Miranda Lambert Is Rewriting the Rules of Country Music One Revenge Anthem at a Time (EXCLUSIVE)

Twenty years after the release of her debut single, Miranda Lambert is taking her music career by the reins.

On May 3, Miranda dropped her 2024 single “Wranglers,” the first track released under her record label, Big Loud Texas.

“Wranglers” marks the beginning of a new chapter in the country singer’s career, and in an exclusive interview with Distractify, she opened up about what’s next.

Miranda gave us insight into the creative process behind her new music, staying true to her roots, and rewriting the rules of country music. Here’s what she had to say!

The lyrics of Miranda’s latest single tell the story of a woman scorned, making it the perfect addition to her catalog.

“My biggest songs have always had a little tinge of revenge in them,” Miranda told us. “So I feel like this is right alongside my very first record, Kerosene; this song could have easily lived on that record — or lived alongside Gunpowder and Lead.”

According to Miranda, she found inspiration for her latest single in her hometown. In a triumphant return to her roots, “Wranglers” was born.

“I actually went home to make my record; I went to make it in Austin, Texas,” Miranda explained. “It just feels like going back to the root in a lot of ways — lyrically, and production-wise, and just physically being in Texas; I haven't made a record there since I was 18.”

“So that just sets [“Wranglers”] up to feel very ... very me and very true to how I grew up and what the country lifestyle is.”

Country-Western isn’t just a genre for Miranda — it’s a lifestyle. Much like the Texas-based beverage company Lone River, Miranda is homegrown, so her partnership with the company was a no-brainer.

Katie Beal Brown, founder of Lone River, and Miranda, a longtime partner of the brand, have a lot in common, including the fact that they were both raised in Texas. Although they grew up on “different sides of the state,” Miranda said the two “had the same lifestyle.”

“This brand she's built is just a picture of what that is. And it doesn't matter where you're from; you can live that lifestyle from anywhere,” Miranda shared.

Together, Miranda and the beverage company are hosting the “Lone River Collective” at the 2024 Academy Of Country Music Awards. At the event, select entrepreneurs will get a special VIP visit from Miranda herself.

“I think this brand is very authentic,” she said of the beverage company. “And I'm all about authenticity. I say that all day, every day, but it's what I truly believe.”

Speaking of authenticity, Miranda shared her thoughts on the future of country music, which, according to her, is pretty bright.

The landscape of country music has changed since Miranda made her industry debut — and she loves to see it. Miranda hopes that the genre only gets “bigger, better, and bolder” in the years to come.

"I mean, it's my life. It's what I've lived and breathed since I was a teenager, so the bigger it gets, and the more people that understand our way of life and want to hear about it [and] want to live it with us, the better,” Miranda said.

Thanks to the internet, artists today have ample creative freedom — but Miranda said that hasn’t always been the case.

“There's now less fear and like trying so hard to be commercial versus being authentic to you,” she said of today’s country music stars. "Because it's a fine line to walk — it used to be a really fine line to walk.”

“It all kind of started to sound the same, and then people would chase that, and I feel like now it just feels the more authentic you are, the more people respond,” she added. “And that's a great place to be.”