Miranda Lambert, who recently stopped by the American Songwriter offices, is the reigning ACM Entertainer. That recognition, she told us, holds more weight to the now-independent singer-songwriter, who announced in March that she left her record label of 20 years.
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“I’ve never been free before,” she says. “I love Sony. I had some great times there. My whole life’s work is there—literally my entire catalog. There’s some bitter and there’s some sweet to it. But I also know that the landscape of the music industry is so different than when I signed at 19 years old and I’m excited to learn about it. I’m excited to figure out what that looks like.”
Indeed, Lambert has a bright future. The 39-year-old Texas-born artist already has a big resume on which to position herself. In 2022, for example, she was listed as one of the 100 Most Influential People by Time.
But with the world wrapped around her finger, one might wonder what Lambert has to say about the world around her, about her craft, life, and love.
Below are the 20 best Miranda Lambert quotes.
1. “For each album, I let the music that I love at that point in my life be my guide.”
2. “Right now it seems like the girls are drawing more attention to country music.”
3. “It’s important I deliver a great show and a good time.”
4. “I would love to have a song that I wrote by myself to win a Song of the Year award.”
5. “The bigger you get, the more pressure you have to deal with.”
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6. “I kicked the door open, and I’m gonna hold my leg in there. I’m keeping the door open for all these amazing female singer-songwriters that are coming out.”
7. “I think it’s awesome to see people of all different ages from all kinds of backgrounds come together for the love of music.”
8. “If you’re not polarizing, you failed, in my opinion.”
9. “Falling in love is awesome, but I’m never drawn to happy songs per se, so whenever you sit down to write a heartbreak song and you’re happily in love, it’s like, ‘OK, now I have to go back to a sad place to get something good.'”
10. “When I’m touring, I have to think of workouts that don’t require a gym.”
11. “Instead of going to college, I spent my time out on the road learning how to be a better musician.”
12. “Junk food drags you down.”
13. “I do write a lot from personal experience, but I also embellish a bit.”
14. “I’ve been on big tours ever since I started, but you can’t just go out there and headline, you have to do it right.”
15. “I wanted to be heard, not seen. That’s how it all started.”
16. “People see me as someone who doesn’t take any crap from anyone—which I don’t—but it’s my shtick, and I obviously don’t act like that all the time.”
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17. “I’m wide open and raw emotionally to the crowd.”
18. “Yeah, I try to be the best example I can be for young girls just as far as my person goes—just to uphold a good image.”
19. “If you don’t stand for something, how can anyone respect what you do?”
20. “I really think that being yourself, being original, being outside the box is starting to be appealing to people.”
Photo by Robert Ascroft for foureleven. agency / Essential Broadcast Media
