Oklahoma singer-songwriter, horsewoman, and craftsman Mikayla Lane pours her heart into each of her endeavors, but music is driving force in her creative work. At 19, she has committed to pursuing traditional country music, which she has done since the age of 10, singing at local fairs and events. She counts performing at venues such as the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., and Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth, Texas, as highlights. In her off time, she competes on cutting horses, rides her family’s ranch, and even creates Western-style purses, shirts, coffee mugs, and more with her mother.
“I have a creative mind and I need to be busy and have outlets,” Lane says. “I was always around country music, listening to it with my dad in his pickup, and I remember Red Stegall, Don Edwards, a band called Montana Rose, Alan Jackson. It’s always been a part of my life. There was no click where I knew this was what I wanted to do but rather a natural progression that led me to understand this was what I was supposed to do.”
Lane is enthusiastic about her newfound love of competing on cutting horses and showcasing the Western lifestyle. Lane’s third album, Painted Skies, is out now, including the single by the same name. Music will continue to be a large part of her creative process as she juggles her passions and thrives in creating music and fashion that showcases her Western way of life.
Western Life Today: When did you first show an interest in singing and country music? How has your love of music developed?
Mikayla Lane: None of my family was involved in anything musically, but I would sing all the time. I grew up in Kentucky and moved to Oklahoma when I was 10. I started performing when I was 5. I had a duo with a friend who also liked to sing, we were called the Cowgirl Cuties. We had matching outfits and did fairs, festivals and talent shows. It was strictly for fun, but it was very natural.
I sang for fun in Kentucky, but in Oklahoma, I really started pursuing it. I got a little more serious with it and began working with people to develop me as an artist and songwriter. I seriously pursued it at about 13 or 14 years old. When we moved, I found a vocal studio in Tulsa that focused on vocal correctness and the technical side of singing. I took lessons from there and loved it; it really helped me as an artist. It also plugged me into some cool venues in Tulsa, and I started performing. I performed at Blake Shelton’s bar and grill, Ole Red, in Tishomingo, [Okla.,] and slowly started building connections and branding myself as an artist.
I started performing more consistent gigs when I was a full-time middle and high school student, and it was a lot to balance, but I figured out a way to do it.
WLT: Is your family from a ranching background, and how has living on land shaped your love of the Western lifestyle?
ML: I’ve been around the ranching way of life as long as I can remember, and it’s never not been part of my life. I love it so much, the culture and people in that world. It’s such a raw way of life, and I think it’s important that people know it’s still around, promoted in a good light, and to let people know what goes on behind the scenes.
The visual storytelling and creativity in my music has grown alongside the ranching and both fuel each other’s fire. I am super blessed I can do both. Recently, I started showing cutting horses with my dad.
I’ve always said that I can’t do music if I can’t have my hand in the Western way of life, with horses. The second that part of my life goes away, all the creativity and passion that I get for my music would also change. It wouldn’t be the same.
Being able to have horses and be in that lifestyle gets my mind off music, which can be overwhelming. They inspire each other. On the cover for Painted Sky, I was on my dad’s 5-year-old roan we call Ruger, and he shows him in aged event classes at cutting shows. That’s one of my favorite horses.
WLT: What have been some core memories made singing?
ML: Playing the Ryman [Auditorium] and Billy Bob’s [Texas] were bucket list places to perform, so it’s crazy to think I’ve played both now. Last year, when I played the Ryman, at soundcheck I felt it was intimidating, but when I hopped on stage for my performance, I had a feeling I was supposed to be there. It was a super fun performance with a full band, and I did five songs, playing my favorite originals. At Billy Bob’s, I got to open for Shenandoah. It’s so crazy to play Billy Bob’s; it’s so fun. The people that come out are my kind of people. It’s a great feeling and shows that all the hard work you put in will eventually pay off.
WLT: What keeps you motivated to share about the Western lifestyle?
ML: I focused on writing and recording for most of my life, and for a long time, I looked at it as my future full-time career. It’s been rigorous, and while I’m building my music catalog of songs I wrote and enjoy playing live, I’m looking at it as more of a creative outlet now, not a career. I’ve enjoyed writing and recording songs people can enjoy and relate to, and will continue to do so because I love it. There are a few songs that bring back the “fun” in music for me, and they fuel my creativity. Music will always be part of my life.
Designing bags is inspired by this life. I’m still selling bags I designed through Alamo Saddlery. My mom helps with marketing, and we do some pop-up shops. That’s an outlet I really enjoy and want to pursue; I love fashion. This year, we’ve seen so many people you’d never see in a hat wearing a hat.
I recently got my own [cutting] horse and I love it. I’ve always been on old ranch horses and cutting is a different world. They’ve really helped me figure it out. Cutting is fun and addicting, for sure—expensive and addicting! I’ve been thinking about a cutting song, but I haven’t really gotten it together. I flourish when I have a lot going on!
Find out more about Mikayla Lane and hear her music at mikaylalanemusic.com.
This Q&A with Mikayla Lane appeared in the February 2025 issue of Western Life Today magazine. Click here to subscribe!
