Many successful artists maintain the need to make their music their way. That be-true-to-yourself philosophy drives country singer/songwriter Miranda Lambert, who is on her Livin' Like Hippies tour through the summer. Interviewed by The San Diego Union-Tribune in the lead-up to her Feb. 15 date at Viejas Arena, she credited Willie Nelson and Janis Joplin as her "hippie" role models for "telling their truth and being who they are."
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Her most recent GRAMMY win was Best Country Album for Platinum at the 57th GRAMMY Awards. The song "Tin Man" from her latest album The Weight Of These Wings was just nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance at the 60th GRAMMY Awards. Tipping its hat to a Kenny Chesney classic, that tune laments heartache and the singer offers to trade her heart for the tin man's armor. But definitely on the inside of Lambert's armor are the rescue dogs and other animals supported by her Muttnation Foundation. Local rescue centers such as San Diego's Helen Woodward Animal Center have conspicuous booths at her concerts' venue entrances, collecting donations and supplies. "I think they give you a kind of love that you can only find from the heart of a rescue dog," she said, "or any animals for that matter."
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When asked about #MeToo issues in country radio, Lambert says she is "proud of the women for being brave and speaking out." A songwriter who's made a career out of being a strong woman in the industry, her support for women in her genre means all the more.
But at the present time, Lambert's focus seems almost entirely on her personal truth and hard-working lifestyle.
"I think life, love, heartbreak, age and experience have all had a hand in molding me into who I am today. But who I am today may not be who I am tomorrow," said Lambert. "I have so much more to learn and I think I'm ready for whatever comes next."
