Miranda Lambert Credits Years of 'Tears and Beers' With Country Icon Award Win

Miranda Lambert is basking in the glory of being awarded the Country Icon Award at the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards.

The “Wranglers” singer, 40, thanked her fans and reflected on her decades-long music career while accepting the award, which was presented to her by fellow country star Parker McCollum. (McCollum, 32, collaborated with Lambert on “Santa Fe,” one of the breakout tracks from her latest album, Postcards From Texas.)

“It’s so weird for me to stand up here and hold an icon award. I mean, to me, an icon is who I grew up listening to,” she said while accepting the award at the Grand Ole Opry on Thursday, September 26. “My daddy would play Jerry Jeff Walker, Merle Haggard, Guy Clark, John Prine. Those are my icons. So the fact that I get this award tonight is just blowing my mind.”

The three-time Grammy Award winner added, “It’s a lot of years, tears, beers and Tito’s.”

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Reflecting on the “great memories” in her career, Lambert continued, “Twenty years later and some days I feel like I’ve done it 200 years and some days I feel like I’m just getting started. Thank you so much to the most loyal fans in the world, country fans. Thank you to God and all my friends, my country music community for allowing me to do this amazing job. I’m so looking forward to what’s next.”

Ahead of accepting her award, Lambert – who attended the event with husband Brendan McLoughlin – stunned in an all-black ensemble while performing her hit songs, “Kerosene” and “Dammit Randy.”

In addition to receiving the Country Icon Award, Lambert was up for two awards during Thursday night’s show – Female Artist of the Year and Female Song of the Year – but lost both categories to Lainey Wilson and Dasha, respectively.

In August, it was announced that Lambert would receive the award at the second annual PCCAs, which were hosted by country legend Shania Twain.

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“A tour de force in country music for more than 20 years, Miranda Lambert’s groundbreaking albums continue to capture the hearts of fans around the world,” Jen Neal, the executive vice president of live events and specials at NBCUniversal Entertainment, said in a press release. “We’re so excited to celebrate her career, fierce individualism and innovation in the industry with the Country Icon Award.”