The Truth About Miranda Lambert And Carrie Underwood's Friendship
Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert have a whole lot in common. They are two of the biggest stars in country music and are considered two of the most successful female artists in the history of the genre, leading the way for many up-and-coming country hopefuls to follow in their footsteps. The two have been photographed together on multiple occasions, usually crossing paths at country music award shows and festivals.
They've also put their sassy sides together in the studio, dropping the duet "Somethin' Bad" in 2014. The bad girl duet was a huge success, hitting the top spot on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and peaking inside the Top 20 on Billboard's Hot 100. Per RIAA, the track has gone on to be certified two times Platinum after selling more than 2 million copies in the U.S. alone.
But while fans know they clearly get along well enough to duet, what is their relationship really like behind the scenes? Read on for all the details about this country friendship.
Miranda Lambert endorsed Carrie Underwood for a major award
Miranda Lambert made it clear she had Carrie Underwood's back in 2019 when she very publicly endorsed Underwood for the most prestigious award at the CMA Awards, Entertainer of the Year. Underwood was the only female artist nominated that year and went up against winner Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, and Keith Urban, per Variety.
Posting two photos of herself and Underwood performing together, Lambert shared her connection to each artist in an October 2019 Instagram post as she listed a few things she loved about each artist nominated, but made it very clear that it was her "Somethin' Bad" duet partner that had her vote. Lambert pointed out how Underwood was carrying the torch for female artists, writing, "She put out her first single in 2005 and from then on country music was changed for good. That iconic voice has been classin' up our stages, charts and televisions for a decade and a half. The Voice. The legs. The songs. The brand. The mom. The wife. The okie. The Jesus lover. The blonde bombshell that is Carrie."
Lambert added that Underwood "blows [her] away every time" she sings and noted how much she also admires the way she stands by her beliefs. "I have her back in this picture and I'll always have her back," Lambert continued. "So for the sake of sequins, spanx and spray tans, take it home! You Carrie the torch!"
Miranda Lambert's support brought Carrie Underwood to tears
Miranda Lambert has been so supportive of Carrie Underwood that her sweet words actually brought the latter to tears. During an emotional moment on "The Ty Bently Show" in November 2019, Underwood was played an audio recording of Lambert throwing her support behind her for the 2019 CMA Entertainer of the Year award.
"To me, entertainer of the year is who's represented the genre in every way the best for that year," Lambert explained, recalling how she watched Underwood work incredibly hard even while pregnant. "She works harder than I do, and I work hard! And I just felt like, as a whole, with her tour and everything she encompasses and what she's represented for country music, she deserves it. She just does," the "Gunpowder and Lead" singer continued.
Underwood was visibly moved by Lambert's sweet words. "She's always been just super supportive and super sweet," she said as she began to tear up, noting that she considered her nomination a nomination for all the women of the genre. "We're all in it together. If there's one incredible thing that's happened from all of this talk of 'women in country music,' it's the fact that I feel like we've all banded together, and we all understand," she explained. "We're the only ones that can understand because we're women in this business and they don't know what it's like to be us. We lift each other up, we support each other."
Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert swap sweet birthday messages
Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert have regularly voiced their support for each other on social media, and have proven how close they are with multiple birthday posts over the years. In November 2019, Underwood gave a sweet shout-out to her fellow country star on her big day alongside a photo of them posing together on the red carpet.
"Happy birthday @mirandalambert !!! Hope you and yours have the best day!" the "American Idol" winner wrote on Instagram. "Gonna raise my glass to you and all the good times we've shared over the years! Here's to many more!" the mom of two added, alongside a kissing face emoji.
The social media birthday wishes appeared to go all the way back at least as far as 2012 when Underwood celebrated Lambert reaching the last year of her 20s. The "Blown Away" singer shared a cute birthday tweet in November 2012, writing to Lambert on her 29th birthday, "Happy birthday!!! Welcome to the 'last year in our 20s' club! I hope you have the bestest day!"
Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert aren't competitive with one another
Despite going up against each other for many of the same awards at country music award shows and beyond, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert's friendship is so tight that they've made it clear they're not exactly super competitive with one another. In 2020, the two went head-to-head for the Entertainer of the Year award at the CMAs, marking the first time since 1979 that two female artists had been nominated in the category together.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight before the show, Lambert gushed over her nominations and Underwood as she shared how happy she was to be nominated alongside her friend. "That's pretty incredible and it's also very humbling to be the other one next to Carrie Underwood," she admitted, revealing that she would have been thrilled to see her friend win over herself. "She's a force and I've always been a huge supporter and believer, and was very vocal last year about how I thought she should take it home. So if she does this year, I'll be the first one out of my seat," Lambert added. Unfortunately, neither Underwood nor Lambert took home the award and it instead went to Eric Church, which caused somewhat of a stir.
Miranda Lambert gave Carrie Underwood a unique gift
After they teamed up for the 2014 duet "Somethin' Bad," Miranda Lambert made sure she marked the occasion with Carrie Underwood in pretty spectacular fashion. The former gifted the latter a perhaps unexpected gift, which Underwood showed off on social media in May 2014. "Well, it's not every day @mirandalambert buys you a motorcycle!" she wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of her riding the bike barefoot. "Next stop, motorcycle driving lessons!!!" she added, alongside the hashtag "#RansTheBest."
Lambert explained the decision during an appearance on "Good Morning America" on June 3, 2014. "She was wanting a motorcycle and I wanted to get her something for all the work she's put in, singing on the record, doing the performances," she explained, joking she made it clear to Underwood that she would have to learn how to ride it properly and not blame her for any injuries. "She's been practicing, so I can't wait. She's gonna look hot on that thing," the "Platinum" singer added.
Lambert also shed more light on their collaboration, revealing it had always been a dream to work with Underwood. "She's such an incredible artist and such a great vocalist, so when I asked her I wanted it to be the right song," Lambert explained. "It's so fun performing with her. It's a blast. Girl power!"
Girl power, indeed! We love nothing more than seeing these two superstars support each other.