All Songs Considered

Interview: Kacey Musgraves on her new album, 'Middle of Nowhere'

March 14, 2026

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  • Kacey Musgraves' new album, 'Middle of Nowhere,' reflects a renewed interest in traditional country sounds, influenced by her time spent near the Texas-Mexico border and a desire to reincorporate humor into her songwriting. 
  • Musgraves discusses learning to embrace solitude and finding clarity during a long period of being single, contrasting the theme of 'aloneness' on the new album with traditional country themes of heartbreak. 
  • The artist intentionally balances the traditional country sonic palette with complex emotional themes, using restraint in production and delivery, and she actively explores the kinship between country music and traditional Mexican music like Norteño. 

Segments

Introduction and Album Announcement
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(00:00:29)
  • Key Takeaway: Ann Powers introduces the exclusive interview with Kacey Musgraves regarding her sixth album, ‘Middle of Nowhere,’ set for release on May 1st.
  • Summary: Ann Powers introduces the special Saturday episode featuring Kacey Musgraves. The interview centers on her sixth album, ‘Middle of Nowhere,’ which is scheduled for release on May 1st. The album signals a return to traditional country sounds, influenced by time spent near the Texas-Mexico border.
Analyzing the single “Dry Spell”
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(00:01:17)
  • Key Takeaway: “Dry Spell” is a cowboy shuffle employing classic country double entendres about loneliness and lack of intimacy, written after Musgraves experienced her longest period of singledom.
  • Summary: The song “Dry Spell” is described as a well-crafted cowboy shuffle featuring double entendres about being lonely. Musgraves wrote it after going through a breakup and learning to lean into being alone, realizing the notion that she needed someone to be happy was untrue. She collaborated on the song with old friends like Shane, Josh Osborne, and Luke Laird, craving humor again.
Humor and Vocal Delivery Style
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(00:05:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Musgraves attributes her knack for conveying transgressive sentiments in a matter-of-fact way to finding the human condition hilarious and anchoring introspection with humor, citing John Prine as an influence.
  • Summary: Musgraves finds the human condition hilarious and enjoys anchoring introspective themes with humor, inspired by John Prine. She relies on vocal subtleties and restraint rather than powerhouse singing, preferring negative space in production. Her delivery style avoids trying to convince the listener of anything, offering the content as available if desired.
Meaning of “Middle of Nowhere”
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(00:08:12)
  • Key Takeaway: The album title reflects Musgraves’ acceptance of being in a transitional, liminal space—emotionally, relationally, or geographically—which she found to be a fertile ground for clarity and future creativity.
  • Summary: The concept of ‘Middle of Nowhere’ applies metaphorically to relational or emotional states, as well as her geographical origins in Golden, Texas. Musgraves became obsessed with the concept of liminal space—transitional areas between points A and B—and found clarity accepting her current transitional period. This state of aloneness is presented as sovereign and powerful, not as wallowing heartbreak.
Sonic Palette and Collaboration Circles
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(00:11:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Musgraves chose a sonic palette leaning into traditional country because those sounds feel like home, and she balances lyrical depth by using the ’eraser tool’ in production to find perfect sonic balance.
  • Summary: She leans into traditional country sounds because they are comforting and baked into her upbringing, but she always seeks balance so lyrics are not too on the nose. Her production nickname is the ‘Axe Man’ because she mutes elements one by one to find the perfect balance and negative space. She utilized two intimate collaboration circles: her long-time country writing crew (Shane McInelly, Luke Laird) and the crew from the ‘Golden Hour’ era (Daniel Tashin, Ian Fitchuk).
Industry vs. Musical Tradition
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(00:16:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Musgraves maintains deep respect for the Nashville community but insists her only compass is what feels right to her, avoiding being beholden to any industry community’s expectations.
  • Summary: A comparison is drawn between her early career, where publicists pushed her toward the Nashville-centric industry, versus her current approach. She moved to Nashville in 2008 and respects the community, but she refuses to be beholden to it. Her priority is following her internal compass, regardless of whether it aligns with the rest of the community.
Texas Roots and Mexican Influence
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(00:19:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Musgraves explores the borders of country music, specifically where it meets traditional Mexican music (Norteño), noting that Texas culture is inseparable from Mexico and that traditional mariachi shares thematic kinship with country.
  • Summary: The album explores borders where country meets bluegrass, 70s/80s/90s country, and traditional Mexican music. She spends half her life in Mexico to decompress, finding a primal, down-to-earth pace there. Traditional mariachi and country share themes and instrumentation, coming from the same heart in slightly different regions, and she respects the direct influence Mexican culture has had on Western culture.
Collaborations with Texas Icons
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(00:25:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Collaborating with Willie Nelson and Miranda Lambert signifies a return to her roots, addressing the industry’s tendency to welcome outsiders into country music more readily than those who explore outside the genre.
  • Summary: Musgraves observes that country music is often eager to accept genre outsiders but less lenient toward rooted artists who explore other genres, especially women. She needed Willie Nelson, the ‘patriarch of truth,’ to narrate ‘Uncertain Texas,’ a song critiquing transient modern dating behavior. The duet with Miranda Lambert, ‘Horses and Divorces,’ resolved past professional tension stemming from a song pitch dispute a decade prior.
Visual Aesthetic and Dance Floor Unity
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(00:30:48)
  • Key Takeaway: The visual aesthetic involves mundane, overlooked elements of Texas life, exemplified by the album cover shoot featuring a bull in downtown Dallas, and the realization that country dancing is a great equalizer.
  • Summary: The visual presentation focuses on intrinsic, often overlooked elements of Texas life, avoiding clichés. The album cover was shot by her sister, involving quickly blocking traffic in downtown Dallas to photograph Musgraves with a bull. Witnessing diverse groups dancing together in a divey Austin dance hall inspired her to infuse Texas dance hall rhythms into the record, viewing dancing as where differences melt away.