[6] Her sixth studio album, The Weight of These Wings, was released on November 18, 2016, and subsequently certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

She later collaborated with singer-songwriters Jon Randall and Jack Ingram for the album The Marfa Tapes, departing from her usual sound and opting for an acoustic, stripped-back feel.

[10] Her parents met while her mother was attending camp at Southern Methodist University where her father was an on-campus undercover narcotics officer, and they got together a few years later.

[11] After the downturn, things got better and her parents began a faith-based ministry and offered their home as a shelter for the victims of domestic violence and their children.

[16] At 16, Lambert appeared on the Johnnie High Country Music Revue in Arlington, Texas, the same talent show that had helped launch the career of LeAnn Rimes.

[17] Lambert then acquired a recording session in Nashville, Tennessee, but left the studio after she became frustrated with the "pop" type of music presented to her.

[20][21] In 2002, Dusty Meador hired Lambert to perform at Tye Phelps' country music restaurant and venue Love and War in Texas.

Lambert continued to perform around the Texas Music Scene opening for Cooder Graw, Kevin Fowler, and Jack Ingram.

In 2003, she auditioned for the talent competition Nashville Star, where she earned a third-place finish behind Buddy Jewell and John Arthur Martinez.

[22] During her 9-week stay on Nashville Star, Lambert caught the attention of the show's judge and Sony Music executive, Tracy Gershon, who later convinced the label to sign her.

[32] Fady Joudah of The New Yorker said the album proved "she has talent and charisma on a par with Dolly Parton, another blond beauty who was once underestimated.

The music video for "Only Prettier" featured cameo appearances by fellow country artists Kellie Pickler, Laura Bell Bundy, and Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum.

In promotion of Revolution, Lambert launched a headlining tour; Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars in March 2010, with stops in 22 cities and a performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival.

[42] On April 4, 2011, during the taping of the Academy of Country Music's 'Girls' Night Out' television special in Las Vegas, Lambert debuted her new project, girl group Pistol Annies.

Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker said the trio "is good enough to recall those transcendent moments of vocal harmony the Dixie Chicks used to hit every few months".

On February 8, 2012, Lambert made her acting debut on NBC's long-running legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in an episode titled "Father's Shadow".

[61] The song was released alongside "Locomotive", another track intended for the upcoming album that she had previously debuted on the CMA Music Festival in June 2019.

[65] In promotion of the album, Lambert announced the 27-date Wildcard Tour, which was set to begin on January 16, 2020, and run through May 9, 2020, but which had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

[67] "Settling Down" was released as the third official single from Wildcard on September 21, 2020,[68] and Lambert performed the song live at the 2020 CMAs with just two guitarists backing.

She commented in the same article that she was considering re-recording several tracks from The Marfa Tapes for this record, including "In His Arms" and "Geraldene", and potentially other personal favourites, such as "Waxahachie".

Pitchfork commented, "Somewhere between a demo collection, a live album with no audience, and a lo-fi left turn, this music is a joy to hear, like a vacation on record",[76] and Variety questioned whether this might even be Lambert's best record so far, "And like her bigger, broader sounding albums, she gives as good as she gets, quietly, while sounding as grand as if she had a studio band's excess at work.

[78] The album was well-received for its original content, and Billboard praised their cover of "If We Make It Through December" as "One of the most striking moments on Hell of a Holiday".

[82] Lambert and Elle King's 2021 collaboration "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" was certified platinum in February, and the two performed the song together at the Ryman Auditorium on Feb 28th to celebrate.

[89] In April 2024, Lambert announced that she had signed a joint deal with Republic Records and Big Loud, with the latter set to handle country radio promotion and marketing.

[93] She has appeared in ads to promote cotton, and the website features a free download of the full version of her song "Fabric of My Life".

[97] In May 2021, Lambert became the first female artist to open her own bar in the Lower Broadway entertainment district of downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

In addition to these recipes, the 288-page book contains personal anecdotes alongside photography featuring the farm she shares with husband Brendan McLoughlin.

[108] To support the foundation, Lambert released a line of pet products in 2019 that are sold inside Tractor Supply Company stores.

[113][114] In December 2015, it was confirmed that Lambert was dating R&B singer Anderson East; they met at Nashville's Live on the Green Music Festival in September of that year.

[120] On February 16, 2019, Lambert announced on social media that she married New York City Police Department Officer Brendan McLoughlin on January 26, 2019, in Davidson County, Tennessee.