You Know Her Name, Not Her Story
Whether or not you watched her take home four of Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, including for Album of the Year, you’ve probably heard her name at this point and might be beginning to wonder, who is Kacey Musgraves? Well, we’ve got you covered here with 5 quick facts that will tell you everything you need to know about the rising country star. From her musical upbringing, to her controversial lyrics and pop/country fusion style, here are your must-have pieces of Musgraves knowledge.
1: She Started Young
Born and raised in Golden, Texas, Kacey Musgraves’ country journey started when she was just 8 years old! She started writing songs for school events and playing the mandolin, quickly picking up the guitar at age 12 and creating the group Texas Two Bits with Alina Tatum. These two released the album “Little Bit of Texas” in 2000, followed by three solo ventures for Kacey: “Movin’ On” (2002), “Wanted: One Good Cowboy” (2003), and “Kacey Musgraves” (2007).
2: She Was On “Nashville Star”
Like a few successful country artists before her, including Miranda Lambert, Musgraves received the recognition she needed to kick-start her career by competing on CMT’s “Nashville Star” in 2007. Although she only placed 7th, her work on the show attracted industry attention and her career catapulted. She’s toured with Lady Antebellum and Harry Styles, released numerous chart-topping singles and even played the part of musical guest on SNL last year.
3: She’s A Little Bit Country…A Little Bit Not?
Musgraves started her career leaning heavily on classic country sounds, with her first few albums reflecting her small-town Texas surroundings and appealing to country purists, but her recent success is rooted in going beyond tradition. “Golden Hour”, this year’s Grammy winning album of the year, she explains as having “Pedal steel [guitar], banjo, acoustic guitar, and my rootsy influences mixed with galactic Vocoder”. So if you’re not a fan of country, don’t worry, her most frequently received comment is: “I don’t like country music, but I love you.â€
4: She Has Controversial Lyrics
Not only has she been mixing alternative, pop and disco sounds with classic country, but she’s also big on progressive and taboo lyrics that cover topics like recreational drug-use. Her song “Follow Your Arrow” for example, mentions rolling up a joint when life gets hard and she’s spoken publicly about how numerous songs on “Golden Hour” found their psychedelic sound and lyrics as a result of LSD and hallucinogenics.
5: This is Not Her First Rodeo (Grammy #6?)
You may have only started to recognize her name after hearing it called four times this past Sunday at the 2019 Grammy Awards, but Musgraves already had two more Grammy Awards tucked away from previous years. In 2014, she won Best Country Song for “Merry Go Round†and in 2016, she won Best Country Album for “Same Trailer, Different Park”. Forget about golden hour, it’s looking like a golden year for Kacey Musgraves.
Speaking of Grammy Awards sweeps…Check out the video below for more of our top picks!
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