Many artists move to Nashville for music and never find their forever creative partners. And because of that fact, the Pistol Annies’ Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley consider themselves incredibly lucky.

The band formed years ago when Lambert and Monroe were jamming late one night and hatched an idea to create the trio with Presley. They shared a mutual obsession with Presley’s music and called her up to gauge her interest.

“It’s almost like we were sisters in another life,” Presley told CMT.com during a recent visit with the band. “There’s just this known connective thing that’s we’ve had since the first time we all met. It’s only grown.”

“I can’t believe it worked,” Lambert added. “Our manager made us audition for her. We did, and she couldn’t deny us.”

Throughout making three albums together, their musical sisterhood has only grown stronger. When asked who were the first female artists to believe in them and change their lives forever, they each pointed to one another.

“First of all, some of the female influences that first influenced me, I couldn’t just call them up,” Lambert explained. “I would say [the first female artist to change my life is] Ashley because she and I became best friends right off the bat when we realized what each other were about, and we were just kindred spirits. She’s how I met Angaleena. So, this band is so important to me and for female music and perspective.”

“Miranda. Huge time,” Monroe added. “That’s the only single artist that I could [get to] know. Dolly wrote me a sweet letter, and I met her. But you’re in a different world. And so, in this world, [Miranda and I] were both on Columbia and she knew me as a songwriter, but then we were just really good friends. She’s just constantly held me up and shined a light on me and what I do.”

“That’s what we have to do,” Lambert said. “That’s what we have to do for each other because no one else is going to.”

For Presley, her Pistol Annies bandmates and hit-maker Matraca Berg were the first female artists to believe in her when she was an underground musician on the rise.

“Matraca Berg kind of did it for me,” she said. “The first time I ever wrote with her it was a great experience, and she became a real champion for me.”

The Pistol Annies will premiere a new song from their forthcoming album, Interstate Gospel, on Wednesday’s (Oct. 17) CMT Artists of the Year ceremony and concert special, airing live from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Lambert is among the 2018 honorees including Carrie Underwood, Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman and Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott. Interstate Gospel arrives Nov. 2.