It’s not easy being married to Miranda Lambert — just ask her. The “Actin’ Up” singer is happily married to husband Brendan McLoughlin, whom she wed in January of 2019, following a whirlwind courtship. At the time, McLoughlin was a police officer in New York City. Now, he is the happy husband of one of country music’s biggest superstars, accepting both the highs and lows that come with being married to someone as famous as Lambert, in stride.
“I want to be open about how happy we are,” Lambert gushes to People. “I just don’t [care] about people’s opinion of me, my marriage, my music or anything else. I just care that I’m being me. He jumped right into this lifestyle — there’s a learning curve taking a New Yorker straight to the woods — but it was a big laugh. It’s nice to have a partner in that, someone by your side that supports you, loves you and believes in you. He loves me for me. It’s a really cool thing to have in my life, at this point in my life.”
If Lambert had met McLoughlin at a different point in her life, chances are they wouldn’t still be together. It was following Lambert’s very public divorce from Blake Shelton in 2015, followed by some high-profile relationships that became tabloid fodder, when the Texas native realized she needed to focus on herself first.
“When I turned 30, I started to take life in a new direction and really start to understand myself a little better,” Lambert reveals. “And going through hard things obviously makes you get to know yourself better. When you get broken down pretty good, you look at the mirror and you go, ‘I have to spend some time with me, learn who I am and what I want.’ I got to a really good place with myself. Then I met my husband.”
Lambert is learning the balance between working for her career, and taking time for herself, which fortunately now includes not spending all of her time touring.
“It’s really about balance of life and work for me right now,” Lambert acknowledges. “I’ve been touring for 20 years, and I’ve been everywhere and seen nothing — just a lot of parking lots. I’m trying to use my downtime to really experience life. I always get the boring months off, and I’m like, ‘Can I just have a sunshiny month off?’ So the first of July, I’m out of here, and I’m taking my Airstream.”
Lambert’s Palomino album was released in April. She will kick off her Velvet Rodeo Las Vegas residency on September 23. Find music and tour dates at MirandaLambert.com.