Miranda Lambert, who has had one of the most successful careers in country music for almost two decades, is more open than ever to exploring — and playing with — her image.
Lambert, 39, opens out to CNN anchor Chris Wallace in an exclusive footage from Friday's episode of Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? about how her image limits have evolved over the course of her career.
The country singer claimed that when she first entered the industry in the early 2000s, she had to fend against people who she claimed tried to "change" her — both in terms of her appearance and the clothes she wore, as well as her music.
"There was a risk of people trying to dress me in a way that I didn't want to dress or change my sound, and I just wasn't gonna go for that, even when I was really young," she said of industry opinions at the start of her career, when she wasn't even 20 years old.
"I just kind of knew," Lambert continued. That is not the case. It's about what I have to say, because I knew I had some really important messages to communicate with the world, and I wanted to do so through song rather than, you know, a crop top."
Even when she was young, the "Drunk" singer remarked, "I was really about sticking to my guns — especially in my early years in the business of just wanting it to really be about the music."
Lambert added that in the years after her breakthrough into country music — she released her self-titled first album independently in 2001 and hasn't stopped climbing since — she's relaxed her grip on what she is and isn't willing to do — or wear.
"There were some moments where I was being pushed in directions that I just wasn't comfortable," she replied when Wallace, 75, inquired about the kinds of improvements many around her desired. "So I stood my ground, but as I've gotten older and more into the industry, I've kind of relaxed in that."
Lambert now says she's "started to enjoy the process of maybe pushing some boundaries" in areas where she would have previously resisted.
The "Mama's Broken Heart" singer has a busy month ahead of her as she prepares for the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11 - an award ceremony where she reigns supreme, having won more ACMs than any other artist in history.
She is nominated for five prizes this year, including entertainer of the year, female artist of the year, and album of the year for 2022's Palomino.
Lambert termed the album, which debuted at the top of the country charts, "one of the most fun and creative experiences of my career."
Palomino is also Lambert's final album with Sony Records, the label she's been with since the beginning of her career but just split relations with.
"I'm grateful for our time together, but I wouldn't be true to myself if I wasn't always looking for the next challenge and a new way to stretch my creativity," she wrote of her decision to quit Sony on Instagram. "With this in mind, I've decided to part ways with my Sony family." "I can't wait to see what the next adventure has in store for me."
New Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? episodes have arrived. Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CNN, and can be viewed on HBO Max.
