Miranda Lambert isn't afraid to "lay it all out there" with her latest songs.
The 32-year-old country singer hit headlines last year (15) when she split from husband Blake Shelton. Since being single, Miranda has had more time to focus on her songwriting, meaning that her next album is likely to feature more self-penned tracks than any of her previous offerings.
"I’ve spent a lot, a lot, a lot of time writing lately," Miranda told Britain's The Guardian newspaper. "I’ve had more time than I’ve ever had, so I’ve been able to write every day. I think I’ve been more honest – to myself, even. Not being afraid to lay it all out there.
"As I’ve gotten older I’ve laid it out there less at times in my career, but now I’m just like, ‘Here it is, here’s my story.’ You can relate because everybody goes through s**t."
Miranda had something of an unusual upbringing, with her family life inspiring many of her tracks. She grew up with her parents working as private investigators, meaning that she was opened up to the world a lot younger than her peers.
"They did lots of divorce cases, lots of cheating cases – our dinner conversations weren’t too normal,” Miranda said of her family. "My parents have been married for 35 years; I was safe and sheltered, but I’m glad I could see and hear more reality than that. People said, ‘Your family is a good, solid family,’ but we brought all the pain in."
One single that was particularly inspired by her family situation was Gunpowder & Lead - taken from Miranda's 2007 album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Her family took in many of the victims they looked after, so Miranda was well aware of the effects of domestic abuse as a youngster.
"I had mom making cookies after school, and I also had moms whose partners were beating the crap out of them," she explained. "Gunpowder & Lead was in my household for a long time."