Kacey Musgraves Says Middle of Nowhere Isn’t A Return To Country — Because She Never Really Left

Kacey Musgraves is back with a new album, but if you ask her, this isn’t some dramatic return to country music.

Speaking with Zane Lowe about her sixth studio album, Middle of Nowhere, Kacey made it clear that her relationship with country has never gone away.

“I think it’s tempting for people to say I’m returning,” she explained. “But I’ve always been rooted in country.”

And honestly, that tracks.

Kacey Musgraves Has Always Done Country Her Own Way

From the sharp songwriting of Same Trailer Different Park to the genre-bending success of Golden Hour, Kacey has never been particularly interested in staying inside neat category lines.

That’s part of what makes her so compelling.

Even when her music has drifted into pop, folk or psychedelia, there’s always been a strong country foundation underneath it all.

Middle of Nowhere Feels Deeply Personal

Kacey described the album as some of her most honest work yet.

The record explores the difference between loneliness and solitude, leaning into the idea that being alone doesn’t always have to feel sad. It’s a thoughtful theme, and one that seems to fit where she is creatively right now.

Sonically, the album blends classic country textures with a noticeable Tejano influence, drawing on the sounds and culture Kacey grew up around in Texas.

Texas Roots Run Through The Record

One of the most interesting parts of the conversation was hearing Kacey talk about the influence of the Mexican community in Texas and how that shaped both the album’s sound and perspective.

That influence can be heard in the instrumentation and the storytelling, giving the project a distinctive sense of place.

It’s country music, but unmistakably Kacey Musgraves.

A New Chapter That Feels Familiar

If anything, Middle of Nowhere sounds less like a comeback and more like a re-centering.

Kacey isn’t trying to prove she belongs in country music. She’s simply making the kind of record she wants to make, on her own terms.

And as usual, that’s where she does her best work.