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Kacey Musgraves is hailed as one of TIME’s Women of the Year, gracing the cover of the latest issue. The honor comes at the heels of Musgraves’ arena tour that she launched after releasing her long-awaited latest album, Star-Crossed. Musgraves, 33, delved into trailblazing her career in a male-dominated genre, writing songs about vulnerable topics, her current relationship after divorcing her ex-husband, the importance of therapy and more. Musgraves told TIME, of being told “no” in an industry that can be harsh on women:
“I have been told no a lot in terms of something that I would want to take a creative risk on. I decided I’d rather go down in flames for something I really believe in than present a watered-down version of myself that may make me more money. You have to fight that until you can get to a place where you can have total creative freedom, and I’m getting there.”
Musgraves went on to say that after processing a breakup, she wouldn’t take anything back. Instead, she knows she’s “learned a lot from all the chapters I’ve experienced. And I do think it’s made me a better person, a better lover, a better friend, and even kinder to myself. I’m learning how to give myself a break,” she said in her interview with TIME. She noted earlier that her current relationship is one with a partner “who is so secure and is a champion of me reaching for every star possible.” Read her full interview here.
The “breadwinner” singer released Star-Crossed in September of 2021, a 15-track collection that reflects on the previous two and a half years since her last project. Musgraves explained at the time that it was more than a “post-divorce album” as she flipped the script on Golden Hour. Listen to some of her biggest songs from her latest album below: