I Went To A Private Kacey Musgraves Listening Experience In NYC
The Grammy-winning artist has reached peak earthy vibes with Deeper Well.
“I'm an older sister, I'm a Leo, I'm a Texan. I think I'm just destined to be a little bit of an *sshole,” Kacey Musgraves tells the audience on the eve of her Deeper Well album release day. She’s talking about taking risks in country music, something she’s done since the start of her career.
“These [artists] that we think of as icons today are here because they were disruptors at some point and were thought of as different,” she continues. “But they were given a chance, and they eventually set a standard to become the new normal that labels then try to replicate.”
We’re at Webster Hall in New York City’s East Village, celebrating Musgraves’ sixth studio album at an intimate listening party hosted by American Express. Wearing a matching set that mirrors the woodsy, cottagecore staging, the Grammy-winning musician opens up about everything from gravity bongs (“I was literally such a stoner”) to her experiences in the city (“last time I was here, I fed a piece of sushi to a rat”).
Amex and Musgraves partnered to create a video called “Story of My Song,” where Musgraves talked through the writing process for the track “Dinner With Friends.” At the event, cardholders and media were treated to a night of Kacey-themed cocktails — I had “Too Good To Be True,” made with tequila, orange juice, and grenadine — complimentary pizza from Fini, and a photo booth.
The real truth of it is that none of us f*cking know anything about anything.
Musgraves also gave fans a peek into what it was like making the record, out March 15. Deeper Well is extremely spiritual, filled with references to the color jade, the magic of seeing a cardinal sitting on a branch, and the beautiful randomness of the natural world. “We live in this world that's so black and white, so factual,” she says. “We point fingers at each other and say, ‘You're wrong. I'm right.’ And the real truth of it is that none of us f*cking know anything about anything, really.”
This might be most clearly illustrated in the track “The Architect.” In it, Musgraves sings: “Does it happen by chance? Is it all happenstance? Do we have any say in this mess? Is too late to make some more space? Can I speak to the architect?”
The album is undeniably personal, but Musgraves says she likes to think about songwriting in terms of the “collective shared conscious experience” her music brings to listeners. “Some of the things that would be really hard for me to say to someone in real life, I can say in song,” she says. “What helps is thinking about how they've connected to y'all ... and maybe where your mind and heart goes when you hear the song.”
For fans playing Deeper Well on repeat who want more earth fairy vibes from Musgraves, her 2024 tour kicks off March 15 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN, with U.S. and international dates running through December.
