Miranda Lambert: ‘I’ve Never Been Free Before’
Miranda Lambert hosted a media day in Nashville on Tuesday (4/18) and talked about leaving the Sony Music record label for the first time. She told American Songwriter, “I’ve never…
Miranda Lambert hosted a media day in Nashville on Tuesday (4/18) and talked about leaving the Sony Music record label for the first time. She told American Songwriter, "I've never been free before. I love Sony. I had some great times there. My whole life's work is there – literally my entire catalog."
Lambert added, "There's some bitter, and there's some sweet to it. But I also know that the landscape of the music industry is so different than when I signed at 19 years old, and I'm excited to learn about it. I'm excited to figure out what that looks like."
Miranda told her collaborators, "We need to block off some dates. I want to go write songs, and now I don't even have a deadline or anybody to answer to or wonder if it's for radio or if it's not or what it is. I've worked on some cool collabs I've got up my sleeve. I'm just letting the music lead."
She compared what she is doing now to 2020 when she wrote her ACM Album of the Year nominated Palomino album; Lambert offered, "I just want to recreate a moment that we created in 2020. That was our way of finding freedom; writing these songs about travel. I feel like now I'm on my own, and I am excited to see what comes to the table and learn."
Miranda concluded, "The industry is so different now, and there's so many platforms, and that's a great thing. I feel so thankful that all the music has somewhere to land. It really opens up my world as a creator, not just writing to a single."
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Lambert announced in mid-March that after 20 years, she was leaving Sony Music.
She posted a message to Instagram and a collage of the albums she released through Sony through the years. She wrote, "Since I was 19 years old, Sony has been my home in Nashville. Over the last 20 years, Together, we have released albums that allowed me to share my story with the world, and we've reached heights I'd never even dreamed were possible. I'm so thankful for our time together and everything they made possible for me, yet I wouldn't be true to myself if I wasn't constantly looking for the next challenge and a new way to stretch my creativity. With that in mind, I've decided to say goodbye to my Sony family."
She concluded, "I can't wait to see what the next adventure holds."
See that post here.
The Academy of Country Music announced nominations for the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards this morning (4/13), and HARDY and Lainey Wilson were the most nominated artists this year.
Hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, the ACM Awards will stream live on Prime Video on Thursday, May 11 at 8 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CDT/5 p.m. PDT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
As we count down the days to country music's next award show, we take a look at some of 2023 most prominent nominees and those who just may make history this year.
RELATED: 2023 Academy of Country Music Nominations
HARDY
Bryan Steffy/Getty ImagesHARDY leads with seven nominations, including Song of the Year and Artist-Songwriter of the Year. HARDY shares three of his nominations with fellow artist and collaborator Lainey Wilson for their song "Wait in the Truck."
Lainey Wilson
Rich Fury/Getty ImagesLainey Wilson receives the most nods for a female artist with six nominations, including Female Artist of the Year. She is nominated in more categories than any other artist. Last year, Wilson won in both categories she was nominated in.
Miranda Lambert
Erika Goldring/Getty ImagesThe most-awarded artist in ACM history, Miranda Lambert, receives her record-breaking 17th Female Artist of the Year nomination (passing Reba McEntire with 16) and four other nominations. Lambert's five nominations allow her to break more records following her Triple Crown Award presented at ACM Honors in the fall.
Luke Combs
Jason Davis/Getty ImagesThis is the fourth year in a row that Luke Combs is nominated for both Male Artist and Entertainer of the Year.
Chris Stapleton
David Becker/Getty ImagesChris Stapleton receives four nominations, including his eighth consecutive nomination for Male Artist of the Year. He and Luke Combs are nominees for Entertainer of the Year. A win for either artist in this category will also clinch the coveted Triple Crown Award, which consists of an Entertainer of the Year win, plus wins in an act's respective New Artist (male, female, or duo or group) and Artist (Male, female, duo or group) categories.
Kane Brown
Bryan Steffy/Getty ImagesKane Brown receives his first-ever nominations for Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year.
Kane and Katelyn Brown
Mike Coppola/Getty ImagesKane Brown and Katelyn Brown receive three nominations together for their song "Thank God" in the Single, Music Event, and Visual Media of the Year categories. This marks Katelyn's first nominations, and with an additional two solo nominations, this year brings Kane's total nominations to 14.
Cole Swindell
Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesCole Swindell receives first-time nominations in three categories, including Single of the Year, Visual Media of the Year, and Music Event of the Year, in which he shares a nomination with his collaborator and fellow artist Jo Dee Messina, who receives her first nomination in 22 years.
Morgan Wallen
Erika Goldring/Getty ImagesMorgan Wallen receives four nods, including his first nomination for Entertainer of the Year, bringing his career total to nine. Last year he took home ACM Album of the Year.
Cody Johnson
Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesCody Johnson receives three nominations this year, making this the most ACM Award nominations he has ever received.
