Kacey Musgraves’ Intimate Performance With Spotify Made Me Love Country Music Again Confession: I’ve long been in a situationship with country music, and it’s…complicated. I’d like to be able to commit as a fan. But the longer I live as a Latine queer woman in a political climate that challenges my existence, the more I struggle to ignore the conservative views and values inextricably linked to the genre. Fundamentally created by Black and brown folks in the South, country music used to be rooted in raw storytelling and unfiltered emotion—but sometime around the Vietnam War, it pivoted toward supporting right-wing politics. And at a certain point in my life, it felt like something I could no longer support. That said, if there is anyone I can depend on to push for inclusivity in the historically traditionalist country music industry, it’s Kacey Musgraves. With her Grammy-winning 2018 album Golden Hour (in which she traded some of her kitschy lyricism for a pared-back approach), I was reminded of what it really meant for pedal steel guitar strings to pull at your heartstrings. Her quick wit and fresh yet familiar melodies have made her one of my favorite songwriters (across any genre) ever since. When she teamed up with Spotify to host an intimate performance at the Nashville Palace in Tennessee to premiere some songs off her upcoming sixth studio album, Middle of Nowhere, I knew I had to make my way down south. Nashville has a rich musical history—especially since Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion and Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park are also located about four hours away from the country music capital. But before this trip, I’ve only ever known Nashville as Hannah Montana’s hometown and a top Bachelorette destination because of the live music bars down Broadway.#spotify #nashville #kacey_musgraves #nashville_palace #middle_of_nowhere
