She has a new musical home.
This morning, MCA announced that Miranda Lambert will release future music with the label, marking a new chapter in her decorated recording career. Miranda was previously with Republic for a couple of years, and MCA has an impressive roster of country artists, so it’s clear she’s ready to get back to a Nashville-based label and continue her commitment to the creative community and roots that have long shaped her artistry.
Miranda will now be label mates with George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Sam Hunt, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Reba McEntire, and she will fit right in and certainly be an asset to an already-impressive group of artists:
Mike Harris, MCA President & CEO, calls Miranda a “generational artist,” adding that they are “honored to work alongside her”:
“Miranda is a generational artist whose influence and artistry continue to shape modern music. We are honored to work alongside her as she enters this next chapter and we look forward to building something truly special together.”
Miranda explained that she is honored to join a roster with such a “rich history of championing artistry,” and she even hinted that there’s some new music on the way:
“Throughout my life and career, I have found that the common thread in every chapter is finding the right people—songwriters, musicians, collaborators, and team members—to match the moment.
I am honored to join a roster and a team with such a rich history of championing artistry. I look forward to sharing this new music with the world under their banner.”
Miranda signed her first record deal with Sony on September 15th, 2003, and the deal followed her third-place finish on the inaugural season of Nashville Star. She would release her debut studio album Kerosene less than two years later in March of 2005, and the reset, as they say, is history. Miranda departed her longtime label after more than 20 years to ultimately sign with Republic Records, in partnership with Big Loud, which was announced on April 23rd, 2024.
Following a 2025 rebrand, UMG Nashville became MCA, with a focus on country music, while Republic Records is a major label under the same parent company that is home to some of the biggest super strs in the world in Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Drake, Post Malone and more. MCA works with Republic Records for international development while maintaining its own autonomy in Nashville, so it shouldn’t be a massive jump for her like it was when she left Sony since the two are closely aligned.
Miranda will continue in her role as Founder of Big Loud Texas, where she remains actively involved in her business partnership and ongoing artist development efforts across the label and its publishing company.
At the time she left Sony, it was rather abrupt and she didn’t have a new label lined up, and spoke about her departure with ABC Audio, saying that she liked the idea of being a “free agent” for the first time in 20 years, and she was excited to explore all of her options:
“I am, for the first time in 20 years, a free agent. I don’t have a label and I feel pretty great about it. I mean, I have Vanner Records, which was my imprint that now I have. And it feels very inspiring to get to go see what’s out there and what options [there are].”
She continued, noting how much the music landscape has changed since she first signed a record deal at 19 years old, saying she’s excited to learn more about the business and explore all of her options:
“And, you know, it’s definitely a very different landscape than the first time I signed my first record deal at 19 years old.
Everything has changed in the business, and I’m excited to learn about it and hopefully be part of a new wave of whatever’s going on, because it changes so quickly. But I do have a home, and it’s Nashville and this community.
So I’m excited to see what comes to the table. And in the meantime, I’m just working on stuff and like getting inspired and seeing what’s fueling my creative vibes.”
MCA has a stacked roster, so she will clearly be in good hands, and it seems smart for her to be with the more country-focused imprint. Though, Miranda is the kind of superstar who could do whatever she wants at this point in her career and it would be successful, and hopefully, this move means she has more music coming soon, too… though, Miranda has been very busy as of late producing Ella Langley’s massive new album Dandelion, which debuted at the top of the Billboard Top 200 All-Genre Album chart.
Miranda has earned seven No. 1 solo albums, 10 No. 1 radio singles, more than 80 prestigious awards and countless RIAA certifications, and is the most-awarded artist in Academy of Country Music history, and she will likely extend that record this year as she is among the most-nominated at the 2026 ACM Awards, for her contributions as an artist, songwriter and producer.
She’s a triple threat who has already left an incredible mark on the genre, and will continue to do so hopefully for decades to come.
Her duet with Ella, “Butterfly Season,” has been on repeat:
