Caylee Hammack ‘Cried’ When She Found Out Miranda Lambert Was Taking Her on Tour
Miranda Lambert's 2019 Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars Tour may not have started yet, but as far as opening act Caylee Hammack is concerned, the learning that comes with being part of the trek has already begun. The singer admits that when she first learned that Lambert would be inviting her on tour, she was a little overwhelmed with emotion.
"I cried when I got the news," she recalls. Later on, though, she and her tourmates began getting together, even, perhaps, working on an as-yet-announced little surprise.
"We might have recorded a little something for y'all, I can't really say -- but we went into the studio," Hammack relates. "It was Miranda, Maren [Morris], Tenille [Townes], Elle [King], me and Ashley [McBryde]. Afterwards, everyone had to go except me, Miranda and Ashley. And getting to stand there and listen to their new records, hear them talk about their journeys, their struggles, and also the encouragement they gave me -- it is unreal how encouraging both of those women are, how strong yet soft-hearted they are. It blew me away."
McBryde and Lambert even offered Hammack some perspective on a problem she was having: "I sometimes try to make friends with female artists around the same level as me, and I feel as if there's a sense of competition that won't allow them to connect with me. I hate that, because this is not a competition -- this is a community," the rising singer explains. "And Miranda, I told her about this one artist I was trying so hard to be friends with, and I just didn't feel that she liked me very much. But I love her work, and I respect her, and I wanted that friendship to happen.
"Miranda said, 'This industry will sometimes make women believe that there's one slot we all have to fight, compete for. The thing is, there's no slot. We have to make them as we go,'" Hammack continues. "She said, 'Once both of you have established your lanes, and you both have your feet settled in music, then y'all can be friends.' And that helped me so very much. There's not one slot we're fighting for. We have to make the slots."
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Now more than ever, young female artists have examples to follow of collaboration between women in country music. Lambert herself has been on the frontlines of that movement, establishing her trio the Pistol Annies with fellow country artists Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe. Another Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars tourmate, Maren Morris, is a member of all-female group the Highwomen, alongside Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires. Not only does watching such collaborations inspire Hammack to consider the possibilities for what she and her country peers might do, but the singer says she's already putting those ideas for team-ups into practice.
"Actually, I might have had a little secret studio session with Ashley McBryde and Tenille," she reveals. "I have a song called "Mean Something," that is about just trying to mean something in a world that has so much flying around it constantly, trying to make a change and have a purpose and reason in this world. To do good in it.
"So I brought in two women that I believe are doing just that," Hammack adds. "It was amazing to hear their voices on a song I wrote when I was in a low point. To hear their voices lifting it up is unreal. I cannot wait for you to hear it."
Lambert's 2019 Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars Tour will begin on Friday (Sept. 13).
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