In country music, Miranda Lambert is one of the most popular singer-songwriters. The country artist is currently putting on a Las Vegas residency called Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo The Las Vegas Residency. In an interview with Music Connection, Lambert discussed the direction of country music.
Miranda Lambert is relieved the ‘Bro Country era’ has ended
In an interview with Music Connection, Lambert was asked about the direction of country music and how new musicians in the industry are more diverse.
“I think it’s just how it falls. It’s probably always been that way, but we’re seeing more of it now. I see this new crop of what I call kids come up, and I’m excited, because there are a lot of different sounds. We survived the Bro Country era, which makes me happy that it’s over. It was a stagnant time for me,” Lambert said.
This is not the first time Lambert has expressed a sentiment like this. While on the Best of US99 podcast, Lambert complained about how male-dominated country music was when she started out and how she loves supporting female country artists.
“Those are all my people, actually. I didn’t really have that coming up because I was kind of started in like dudeville. And a lot of the guys were so great to me… But the girl part of it, that’s only something that the girls know,” Lambert said on the podcast.
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The singer thinks country music is becoming more progressive
Over the years, Lambert has become more outspoken about supporting the LGBTQ community. In an interview with Esquire, Lambert shared that her brother and her husband help her use her platform in a positive way.
“I don’t usually do politics at all,” Lambert said. “My brother and his husband and their group of friends have really taught me a lot.”
She continued, “We’re from a small town in East Texas, so they’re teaching me how to see the world in a different way and be appropriate with my language. And it made me realize that I need to be more vocal if I can—I’m definitely so much happier now that I’m talking about it more, trying to learn and trying to help in any way that I can and be part of a good change.”
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Is the ‘Bro Country era’ truly over?
While Lambert thinks country music has embarked on a new phase, it does not appear that way from an outside perspective.
In 2021, country singer Morgan Wallen was filmed using the N-word. Artists in country music and fans rallied to support Wallen, excusing his young age even though he is 29 years old and writing off the incident.
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Given that Wallen experienced even more success after being caught using the racial slur shows that country music still leaps to protect those who are male and white, negating Lambert’s idea that the industry has truly changed.
In 2022, country singer Maren Morris called out Jason Aldean’s wife Brittany Aldean for transphobic remarks. While the general public supported Morris, the response from Jason Aldean, Brittany Aldean, and others in country music made Morris feel unwelcome in the industry.
At the 2022 Academy of Country Music Awards, Lambert won Entertainer of the Year, and the only other woman nominated in the category was Carrie Underwood. Underwood tied for the Entertainer of the Year award in 2020 with Thomas Rhett, but before Underwood and Lambert, the last woman to win the award was Taylor Swift in 2012.
From a music perspective, there are more artists exploring different sounds and subject matters, but the industry still leans in favor of the old status quo.
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