Inside Ashley McBryde's Friendship With Miranda Lambert

Country music artist Ashley McBryde experienced a quick rise to fame in 2018, with her major label debut album "Girl Going Nowhere" sending her to the top of the charts. While it was a long road to stardom, as the country singer worked the Nashville scene for years, the Arkansas native wasn't alone when she finally broke out into the big leagues. In the early days of McBryde's fame, award-winning musician Miranda Lambert quickly became a mentoring figure to the up-and-coming artist.

As shared with CMT, McBryde and Lambert first met during LakeShake, a Chicago music festival. "I think the first mainstream country female artist to have a ton of faith in me was probably Miranda Lambert," McBryde told the outlet. "We played LakeShake in Chicago, and she and Karen Fairchild and Gwen Sebastian stood side stage and video'd part of our set." From there, the two became fast friends, with their professional collaborations serving as testaments to their enduring friendship.

Since they first connected at the LakeShake music festival, Miranda Lambert has served as a mentor to Ashley McBryde, paving the way for their professional connection and long-lasting friendship. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Lambert opened up about how she wished she'd had a guiding female figure during the early days of her career. "I didn't really have a female mentor of any kind, so I wish I'd had somebody like me, I guess," she said (per Yahoo!).

In this way, Lambert has become the mentor she never had to fellow female artists like Ashley McBryde. The "One Night Standards" singer opened up about this element of her relationship with her fellow musician, explaining that Lambert helped her adjust to her newfound fame when she first reached stardom. "I could ask her anything, and she had no trouble giving me advice. Things about safety, and what things to look for on social media, and things to stay away from," she told PopCulture. "She's really been a guiding light for me."

Miranda Lambert and Ashley McBryde have also teamed up professionally several times over the years. For one, McBryde toured with Lambert as an opening act back in 2019, talking highly of her experiences with the fellow musician. "I did three dates with Miranda," McBryde told Taste of Country. "I knew that I would really enjoy the show, of course, and that she and crew would be really awesome. She's so kind and so generous. We had gifts in our green room, waiting on us."

Other than that, the two also worked with Maren Morris, Tenille Townes, Caylee Hammack, and Elle King to cover the song "Fooled Around and Fell In Love." As collaborators and friends, McBryde has revealed that she and Lambert, along with other female country artists, both celebrate and challenge each other professionally. "We give each other a hard time, but we're always cheering each other on," she told Audacy. "Especially, the women in Country music — we all are really good at challenging each other and showing up for each other at the same time." It's clear that Ashley McBryde and Miranda Lambert have found an enduring friendship amid their thriving country music careers.