Kacey Musgraves’ new album, inspired by her East Texas roots, features collaborations that bridge past tensions and celebrate local influences and personal growth.
GOLDEN, Texas — A new article and photos from Texas Monthly highlight just how deeply rooted Kacey Musgraves’ new album is in her hometown of Golden and her broader East Texas roots.
Her seventh studio album, Middle of Nowhere, was released May 1. According to the Texas Monthly article titled “Kacey Musgraves Rides Again,” Musgraves was inspired by a sign at the Golden Sweet Potato Festival fairgrounds that reads, “Golden, Texas: Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere,” which she noticed while walking through downtown Golden.
In the article, Musgraves says Golden—a small, unincorporated community in Wood County known for its world-famous sweet potatoes—has “more cows than people.” The author writes that Musgraves noticed the sign and began taking notes that eventually became song lyrics, adding that she took time to find herself instead of jumping into a new project or relationship.
The article also features photos of Musgraves on a horse at the drive‑thru of the Whataburger in Mineola, at the Let’s Roll Skating Rink in Golden, and in front of her childhood home in Golden. The album’s 11‑song track list includes collaborations with fellow Texas natives Willie Nelson (“Uncertain, TX”) and Miranda Lambert (“Horses and Divorces”).
The article also addresses Musgraves’ relationship with Lambert, who is from Lindale and whom Musgraves has known since 2000. A strain in that relationship occurred when Musgraves, along with other songwriters, wrote “Mama’s Broken Heart,” a song originally intended for Musgraves’ first album but ultimately pitched to Lambert—with Musgraves’ knowledge—according to Texas Monthly.
Rumors of a feud continued when Lambert won Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2013 Country Music Awards and gave Musgraves a shout‑out during her acceptance speech.
“I can’t hide my expressions when I feel like something’s fake or when it rubs me the wrong way,” Musgraves told the Texas Monthly writer about her reaction when the camera panned to her at the award show.
Ultimately, Musgraves released “Merry Go ’Round” as her first single. She said the song “ended up making way more sense for me aesthetically than ‘Mama’s Broken Heart,’ so we both won in the end.”
Years later, Musgraves told Texas Monthly that she saw Lambert riding one of her horses last fall and thought, “Well, at least we have two things in common: horses and divorces.” That moment eventually led to their collaboration, “Horses and Divorces.”
Musgraves’ song with Nelson also nods to her East Texas roots with the title “Uncertain, TX.” Uncertain is a small town in Harrison County best known as the home of Caddo Lake.