Kacey Musgraves isn't about to exploit her breakup for the sake of making a No. 1 hit.
The Golden Hour performer will, of course, touch on the subject, as her divorce from ex-husband Ruston Kelly left an indelible mark on her life. But she tells Rolling Stone in a new interview that she doesn't intend to air their dirty laundry for all to see—or, more accurately, to hear.
"I can't help but to write about what I'm going through," she admits. "I also want to honor the relationship we had and the love we have for each other. Because it's very real."
The heartbreak they both experienced comes through in the lyrics she previews, with lines like, "Signed the papers yesterday/You came and took your things away/I moved out of the home we made/And gave you back your name."
Kacey reveals she's named the track "Star-Crossed Lovers," which is a theme of her upcoming album.
The artist explains the concept, describing how "even though your heart and yourself want it to not be the case," it's the unavoidable reality of the situation. This even applies to the dissolution of her marriage, with Kacey explaining she decided to part from Ruston because it "just simply didn't work out."
"It's nothing more than that," she continues. "It's two people who love each other so much, but for so many reasons, it just didn't work. I mean, seasons change. Our season changed."
And no, she didn't just give up on their relationship. Though Kacey tells Rolling Stone she's always been weary of the concept of the marriage, she says she was "open to it" and "embraced" it while with Ruston. Now that it's over, she reflects, "I just have to tell myself I was brave to follow through on those feelings."
In general, Kacey seems like the type of person willing to try anything—except when her instincts take over. Prior to finding fame, the 32-year-old was working as a performer for kids' birthday parties, when her boss told her, "'Yeah, there's a birthday party at the Palm restaurant and it's a famous person, and they need a French maid to deliver balloons and sit on the birthday boy's lap.' I was like, ‘Yeah, no. I'm not doing that.'"
According to Kacey, that famous person ended up being Blake Shelton. She says she quit her job shortly thereafter.
I guess you could say she followed her arrow.