Leon Bridges and Miranda Lambert in the studio.
Photo: Reid Long
To hear Miranda Lambert and Leon Bridges singing together is to half-wonder why it took as long as it did for these Grammy-winning Texas talents to collaborate.
Last week, East Texas native Lambert pulled the wraps off “If You Were Mine,” a new single she co-wrote with Ashley Monroe and Jesse Frasure with Fort Worth resident Bridges in mind.
As she told Texas Monthly in a joint interview with Bridges a couple days after the single’s release, there wasn’t a back-up plan.
“I told my manager, ‘Help me get to Leon. I need to find him,’” Lambert told the magazine. “My friends Ashley Monroe and Jesse Frasure, who co-wrote the song with me, have been talking for a while now about how much we were Leon Bridges fans. We kind of manifested it. We just kept talking about it, and then got in the room and wrote this song that we felt could mesh my world and Leon’s, stylistically. And so, when I told my manager I wanted to get in touch, I said, ‘It’s pretty much Leon or bust.’”
It’s hard to argue with the results: Bridges and Lambert blend beautifully, working with yet another North Texan, acclaimed producer, and singer-songwriter Jon Randall. The song is the first Lambert has released since revealing she’s parted with her long-time major label home, Sony Music Nashville, earlier this year.
For his part, Bridges told Texas Monthly he was floored by Lambert’s desire to work together.
“I’m humbled by all this. For real. It’s so crazy to me that she wrote this with me in mind,” Bridges told the magazine. “The song really resonated with me, and when the queen of Texas country calls, you say yes. I had zero reluctance. And I loved how straightforward the song and its production [are]. It feels timeless. It’s not too left field for either of us.”
Lambert has teased additional “fun collaborations up [her] sleeve” as she works on the follow-up to last year’s Palomino. She’s currently performing through the month of July in Las Vegas, as part of her ongoing “Velvet Rodeo” residency.
Bridges, for his part, is also hard at work in the studio, assembling his fourth album, following 2021’s Gold-Diggers Sound.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
