TMM: So how did you get started in the music business? ML: I entered a True Value Country Showdown and ended up winning two rounds of it and that got me interested in singing for a living. How To Build a Music Studio? Building a music studio is not nearly as hard as you would think. And this guide will sure help you a ton! TMM: You also have done some modeling and acting as well, how did you get started in that? ML: I went to the MB EXPO in Dallas and I was able to sign with the Kim Dawson Agency of Dallas and got a few commercials out of that. I got to be a body double in a movie called “Slap Her, She’s French” for Piper Perabo of Coyote Ugly. That was really fun and got everything started and I’ve gotten to do a few commercials too. Mostly right now, I’m concentrating on music, that’s my main focus. TMM: So your music is your main goal right now? ML: Yes, very much so, the acting and stuff is for fun and it’s a little bit of money on the side too. Singing is what I love to do. TMM: You were also a first runner up for the young Tammy Wynette Story. What was it like auditioning for that? ML: It was great. I went up to Nashville with my mom and I had been practicing for about 2 or 3 months every day trying to sound just like Tammy Wynette. Through the process I got to learn a whole lot about her and how much she had to work to get where she got. I was the youngest girl at 17 and the next girl closest to my age was 25. The rest were all older women, there were about 400 women there and I got first runner up. It was between me and girl that had been on Broadway for 10 years. I felt that getting first runner up to her was a pretty good compliment (laughs). I was really happy about it, especially for not having any experience doing something like that. TMM: You perform with your band, Texas Pride. How did you guys get together? ML: I had actually seen them perform at a Fourth of July show in Greenville, Texas. I called up the guitar player and explained that I had to open for Roger Creager at the Gypsy Tea Room and I need a band. The show was like a month away so I really needed a band. We had to swap out a few musicians but we have a set band and we travel around all over. TMM: So you got the gig with Roger Creager before you even had a band? ML: Exactly, I was really stressing out. I had called Scott Cowen and said, I really need to get a band together! I’ve got a gig coming up next month at the Gypsy Tea Room! TMM: So how did Roger Creager find out about you? ML: Well, actually it was Scott Beggs, he does different things at the Gypsy Tea Room. He had heard about me and contacted me about opening for Roger Creager. I said yes, but I didn’t even have a band yet! TMM: Several songs off of your self titled CD have made on the Texas Music Charts already. How does that feel? ML: Actually the first song was “Texas Pride,” and that was a song that I had written with my dad. He had written it about 25 years ago and I saw it and I thought it was really good. So I rewrote some of it and made it more modern and my mom came and picked me up from high school one day and said “Your song is on the charts!” and I said “What are you talking about?” The song was a demo that was home burned as an introduction of my music as a new artists. I had a CD coming out but all of the radio stations started playing this song before it came out. It went up to number 20 or something like that and stayed on the charts for three months. I released a second single, “Somebody Else,” which was on the charts for about 15 weeks. TMM: Where can someone get a copy of your CD? ML: We’re working on a distribution deal right now and looking at some Independent Labels. Right now you can get them on mirandalambert.com or lonestarmusic.com or at one of our live shows. TMM: With the predominately male presence in most of the Texas music artists out there, do you find it hard for female performers to break into the business right now? ML: I definitely do. Some clubs won’t even hire a female performer because of a perception that females can’t draw big enough crowds. I’ve had to fight and claw my way through, it’s a mans world out there but its worth it. Kelly Willis made a pathway for women but its still hard. There are a lot of male singers out there and men like to hear men sing but I do have a lot of guy fans out there. And that’s a real honor, they will say that “you’re the only girl CD that I have besides the Dixie Chicks!” and that’s pretty good company. TMM: Where do you want to be in the next few years with your music career? Any long term goals? ML: It’s hard to say, I’m just taking it day by day. Everything has gone really fast in the last year or two. I love Texas and what Texas music is about but also I want to share my music with other people throughout the country. My long term goal is to be successful and have my music touch people all around the world. I’ve gotten emails from people as far away as Australia and Italy and its such a good feeling when someone from far away orders a CD. I would love to be on CMA’s some day and touch people’s hearts with my music. TMM: So what your saying is, You can take the girl out of Texas but you can’t take Texas out of the girl. ML: Exactly, couldn’t have been said any better! TMM: Our website and philosophy is about getting back to real country music and country roots. I saw on your website that “Desperados Waiting for a Train” by Jerry Jeff Walker, was your favorite song. We’re big fans of Jerry Jeff, is that the kind of music you like or do you like the new, hipper country that is being played on the radio or do you like both? ML: It’s hard to say, for me, it's about the song. With all the new production work where country is crossing over to pop, I’m happy for those artists, but personally I would rather not do that. I am more into the country roots thing and I’ve grown up on Jerry Jeff Walker and Tammy Wynette. Just the real country performers. I like Faith Hill, her music is fine for her but not for me personally, I’m a country girl all the way. TMM: So you’re into keeping the integrity of the country alive. ML: Totally, I think that country music should not be classified as ten different types of music. I feel that country music and country artists should be played on country radio. TMM: You also listed Hunting as your favorite season. Do you hunt? ML: Yeah, I do hunt. My dads a big hunter and my brother (Miranda’s webmaster) is fourteen and he hunts. I love hunting, people don’t believe me though. We have a gun range and my dads a cop part time so I’ve been raised around guns all my life. TMM: Who would you say are your main musical influences? ML: There are so many good artists out there. Allison Moorer is a very underappreciated artists in my opinion. She’s not as well known as I think she should be and could be. She’s a great writer. Jack Ingram is a great writer too. As far as older artists, the legends would be Rusty Wier, Guy Clark and Jerry Jeff Walker. And I would have to say, when I was a little girl, I use to watch videos of Maria Carey and I know she’s pop and all but the rapport she had with her audience was very important with me. I could go on and on. TMM: What new artist do you like listening to these days? ML: Well, it varies. I listen to some of the stuff my younger brother listens to, techno weird stuff and I actually got Faith Hill's new CD. Everyone was saying that I was a traitor or something but I just wanted to see what all the hype was about. I listen to Allison Moorer the most of anyone that’s out there. I’m a really big song writer person, I’m a songwriter myself so that’s important to me. I would have to say that Jack (Ingram) and Allison are who I listen to the most. TMM: So you write the majority of your music? ML: I do, I write by myself or with my dad. My dad and I write together a lot. TMM: Does your dad play on stage with you? ML: He plays acoustic with me but he doesn’t play in the band. He likes to sit back and listen. He taught me how to play guitar, we’re really close.
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