Does this mean that Brendan McLoughlin is a “video vixen?” The former NYPD officer and husband of Miranda Lambert is the hottest new star in the country music video scene – in that, he looks quite hot in Miranda’s “Settling Down.” The video, released on Oct. 21, sees Miranda, 36, crooning about being both a “wild child” and “homing pigeon” while enjoying a passionate yet cozy life with Brendan.
Brendan and Miranda, who live on a farm in Tennessee together, showed viewers their idyllic country lifestyle. There was a shot of the lovers canoodling in a hammock by a lake, and in another scene, a steamy session in the kitchen that Brendan got shirtless for. Throughout the video, Miranda is riding on a stallion that eventually stops at a stable where a tuxedo-clad Brendan is eagerly waiting for Miranda. Home is where the heart is, and the country superstar’s heart is clearly with her husband’s.
“Settling Down” comes from Miranda’s Wildflowers album, and she shared some insight on the video while speaking with New York’s Country 94.7. “I’ve never had a video in 18 years in the business with a love interest, and so it’s kinda funny that my husband’s my first one,” she said. “I’m like, ‘you’re cute, you’re here, and you’re free.’ It was fun; he did such a great job… and our little dog is in it, and our ponies. It’s at my magical-happy place an hour away from Nashville.”
She and Brendan tied the knot in February 2019 in a surprise ceremony, and Brendan has done his best to adapt to the country life. Sorta. “I mean, you’re not supposed to take your shirt off when you bail hay, but he doesn’t know that because he’s from the city,” Miranda told 94.7 when discussing the thirst-trap photos and videos she uploaded at the start of October. A shirtless Brendan was slinging hay onto a trailer, and it gave him a chance to show off all his muscles. “So, I was like, ‘you should take your shirt off and let me photo,’ because that’s how this goes. It was funny because everyone was commenting like, ‘you can’t bail hay with no shirt, it’s so itchy,’ so he found out the hard way, but it’s a good country lesson to learn.”
The “Settling Down” video comes a few weeks before the 2020 Country Music Awards. Miranda is nominated for seven awards, which puts her career total at 55. Only a handful of artists – George Strait, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, etc. – have notched up that many nominations. “It’s crazy, I don’t really process it sometimes,” Miranda says humbly. “The moments I do process it, I am just thankful and grateful, but it also makes me want to work harder… want to just stay in the game and want to be a part of this Nashville family.” Just a month ago, Miranda took home an award from a different show — the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards!
“Because it’s important, it’s my life’s work,” she adds. “But music’s also my hobby and my passion. So really, it’s kind of what I’ve given my whole life to, so to have it be recognized is nice, and it’s validating, and it’s also a fire that you need.”