Photo: ABC
Miranda Lambert served up “fire and sass” when she took the stage on American Idol on Sunday night (May 4).
The most awarded artist in Academy of Country Music history performed “Kerosene,” the title track of her career-launching debut studio album that released on March 15, 2005. Lambert celebrated Kerosene’s latest milestone with a 20th anniversary edition, which included a new 13th track called “I Don’t Love Here Anymore,” which she wrote and recorded two decades ago.
Lambert performed on American Idol and served as a mentor to the contestants on the show. She told host Ryan Seacrest after her rendition of “Kerosene” that “I love them all so much. I’ve had such a blast getting to be part of this Idol family and get to know these wonderful artists. It has been a real blessing for me.”
“My approach to being a mentor on Idol is just tell them the truth,” Lambert said in a clip shared by American Idol before the show aired on Sunday. “I feel like authenticity is what has gotten me this far in my career, and I want to pass that knowledge on because I think it’s really important.”
Lambert added that she remembers watching — and voting for — fellow country superstar Carrie Underwood during her run on the show in 2005. Underwood won the competition in the show’s fourth season, and now, she returned to American Idol as a judge for the first time 20 years after her victory. Underwood sits on the celebrity judge panel alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. This season also includes the show’s first-ever artist in residence, Jelly Roll. Watch Lambert’s fiery performance here: