Miranda Lambert Praises Female Artists Performing at Chicago's LakeShake Festival

Miranda Lambert will headline one night of this weekend's three-day LakeShake Festival in Chicago, where she will be joined by several female artists for an all-women lineup, including Lindsay Ell, Rachel Wammack, Cassadee Pope, Lauren Alaina, Maren Morris, and more, as well as her own Pistol Annies trio. As a former rising star, Lambert has nothing but love and admiration for the artists who are still working their way to the top.

"These women have given me so much fuel personally and professionally and creatively," Lambert told the Chicago Sun Times. "It can be very hard to be stuck in the middle of a whole lineup of dudes."

For Ell, the chance to not only perform at one of the biggest summer festivals of the year, but also hear other great artists, is a dream come true.

"I cannot wait to be on the all-female day at one of the coolest festivals, in one of my favorite cities," Ell told PopCulture.com. "LakeShake has become the festival that artists and fans alike talk about and want to go to every year. The fact I can be there with all of my friends on the same day doesn't even seem fair."

Wammack has looked to several of her fellow performers as inspiration for her own music career, which is why the event is so important to her.

"I have been looking forward to performing at this festival for a while, especially as part of the all-ladies lineup on Friday," said Wammack. "It's really rewarding to be part of something that is generating conversation about women in the industry, but what I think is even more important is that these women are recognized for being extraordinary songwriters with something meaningful to say.

"Just by reflecting on any piece of work produced by Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert and the Pistol Annies," she added, "it's absolutely inspiring to me to be a woman in country music today."

The following two nights will be headlined by Keith Urban and Luke Bryan, respectively. Other artists scheduled to appear include Danielle Bradbery, Morgan Evans, Brett Young and Ryan Hurd. Granger Smith is also scheduled to appear.

LakeShake, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary, kicks off on Friday, June 21. Tickets are still available for the event. More information, including a complete schedule and lineup, can be found by visiting the event's website.

Photo Credit: Getty images / Kevin Winter