Happy and Sad: The Evolution of Kacey Musgraves Music
Kacey Musgraves rose to fame as a country star, winning a Grammy for her debut album Same Trailer, Different Park. The singer released her second album Pageant Material, filled with the same country twang, before giving the world Golden Hour, an album that celebrated falling in love. After the news of her divorce broke in 2020, the world awaited the album that would follow. We’re now met with the album Star Crossed, which chronicles the demise of her love story.
Throwing it all the way back to 2013, Musgraves released her debut album Same Trailer, Different Park. Being an obscure artist, known for her songwriting abilities, Kacey blew the industry away with her candid stories that were skillfully crafted into catchy tunes. Musgraves didn’t come onto the scene quietly, making her liberal stances known through her songs, such as “Follow Your Arrow,” which states, “Kiss lots of boys or kiss lots of girls, if that’s something you’re into.” While this might seem minor in 2021, in 2013 it was quite the statement.
Flashing forward with two Grammy’s later, Musgraves released Golden Hour in 2018, an album that fascinated fans and newcomers alike. The album featured a new sound, one that flows in a psychedelic groove with a hint of country at its core. With a more palatable, “pop country” sound, Musgraves stunned audiences. What really drew in admirers was Musgraves transcendent way of describing how it felt to meet the love of her life, and her former husband, Ruston Kelly.
In July of 2020 fans were met with the headlines, “Kacey Musgraves and Ruston Kelly File for Divorce.” For many people who fell in love alongside Golden Hour, this felt like a tragedy. How could the love that inspired this groundbreaking album be over? For the fans, it felt as though the fourth wall was breaking, they could no longer see the joy behind the love songs.
In 2021, she broke her musical silence with the long-awaited, post-divorce album, Star Crossed. Partnered with a cinematic telling of the songs, Star Crossed acts as a story about the stages of grief. The anger, sadness, relief, and pain can all be felt in these songs. Rather than taking the stance of scorned lover and helpless victim, she finds a way to take responsibility in all of her songs. Musgraves states in a sit-down session with Zane Lowe, “It’s rare in a breakup or a change that it’s all one person’s fault. It takes two to get there and we both dig the grave.”
Musgraves knew what everyone was thinking: “Was Golden Hour all a lie?” She states, “The magic of Golden Hour does not have to die with that relationship, it can live on, and I will relate to it again. You can re-relate to your own songs.”
Through each of her albums, Musgraves takes the listeners on an emotional journey. She allows her fans to feel the beautifully sad, bitter truths, and the euphoric love stories. Musgraves is a storyteller at heart, so it only makes sense that her music would reflect her own life. From her debut album, fans receive angsty tales of love and escaping your roots.
In Musgraves’ second album, her title track “Pageant Material” is the anthem for those who never behaved quite like a lady should, exclaiming, “I’d rather lose for what I am than win for what I ain’t.” The artist’s job is to give the listener the freedom to make a song about themselves, to view themselves in their place, and Musgraves does this with ease.
One thing that has never ceased to waiver, even with a change in sound or fashion, is Musgraves’ ability to stand up for what she believes in. From “Follow Your Arrow” to “Justified,” she’s proven to the world her strength, adaptability, and resilience. I think I speak for fans everywhere when I say, we can’t wait to hear the story she tells next.