9781422273258

COUNTRY music sTARS

Kacey

Musgraves

COUNTRY music sTARS

Blake Shelton

Carrie Underwood

Chris Stapleton

Kacey Musgraves

Keith Urban

COUNTRY music sTARS

Kacey

Musgraves

Chelsea Whitaker

Mason Crest MIAMI

Mason Crest PO Box 221876 Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2023 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN (hardback) 978-1-4222-4490-6 ISBN (series) 978-1-4222-4486-9 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4222-7325-8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Whitaker, Chelsea, author. Title: Kacey Musgraves / Chelsea Whitaker. Description: Broomall : Mason Crest, 2023. | Series: Country music stars | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020003327 | ISBN 9781422244906 (hardback) | ISBN 9781422273258 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Musgraves, Kacey–Juvenile literature. | Country musicians–United States–Biography–Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC ML3930.M94 W55 2021 | DDC 782.421642092 [B]–dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020003327 Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Editor: Andrew Luke Production: Crafted Content, LLC

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Contents BREAKTHROUGH

6

CHAPTER 1: A STAR IS BORN

11

CHAPTER 2: GREATEST MOMENTS

25

CHAPTER 3: BEHIND THE CURTAIN

39

CHAPTER 4: BRAND KACEY MUSGRAVES

51

CHAPTER 5: MODERN MEGASTAR

63

SERIES GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS

76

FURTHER READING

77

INTERNET RESOURCES

77

INDEX

78

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY, PHOTO CREDITS & EDUCATIONAL VIDEO LINKS

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Key Icons to Look For

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND: These words, with their easy-to-understand definitions, will increase readers’ understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills.

EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing themwith additional educational content to supplement the text. SIDEBARS: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives.

TEXT-DEPENDENT QUESTIONS: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

RESEARCH PROJECTS: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. SERIES GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series.Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

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Carrie Underwood K cey Musg aves

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a star is born BREAKTHROUGH

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Carrie Underwood K cey Musg aves

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a star is born BREAKTHROUGH

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND debuted —presented to the public for the first time; introduced mainstream —the ideas, attitudes, or activities that are shared by most people and regarded as normal or conventional opry —an establishment providing country or folk music tenacity —the quality or state of being persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired

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Carrie Underwood K cey Musg aves

CHAPTER 1

A STAR

IS BORN

FROM NASHVILLE TO THE GRAMMY STAGE

After the debut of “Merry Go ‘Round,” Musgraves was hoping that the hype from the song would help her debut album. She released the album Same Trailer, Different Park a few months after her single, and it debuted strongly at No. 2 on the Billboard charts. “Merry Go ‘Round” was also slowly breaking through on the radio, peaking at No. 12 on the country charts. She was far from a household name, but with a few tour dates and decent sales, Musgraves felt her hard work was paying off. What she didn’t expect was for her first ever single to eventually be honored with the most prestigious award in music! When the 2014 Grammy nominations came out, Musgraves was far from home—on tour in Milwaukee and playing a small theater show for her fans. She didn’t expect a nomination. In fact, she was onstage when they came out! The tour manager came on over her in-ear microphone with the big news. When he said she was nominated for Best Country Song, Best Country Album, and Best NewArtist, she couldn’t believe it. “I was just floored,” Musgraves remembered. It was a big deal—with that many nominations,

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a star is born

For her debut album, SameTrailer, Different Park, Musgraves wrote songs that were true to herself.

newcomer Musgraves tiedTaylor Swift and Lorde for the most nominations received by a woman that year! She was so excited she announced it onstage to her fans in the audience. “They found out along with me and so did my band, and we got to celebrate together,” Musgraves says of the special moment. “It was awesome!” The awesomeness didn’t stop there. When it was time for the awards show, Musgraves made the trip to L.A. along with co-writers McAnally and Osborne. They were all proud just to be nominated, and Musgraves knew no matter what happened, she had been true to herself, penning songs for a debut album that was meaningful to her, even if they made her an outsider in country music. When she saw where she was sitting for the pre-broadcast awards show, she was even less sure she would win. She and her team were way in the back, almost by the door!

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Kacey Musgraves

1980s icon Cyndi Lauper presented Musgraves with her first ever Grammy Award.

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a star is born

When presenter Cyndi Lauper finally announced Best Country Song, Musgraves couldn’t believe it—she had won! Lauper was so shocked she didn’t even pronounce Musgraves’ name correctly and was totally unfamiliar with who the newcomer was. That didn’t faze Musgraves. With McAnally and Osborne in tow, she walked all the way from her seat in the back—such a long walk that the transition music had to play twice! When Musgraves finally made it to the podium she was thankful, and all three of the songwriters were in tears. In her short speech, she recounted how the song came to them the middle of nowhere inTexas and how they were able to “tap into something really special.” Later during the televised ceremony Musgraves took home the coveted Best Country Album prize for SameTrailer, Different Park . This time she was more prepared, but still overwhelmed at the honor. Now a Grammy winner at age twenty-one, Musgraves was on the radar of mainstream America. Her rise to fame started slowly, but with one touching song, everything changed fast!

Watch Musgraves’s heartfelt 2014 Grammy Awards acceptance speech where she says she “poured herself into this album.”

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Kacey Musgraves

GROWING UP GOLDEN Musgraves was able to tap into rural America with her first album because it was her hometown story. She was born in the northeast corner of Texas, about 800 miles east of Dallas, in the small town of Golden. The population was less than 200 people—talk about a small town! Musgraves was the first child to her parents and gave them a scare when she was born. Musgraves was born six weeks prematurely, coming in at just a little over five pounds. A fighter from the beginning, Musgraves grew up healthy and strong, and along with her younger sister Kelly, was exposed to the arts at a young age. Music was constantly playing in the home—Tom Petty and Sheryl Crow were some of the favorites. But Musgraves didn’t just listen. From as young as age eight she would be inspired to create by the music she heard. NASHVILLE STAR . . . OR NOT Musgraves had been seeking fame since she moved to Nashville at age twenty. She went all out to get noticed—even auditioning for a reality show Nashville Star. After being chosen frommore than 50 regional finalists, she made it to the Top 10. Each week she had to perform a song to a panel of three judges and then endure their feedback and criticism. At the end of each episode, live voting opened to people watching the show. Then the following week the unlucky contestant with the fewest votes was eliminated. Musgraves only made it three episodes before being eliminated, coming in at No. 7. Musgraves, however, said she learned a lot. “It was a great platform to get myself kind of accustomed to being in the industry and seeing what it was like being away frommy tiny little hometown inTexas.”

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a star is born

Tom Petty’s music was popular in Musgraves’ home when she was growing up.

“Kacey would listen to whatever we were playing, and then she’d go to her bedroom and write her own songs,” recalls her father Craig. One of her songs, “Notice Me,” was performed at her elementary school graduation! The Musgraves’ saw howmuch Kacey loved music, and the family encouraged both their daughters in music. On weekends, the family took to the road, traveling to the FortWorth Stockyards where both Kacey and her younger sister performed in a children’s group calledCowtown Opry Buckaroos.

“In Texas, every few towns have an opry house. Performers come up on stage and sing old country songs with a live band. I did that every weekend. It got me familiar with being in front of people and working with musicians.”

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Kacey Musgraves