Who Is Miranda Lambert?
Grammy-winning country singer Miranda Lambert is known for her fiery lyrics on songs like “Heart Like Mine” and “Gunpowder & Lead.” Born and raised in Texas, Lambert was still a teenager when her appearance on the singing competition show Nashville Star earned her a record deal. Her debut record, Kerosene, became the first of several No. 1 country albums, as her later efforts Platinum and Wildcard both won Grammys for Best Country Album. Lambert, who is also a member of the country trio Pistol Annies, has won the CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year seven times. Following her divorce from fellow country music star Blake Shelton, Lambert married her current husband, Brendan McLoughlin. She will release her 10th album Postcards from Texas in September 2024.
Early Life: Parents, Talent Shows, and Nashville Star
Miranda Leigh Lambert was born on November 10, 1983, in Longview, Texas. She grew up in Lindale, a small town where her parents, Rick and Bev, ran a private detective agency. Her father was also a guitarist and songwriter, and she grew up listening to country music greats such as Merle Haggard and Guy Clark. Mirand has a younger brother, Luke.
At age 10, Miranda entered her first country music talent show. Her budding career got a boost from performing on Johnnie High’s Country Music Revue, a weekly variety show in Arlington, Texas. This program helped launch the careers of several other country music stars, including LeAnn Rimes and Lee Ann Womack. Another talent contest led to her appearances in a commercial and the teen comedy Slap Her… She’s French (2001).
Inspired by singer-songwriters like Emmylou Harris, Miranda began writing her own songs after learning how to play the guitar from her father. She started her own band called Texas Pride at age 17 while still in high school. Her family supported her efforts by helping to finance and promote her first recording, an independent self-titled CD released in 2001.
Albums and Hit Songs
As a solo artist, Lambert has released nine albums, seven of which have become No. 1 country albums. Platinum (2014), her only record to top the Billboard 200, and Wildcard (2019) both won the Grammy for Best Country Album. Her five No. 1 country songs include the Grammy-winning “The House That Built Me,” “Heart Like Mine,” “Over You,” “We Were Us” with Keith Urban, and “Somethin’ Bad” with Carrie Underwood.
New Album
Lambert will release her upcoming album Postcards from Texas on September 13. In an interview with Us Weekly, she explained that her new record contains “all kinds” of country music. “I made this with a new energy, kind of like the energy I had at 19 making my first album,” Lambert said.
Pistol Annies
In addition to her solo career, Lambert is a member of the Grammy-nominated country group Pistol Annies, along with Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe. The trio debuted on the CBS special ACM Girls Night Out: Superstar Women of Country in April 2011 and released their first album, Hell on Heels, just months later in August. It reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
Next came Annie Up in May 2013. The record just missed the top spot on the Billboard country album chart; it peaked at No. 2. Also in 2013, Pistol Annies teamed up with Lambert’s then-husband Blake Shelton for the hit song “Boys ’Round Here.”
Five years passed before the country trio returned with another album. With songs such as “Got My Name Changed Back” and “Best Years of My Life,” Interstate Gospel arrived in November 2018 and proved to be another country chart-topper. Moreover, Interstate Gospel earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album.
Pistol Annies released their first Christmas album, Hell of a Holiday, in October 2021.