Miranda Lambert Vows to ‘Never’ Release Singles Instead of Records

More and more artists are choosing to release singles instead of full albums, but Miranda Lambert wants nothing to do with that trend. The 34-year-old says part of being an artist is the complete project, and the more songs, the better.

“It’s been suggested to me lately, ‘Well, you can just release a song,” Lambert tells HITS Daily Double. “It’s like they sucked all the air out of the room, because I’m too romantic about making records. I can’t change that; I’m never gonna change that.”

For Lambert, part of the joy of making an album is sharing her own life experiences, as she did with the double-disc The Weight of These Wings.

“It means the world to someone, the artist and the person who buys that CD,” Lambert says. “It’s that journey. My favorite Merle [Haggard record] to listen to is the Down Every Road box set, which is three CDs. I’d be so sad if there was only one song I could listen to. The Brothers Osborne record is short. I want more. Maybe I’m not part of the masses; I don’t want a nugget. I grew up listening in a way that I want it all.”

Clearly Lambert’s method is working. As the artist who holds the record for most ACM Award wins, The Weight of These Wings was certified platinum, without Lambert doing any press to support the record. But she isn’t about to sit back and rest anytime soon.

“It’s always there, the pressure,” Lambert concedes. “I don’t take it lightly —I take it seriously. Maybe too seriously. But I do the work, and I am always going to do the work.”

The Texas native is willing to do the work as a solo artist, and as a member of the Pistol Annies, the trio made up of Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe, who hint they are working on a new record.

“Pistol Annies is such a relief,” says Lambert. “Because there’s three of us, it’s such a relief in a different way. It makes me more brave, because when there’s three of us, we can say whatever we want. It teaches me why writing alone is so much more pressure, and so much harder. That right there, paper and pen, scares me to death.

“But I know there’s a resolve,” she continues. “You sit your a** in a chair, and you’re gonna wait and it’s gonna come. Deadlines are hard for us, but they’re also good. I know it.”

Lambert will kick off her co-headlining The Bandwagon Tour with Little Big Town on July 12. Find dates at Miranda Lambert.com.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Taylor Hill