Miranda Lambert Eyes Entertainer Win: ‘I’m Representing for the Girls’
Today could very well be one of the most memorable days in Miranda Lambert‘s life. The country megastar is nominated in nine categories at tonight’s 48th annual CMA Awards, more than any other artist this year, and pundits are predicating multiple wins.
“I don’t think it’s set in that I have nine nominations,” Lambert remarked to Rolling Stone Country earlier this week. “When I heard that, I sort of had to think back in my mind: ‘What have I done this year to deserve all of this?’ I started thinking about everything we have done, and putting out a record and all of that. It just feels like every time you get on the bus and you’re gone for 18 straight days and you’re away from your family and your husband, it’s not for nothing. It matters, and people are paying attention.”
When asked if there’s one award she really has her eye on winning, Lambert smiles and responds, “I will take any of them! But I am very excited to be in the Entertainer of the Year category and I’m representing for the girls this year.”
Lambert is the lone female in the Entertainer category — the night’s top honor — which includes her husband Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, George Strait and Luke Bryan. Lambert is also a contender in the Female Vocalist category, which she’s won four times. If she picks up her fifth trophy tonight, she’ll set a record for the most wins in that category — “which is crazy,” she says, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I’m very nervous and I don’t ever think of anything smart in thank you speeches. I start crying, and my tough girl image is out the window. I’ve been crying a lot lately. It means so much to me, and I’m so overwhelmed with my job. I get to do the most amazing job in the world, and then I get an award for it. It’s crazy.”
One of the things she’s most looking forward to tonight is performing “All About That Bass” with Meghan Trainor. “I didn’t hesitate at all,” Lambert says of being asked to perform with the pop sensation. “I love that song! It’s one of those songs that my whole band and crew would come in and dance to it. It’s got a special place in my heart because it was our tour song. So I didn’t even have to go ‘Oh, gotta learn it.'”
Will Lambert put a little country spin on the pop megahit? “Maybe a little bit just because everything I sing is country,” she says, then excitedly explaining the song’s appeal. “It’s about positive body image in a fun way. It’s not cramming it down your throat, but it’s a really positive message.”
When country music’s biggest night is over, Lambert is looking forward to a little relaxation. She and Shelton are boarding their tour buses right after the show, to head home to Oklahoma. “Blake’s been filming in L.A. and I have been running around crazy and getting ready for the [Redemption Ranch animal] shelter to open November 22. And I opened a Bed & Breakfast, the Ladysmith, and now this stuff with CMA week. So I’m looking forward to just being together at home,” says the “Platinum” singer. “We go back to normal when we go back to Oklahoma. There’s none of the glitz and glam. We get to share these moments together, but at the end of the day we’re just going to be on our porch drinking a beer.”