Miranda Lambert Reflects on Her Musical Journey: ‘I Did It Old-School’

Once Miranda Lambert realized music was her one true passion in life, she never looked back. As a teenager, she began performing in local dive bars and became “laser focused” with no backup plan, and luckily, she never needed one. Now, she’s learning how to adapt to the new age of country music while staying true to her roots.

“I wasn’t in a spotlight at first. I was playing sh**holes…I don’t know. I feel like that, I didn’t have a choice. It’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at. Everything is hard. Everything else is hard to me. But music was the only thing that I was like, I guess that’s what I’m supposed to do. I’m actually good at it. it comes naturally,” she said during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience.

The superstar admitted she barely graduated high school and didn’t want to waste her dad’s money going to college, knowing that music was the path she was meant to pursue. That drive, she says, is what has set her apart and helped her earn her spot in the industry.

“The hunger that it creates is a fire that you can’t explain…I feel like we’re the lucky ones when we get to, we know this is what I’m supposed to do. This is what I’m going to chase no matter what it costs,” she explained. “I see so many people that are so immensely talented that just didn’t happen for, and you don’t know why. You don’t know if it was one little factor of a period in their life or just not seeing at the right time or chasing the right thing at the right time. And I don’t know, I feel very thankful for that.”

Cutting her teeth the “Old School” Way

At the very start of her career, Lambert used that determination and put in the word to get her name in front of radio stations in an attempt to play her music. Meanwhile, she played hole in the wall bars or anywhere that would allow her to play so that she could hone in on her craft and figure out exactly how to work a crowd.

“I think that that’s why I’m glad I didn’t go to college, but I got to have the learning times of just being 17, 18, 19, 20, just learning life while playing music. But it was just kind of in some, dive bar somewhere. It wasn’t in front of people. You know what I mean? And you get to build your character. You get to figure out who you are.”

The New, Digital Era Of Country Music

With the new age of social media, this early experience is something a lot of new artists don’t experience. They gain momentum online and find themselves rising onto the scene at a rapid pace.

“I was stapling my posters to a phone pole when I started. I did it old-school, boots on the ground walking up to the radio station, knocking on the door saying, ‘can I play a song?’” Lambert recalls. “Me and my mom in her ford expedition driving around all over Texas, me going, ‘I’m a singer, songwriter.’ And now I’m like, damn. I’m jealous of the way that people can do it now.”

Rogan was quick to point out that cutting her teeth that was likely helped her gain a lot of knowledge and character about the business. While Lambert agreed and stated she’s thankful for that, there’s a small part of her that is in disbelief over how things have changed for the new generation.

“I’m also like, well damn, these kids, they just post something like a hundred million people see it in a night. Like what’s happening?”

She continued, “Mind boggling. I can’t even put it into words thinking how you could get your chops and how you did it fight by fight. You did it stage by stage…it just happened so fast and it’s like then you still have to pay the dues, but it’s just backwards.”

The Positive Side Of Social Media

Along with some of the cons that come with the digital age, Miranda Lambert acknowledges that it can also be a great tool. She has had firsthand experiences with the benefits of social media, noting that her label, Big Loud Texas, has discovered artists though TikTok.

“You can’t keep up with it, so I don’t try to keep up with it…I was like, maybe I need TikTok. There’s a lot of music on TikTok. There’s a lot of musicians and we have a label now called Big Loud Texas. Our office is in Austin. And I’m like, I know there’s an amazing talent on there. And one of our flagship artists, Dylan Gossett, posted something awesome on there and now he’s out there crushing it. So I feel like I’m missing out. But then I’m like, do I need one more thing? I don’t know.”

“I’m thankful for it too, by the way. I found some great talent and learned some really cool recipes and get to talk about rescue dogs. There’s the good things about it,” she added.

From stapling posters to phone poles and playing dive bars, to building a career that now spans decades, Miranda Lambert has stayed true to herself through it all even while trying to adapt to an ever-changing music landscape. Plus, she remains grounded by constantly learning and pursuing new goals, whether it’s seeking out new artists, picking up new hobbies, or engaging in interests beyond her music.

“I’m also trying to learn new things at 40 because I spent my whole adult life doing that,” she said of music. “So now I’m like, what can we do next? Let’s find another hobby.”