As Miranda Lambert‘s platform continues to grow, she hopes to be the kind of mentor and confidant for up-and-coming female artists she wishes she had at the start of her career.
Miranda tells Entertainment Weekly how she grew up idolizing such icons as Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline, and later admiring the ladies of the 90s including Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Reba McEntire.
But Miranda notes that after the 90s, she started noticing a downturn of female country artists, especially when she came onto the scene in 2005 with her debut album, Kerosene.
“There was a gap, and it was a big gap. I didn’t really have a lot of help,” she says of her early days touring as an opening act. “I only went on tour with men because the men were touring. I didn’t have anyone who I could call when I was having a meltdown or having PMS and having to go on stage. I wanted to talk to somebody.”
Miranda has now become that safe space for other artists, bringing an all-female lineup with her on her 2019 Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour that featured Maren Morris, Elle King and Ashley McBryde, plus Pistol Annies, Miranda’s trio with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, and more.
“I didn’t have that, so now that I’ve gotten to this place, I want to be that for anyone that might need it,” says Miranda. “It’s a different game out there for girls, like, ‘you can try to find a decent shower to wash your hair every three shows.’ Sometimes, no one understands that but a female artist. I take it close to the heart to be there.”
Last month, Miranda picked up the Best Country Album Grammy for Wildcard.
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