Miranda Lambert, renowned for the song “The House That Built Me,” has voiced her efforts in securing her place in country music. Known for chart-topping hits, Lambert described the industry’s transformation since her emergence, when only a few women were prominent in the genre.
“Early 2000’s, that was kind of the thing,” Lambert shared during a Popcast episode. “It’s like, dress sexy, be sexy, be a pretty girl. And I was like, ‘I’m a gun-totin’ redneck,’ do you know what I mean? And I wanted to make sure that it didn’t get lost in translation.”
Lambert acknowledged alongside Carrie Underwood, they challenged the male-dominated scene, particularly in the era surrounding 2010.
“And then, in like 2010 era, it was like, there were no females at all,” Lambert said. “Carrie Underwood and I, made it through pretty much a solid at least 7 years of only guy artists coming out of country music.”
Lambert noted the industry’s gradual development toward gender balance, attributing this shift to changing music consumption patterns.
“It’s like, ‘Wow this is really off kilter a little bit,” you know what I mean,” she remarked. “And now, I feel like, it is really balanced. I really do, and I think a lot of that has to do with the way music is consumed and there’s finally room for every damn body.”
She further expressed the challenges faced in earlier times, implying a need for recognition of that struggle.
“I feel like we should get a ribbon for surviving that. Like, that was a hard time, honestly,” Lambert stated.
Highlighting her collaborative spirit, Lambert recently attended a Carrie Underwood concert, with Underwood attending Lambert’s show in return.
“Carrie and I went to each other’s residencies in Vegas, and it was a really cool bonding moment because, first of all her show is incredible, and we had never seen each other,” Lambert described. “You know why? There were only two girls for so long. We weren’t playing the same shows ever.”
The singer celebrated the diverse voices now present in country music.
“It’s gotten so much better, and I’m so thankful that, like, that there’s, you know, room for a crowd now. Everybody has something different,” Lambert added.
Now, Lambert feels every artist’s voice and message have the opportunity to be heard.
“I feel like all the voices can be heard, all the messages can be heard. You don’t have to love them all, but at least there’s a way to hear them.”