Kacey Musgraves
Biography
Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American singer and songwriter. She began writing songs at the age of eight and by 12, she was also playing the guitar. Musgraves started her career by self-releasing three albums before signing with Mercury Nashville in 2012. In 2007, she competed on the fifth season of the singing competition show Nashville Star, where she placed seventh.
Career Breakthrough
Musgraves' major-label debut album, Same Trailer Different Park, was released in 2013. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. The album featured the hit singles "Merry Go 'Round," "Blowin' Smoke," and "Follow Your Arrow." Same Trailer Different Park won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album in 2014, and the single "Merry Go 'Round" won for Best Country Song.
Subsequent Success
Her second album, Pageant Material (2015), debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. This was followed by a Christmas album, A Very Kacey Christmas, in 2016. Musgraves' fourth studio album, Golden Hour (2018), was a massive critical and commercial success. It won all four of its nominated Grammy categories, including the coveted Album of the Year and Best Country Album. The singles "Space Cowboy" and "Butterflies" also won Grammy Awards. Her fifth album, Star-Crossed (2021), also performed well, debuting in the top ten of the Billboard 200. In 2023, her collaboration with Zach Bryan on "I Remember Everything" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Her sixth album, Deeper Well, was released in 2024 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.
Musical Style
Kacey Musgraves is known for her unique blend of traditional country sounds with a modern, progressive lyrical perspective. Her music often features clever wordplay and touches on themes not typically found in mainstream country music, such as small-town life, LGBTQ+ rights, and recreational drug use. While her early work was more rooted in classic country, she has since incorporated elements of disco, pop, and psychedelic music into her sound, particularly on the album Golden Hour.
Awards and Accolades
Throughout her career, Kacey Musgraves has won numerous awards. She has earned eight Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, and four Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards. With her win for Golden Hour, she became only the third artist to win Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, the CMA Awards, and the ACM Awards for the same album.
Personal Life
In 2014, Musgraves was in a relationship with her bandmate Misa Arriaga. She met singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly in 2016, and they were married in 2017. Many of the songs on her album Golden Hour were inspired by their relationship. The couple divorced in 2020. From 2021 to 2023, she was in a relationship with writer Cole Schafer.