Miranda Lambert reflects on the challenges she and Carrie Underwood faced as two of country music’s leading female stars during a male-dominated era.

Country music star Miranda Lambert says she and Carrie Underwood deserve a “ribbon” for making it through a period when male artists overwhelmingly dominated the genre.

The 42-year-old singer made the comments during an appearance on The New York Times’ Popcast, where she reflected on her early years in Nashville and the challenges female artists faced in country music.

Lambert recalled entering the industry in the early 2000s with a strong focus on being recognised for her songwriting rather than her appearance. She said women were often encouraged to emphasise their looks and wear more provocative clothing.

According to Lambert, the situation became particularly challenging during the 2010s. While a number of female artists emerged around 2004, she said the number of women securing major opportunities had declined significantly by 2010.

Underwood, who won American Idol in 2005, remained one of the genre’s most prominent female stars alongside Lambert.

“Carrie Underwood and I made it through pretty much a solid, at least, seven years of only guy artists coming out of country music,” Lambert said.

She explained that their status as two of the few major female performers also meant they had limited opportunities to appear together or collaborate. The singers eventually attended each other’s Las Vegas residencies around three years ago, an experience Lambert described as an important opportunity for them to connect.

“I feel like we should get a ribbon for surviving that,” Lambert said.

Lambert also described the period as lonely, saying she did not have another female artist who could fully understand the highs and lows of her career.

The singer believes the rise of streaming and social media has since broadened the country music landscape, allowing more artists and different voices to reach audiences directly.

Lambert is also preparing to release her new country-disco album, Crisco, on October 2.