Del.icio.usMiranda Lambert
Fact Sheet
| Occupation | Singer |
| Musical genre: | Country |
| Birthday | 10 November 1983 (26) |
| Sign | Scorpio |
| Birthplace | Lindale, Texas, USA |
| Years active | 2003- |
Miranda Lambert was born on November 10, 1983 in Longview, Texas, but was reared in Lindale, Texas about 80 miles east of Dallas. Both of her parents are private investigators, but father Rick is also a country guitarist and songwriter. Lambert became seriously interested in country music after attending a Garth Brooks concert as a young girl, and soon began singing in talent contests under the tutelage of her father.
At 16, Miranda began appearing on the Johnny High Country Music Review in Arlington, Texas, the same show that helped launch the career of LeAnn Rimes. Miranda quickly landed a recording session in Nashville, but left the studio in tears after she became frustrated with the "pop" sound of music that was not her own. Upon returning to Texas, Miranda began writing songs and taking guitar lessons from her father.
When Miranda's aptitude for music became apparent, her parents encouraged her to aggressively pursue singing and acting opportunities. While still a high school student, Miranda made her professional singing debut and fronted the house band at the Reo Palm Isle Ballroom in Longview, Texas, a long-running venue that has showcased Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson.
Foregoing college, Miranda performed throughout Texas in 2001 and 2002. She finished first in the Texas auditions for Nashville Star and eventually placed third on the national competition. She also finished second when auditioning to portray Tammy Wynette in the musical play of Wynette's life which debuted in 2001. On September 15, 2003, she signed with Sony records. Her debut album, Kerosene, was released on March 15, 2005.
Miranda says she's never far from her roots. If she wrote an autobiography, she says she'd want the title to be "Big Trucks, Bird Dogs and Shotguns."
Music career
Lambert joined a select group of artists when her first album, Kerosene, debuted at number one on the country charts. Lambert wrote or co-wrote 11 of the 12 tracks on the album, which met with wide critical acclaim. Following the success of her debut album, Lambert spent much of late 2005 and early 2006 as the opening act for artists such as Keith Urban and George Strait. Concert reviews noted her exceptional stage presence and helped her gain exposure in the country music industry.Lambert's career took off following an electric performance of "Kerosene" at the 2005 Country Music Association Awards in New York City. In a show that was uncharacteristically dominated by slow country ballads, Lambert brought the crowd to its feet when columns of fire leapt from the stage at the end of the song. "Kerosene" subsequently became Lambert's first top-twenty hit.
The current single from the Kerosene album is "New Strings." Miranda's sophomore album (currently untitled) is due to be released sometime during the beginning of 2007. It includes tracks such as "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend", "Down" and "Gunpowder and Lead". The first track to be released as a single is "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and should be released sometime during November 2006.
Personal life
On Miranda's 21st birthday, she purchased a house in Lindale, Texas- a stone's throw from her parents, and her uncle's home. It holds all her resale shop finds, including a brown vinyl couch that she bought from the Salvation Army store for $50. There is also a vintage red Chevy pick-up that sits on the driveway. Miranda spends all her time there when she's not touring. Currently, that is only 40 days a year.In recent months, many have speculated that Miranda is dating fellow country singer Blake Shelton, who recently finalized a divorce from his ex-wife. Lambert and Shelton met in 2005 while performing a rendition of a classic David Frizzell and Shelly West duet "You're The Reason God Made Oklahoma" for a special on Country Music Television.
Press, Awards and Critical Acclaim
Nashville Scene named Kerosene one of the best albums of 2005. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.In 2005 at the 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Miranda won the Cover Girl Fresh Face of Country Music Award. In the same year, USA Today ran an ongoing series documenting Miranda's emerging career.
Miranda was nominated for the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 2005 and performed "Kerosene" at the CMA Awards in New York City. She was also nominated for the "Best New Female Artist" award by the Academy of Country Music in 2006. Her recent accomplishments include another nomination for the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 2006 and a nomination for Best Video for Miranda's biggest hit to date, Kerosene.