Miranda Lambert: ‘I Have Stories to Share’ on Next Album
Miranda Lambert's new single "Vice" flew to No. 1 on iTunes following its release on July 18. Fans are clearly looking forward to hearing what the singer has to say and eager for new music from her -- and Lambert says that she most definitely has "stories to share."
“I’m nervous as hell,” she tells Billboard. “I’ve been hunkered down for a year writing, recording, trying to live a normal life and getting ready for a new album. No one’s heard from me. I’ve been pretty silent all this time. And now that I’m coming with a song, it does make me nervous, and I hope that people are respectful of it and understand what I’ve been doing."
Lambert admits that while her sassy confidence is a big part of her persona, the vulnerability she displays through her songwriting takes a lot of confidence and strength: "When I’m journaling my life and putting it on paper to a melody and then allowing people to hear it, I can’t worry about what somebody might twist it into, because it’s not like I’m hiding anything," she explains.
While the country star has revealed very few details about her new record, Lambert is adamant that it will reflect what she's gone through recently -- and that includes her divorce from Blake Shelton. (His newest album was also inspired by their divorce.) Lambert's been holding the details of her fifth studio album close because the disc isn't finished yet, but she says that she's "getting closer" to being able to talk about the project.
“Every record I’ve ever made has been a reflection of where I am right then in my life, however old I am. And I’ve never held back at all," Lambert notes. "But this time, with what I happened to be going through in my life, being honest was never really a choice. Everybody knew anyway. So I just said, I’m gonna journal it, and -- good days and bad days -- use it for my art.”
She adds, "I was off the road last summer, and a really positive thing that came out of the hard time in my life was that I grew as a songwriter -- and got to be better friends with the people that I write the songs with, just really getting that honest with each other and sitting there on a porch drinking wine. And I did spend a lot of time being quiet and being by myself. That’s part of a journey anyone has to take in their life, and sometimes we don’t slow down enough to take it. I’m glad I did, because now I have stories to share.”
Still, those stories won't all be sad.
"I’m never gonna have an album that’s quote-unquote a 'heartbreak album'. Because everybody has bad moments, and then you come out of it, and you have a great moment, and then you have some somber times," Lambert says. "I want an emotional journey, because that’s what life is, and I want to document that. But I don’t think anybody’s gonna listen to this new project and say, ‘Ohhh, it’s so sad.’ Yeah, there’s sad songs. But I’ve had sad songs on every record I’ve ever made. There’s also some good old classic country, and some rock 'n' roll, and my signature in a few songs."
Lambert is currently on the road for her 2016 Keeper of the Flame Tour.
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