Miranda Lambert

1983-present

Born in 1983 in Longview, Texas, Lambert pursued her music career by releasing a self-titled album and competing on Nashville Star in the early 2000s. After her major label debut, Kerosene, went platinum, the singer-songwriter enjoyed critical and commercial success with follow-up albums like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Platinum and The Weight of These Wings. Lambert is also known for her four-year marriage to fellow country superstar Blake Shelton.

FULL NAME: Miranda Leigh Lambert
BORN: November 10, 1983
BIRTHPLACE: Longview, Texas
SPOUSES: Blake Shelton (2011-2015) and Brendan McLoughlin (2019-present)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Scorpio

Miranda Leigh Lambert was born on November 10, 1983, in Longview, Texas. She grew up in Lindale, a small town where her parents ran a private detective agency. Her father was also a guitarist and songwriter, and she grew up listening to such country music greats as Merle Haggard and Guy Clark.

At the age of 10, Lambert 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 such singer-songwriters as Emmylou Harris, Lambert began writing her own songs after learning how to play the guitar from her father. She started her own band called Texas Pride at the age of 17 while still in high school. Focused on a career in music, Lambert graduated early from school to pursue her dream.

Her own family supported her efforts, helping to finance and promote her first recording, an independent self-titled CD, in 2001. Two years later, Lambert got a big break when she passed the auditions for a new country music reality show, Nashville Star. She moved to the country music capital to compete for a recording contract among other prizes.

While she didn’t win, Lambert still landed a major label contract with Sony Music after becoming the show’s second runner-up. “I was hoping not to win,” she said in a statement on her website. “The winner had to go in right after the contest and make a record in a couple of weeks, and I wasn’t ready.”

Kerosene

In 2004, Lambert released the single “Me and Charlie Talking,” an up-tempo tale of puppy love. It was a modest hit and was soon followed by her first major label album, Kerosene (2005). After the album’s release, Lambert went on tours with George Strait and Keith Urban.

Debuting at the top of the country music charts, Kerosene surprised some listeners with its fiery lyrics. “I don’t write about angels, Jesus, happy days, kids. I grew up on drinkin’, cheatin’, love gone bad,” she once explained. Clearly, her songs struck a chord with the music-buying public, as the album went on to sell more than 1 million copies.

Also a hit with critics, Kerosene earned several positive reviews from a variety of sources, from Rolling Stone to The New Yorker. Lambert earned several award nominations from the Academy of Country Music, including for Top New Female Vocalist.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

In 2007, Lambert had another hit album on her hands. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend started out at the top of the country album charts and reached as high as No. 6 on the Billboard 200. The title track became a popular hit and anthem of sorts for former girlfriends everywhere, while “Gunpowder & Lead” tells the story of a woman seeking to kill her abusive significant other. On the other side of spectrum, Lambert appears unusually vulnerable on “More Like Her.” She also reflects on her love of rural life in “Famous in a Small Town.”

Along with being a strong seller, the album brought Lambert significant critical attention. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend won an ACM Award for Album of the Year and garnered the artist another ACM win for Top New Female Vocalist. Lambert also received a Grammy Award nomination for her single “Kerosene.”

Revolution, Hell on Heels and Four the Record

For 2009’s Revolution, Lambert seemed to find her romantic side with such songs as “Making Plans” and “Love Song.” She worked on the No. 1 country album with fellow country star Blake Shelton.

Later in 2011, Lambert teamed up with Angaleena Pressley and Ashley Monroe. The trio, known as Pistol Annies, released the hit album Hell on Heels that September. Lambert continued with her success as a solo act as well, releasing Four the Record that same year.

One of the big winners at the 2013 ACM Awards, Lambert took home two awards for her song “Over You” and was named Female Vocalist of the Year. Lambert’s winning streak continued that November, when she was named Female Vocalist of the Year at the CMA Awards.

In 2014, Lambert released Platinum, which featured such hit tracks as “Automatic” and “Somethin’ Bad.” The record also earned several CMA Awards, including Single of the Year and Album of the Year, and won a Grammy in 2015 for Best Country Album.

After releasing the single “Vice” in July 2016, Lambert followed with The Weight of These Wings later in the year. It became her sixth album to achieve platinum certification, as well as her fifth to win Album of the Year honors at the ACM Awards.

Lambert rejoined Pistol Annies for the album Interstate Gospel, which debuted at No. 1 on the country charts in November 2018. The following year she delivered another well-received solo effort, Wildcard, which topped the country charts and featured the singles “It All Comes Out in the Wash” and “Bluebird.”

With dates from her 2020 Wildcard Tour postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Lambert was among the stars who performed for the ACM Presents: Our Country special in early April.

Lambert married Blake Shelton in May 2011, and they became one of country music’s most popular power couples. Throughout their marriage, the couple deflected persistent rumors about troubles in their relationship.

In July 2015, Lambert and Shelton announced they were getting divorced after four years of marriage. “This is not the future we envisioned,” Lambert and Shelton said in a statement. “And it is with heavy hearts that we move forward separately. We are real people, with real lives, with real families, friends and colleagues. Therefore, we kindly ask for privacy and compassion concerning this very personal matter.”

After dating R&B singer Anderson East for two years, Lambert married New York City police officer Brendan McLoughlin on January 26, 2019.

• I don’t write about angels, Jesus, happy days, kids. I grew up on drinkin’, cheatin’, love gone bad.

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