’s been a driving force behind Langley’s recent success. As time passes, it’s become clear that their relationship branches much farther than just music, however, with Lambert noting how much she cherishes their newfound friendship over the years.
For the “House That Built Me” singer, friendships with young artists such as Langley are one of the most important aspects to her as the years go by.
Celebrating “Choosin’ Texas” going #1 on both country radio, Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and the all-genre Hot 100, Langley and Lambert sat down for a press conference. During the rounds of questions, Lambert was asked about the importance of her friendship with Langley and fellow female artists in the genre.
@everythingnash @Miranda Lambert explains why she is so determined to support female artists like @Ella Langley. #countrymusic #mirandalambert #ellalangley #choosintexas #femaleartists ♬ original sound – EverythingNash
In response, Lambert would get candid and note that she never really had that type of mentorship when she was rising in the genre back in the early 2000s. In particular, she’d explain how the generation ahead of her, including the likes of Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Jo Dee Messina, Martina McBride and others, were off doing their own thing.
“I didn’t really have that. I had some great guy friends, but I came up [when] there wasn’t a lot of girls at the time. The ones that were a generation ahead of me were kinda doing their own thing, so I didn’t really have like that 3:00 a.m. meltdown call person. I wish I did, and I think it would have helped me earlier on.”
She’d then go on to express how she makes it a point to build trust with younger artists, letting them know they can call on her to talk about the highs and lows of the music industry.
“Nobody truly understands what it feels like unless you’ve lived it, so it means a lot to me. And then they trust me with calling me with the good, bad and ugly. I learn a lot from them. I’m learning from the girls that are just working their a** off and so inspired and so sure of who they are. It’s inspiring to me. It reminds me to stay true to that thing that I had too.”
Though country music likes to present itself as a very buddy-buddy industry, it’s fairly well known that it’s incredibly cut-throat in reality. Though there’s plenty of ongoing beefs across the industry, you absolutely love to see an artist like Miranda take the time to help develop and mentor the next generation of stars.
