Some of the current country music artists enjoying success have been discovered thanks to TikTok and other social media platforms that helped them become viral. However, Miranda Lambert is here…

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Some of the current country music artists enjoying success have been discovered thanks to TikTok and other social media platforms that helped them become viral. However, Miranda Lambert is here to remind us that taking the scenic route, dusty boots, smoky bars, and paying your dues can help you develop the necessary skills and talent to last long in the industry.

In a recent podcast appearance (via Country Now), Lambert recently reflected on her “old-school” journey, proving that sometimes the slow burn makes for the best story.

Miranda Lambert: ‘I Did It Old-School’

Lambert knew at a young age what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Since then, she’s been “laser focused.” The Nashville Star alum recounted, “I wasn’t in a spotlight at first. I was playing s—tholes…I don’t know. I feel like that, I didn’t have a choice. It’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at. Everything is hard. Everything else is hard to me. But music was the only thing that I was like, I guess that’s what I’m supposed to do. I’m actually good at it. It comes naturally.”

The “Kerosene” singer admitted that she didn’t want to go to college and waste her time and her father’s money since music is the only path she wanted to pursue. “The hunger that it creates is a fire that you can’t explain…I feel like we’re the lucky ones when we get to, we know this is what I’m supposed to do. This is what I’m going to chase no matter what it costs.”

She added, “I see so many people that are so immensely talented that just didn’t happen for, and you don’t know why. You don’t know if it was one little factor of a period in their life, or just not seeing at the right time, or chasing the right thing at the right time. And I don’t know, I feel very thankful for that.”

Building Her Career and Character the ‘Old-School’ Way

Lambert admitted to playing at hole-in-the-wall bars, practically anywhere they would let her. “The hunger that it creates is a fire that you can’t explain…I feel like we’re the lucky ones when we get to, we know this is what I’m supposed to do. This is what I’m going to chase no matter what it costs.”

She added, “I was stapling my posters to a phone pole when I started. I did it old-school, boots on the ground, walking up to the radio station, knocking on the door, saying, ‘Can I play a song?’ Me and my mom in her Ford Expedition, driving around all over Texas, me going, ‘I’m a singer, songwriter.’ And now I’m like, damn. I’m jealous of the way that people can do it now.”

Now that she’s in her 40s and has already achieved success in the music industry, she’s trying to engage in other interests: “I’m also trying to learn new things at 40 because I spent my whole adult life doing that [music]. So now I’m like, what can we do next? Let’s find another hobby.”