There have been feuds galore in country music over the years. Some of them have been epic. Take the festering animosity between Zach Bryan and Gavin Adcock. Those two despise each other and don't do anything to conceal it. Then there was the toxic uneasiness between Miranda Lambert, 42, and Kacey Musgraves, 37. That was not just a figment of someone's imagination. Those two singers really despised each other. What was at the core of their potent mutual dislike?
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Lambert and Musgraves Perform a Duet on Musgraves' New Album
On Friday, May 1, Kacey Musgraves will release her new album, Middle of Nowhere. It's the singer's sixth studio effort. The LP is highly anticipated, not only because Musgraves is a beloved figure in the genre. She does a duet on it with Miranda Lambert called "Horses and Divorces." That alone would be exciting. However, the mere fact that they collaborated marks a reversal in their relationship. For years, Lambert and Musgraves were allegedly at each other's throats.
A Song Seems To Have Sparked Their War
Kacey Musgraves had teamed up with Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark to write "Mama's Broken Heart." Musgraves was supposedly wary of allowing another artist to have it. She understandably wanted the choice track for herself. Nevertheless, someone offered it to Lambert unbeknownst to Musgraves. It ended up on Lambert's Four the Record album.
Musgraves Dished About Her Relationship With Lambert
The "Dry Spell" singer spoke to Jewly Hight of NPR Music about her feelings toward Lambert. She described how the two at last resolved their negativity and antagonism. Musgraves noted, "Yeah. It was two singers from two nearby, small Texas towns. [Lambert is from Longview, Musgraves is from Golden.] There's a lot that comes with that. Then we each take our own different paths, both leading us to Nashville at different times. There was all this excitement behind 'Mama's Broken Heart' for me and it was gonna be my first single and I loved the song so much.'
Although Musgraves loathed giving "Mama's Broken Heart" to Miranda Lambert, she kept her fellow songwriters in mind as well. She added, "I had been a staff writer for years at that point writing for other people and had finally felt like I was collecting songs that felt like me that I didn't wanna pitch to anyone else. Then, the song gets pitched to her without my consent or knowledge. It was a tricky situation. She ended up loving the song and she really wanted it. And I had other co-writers to consider. I knew I would have to go back to the drawing board."
They Reached a Reasonable Resolution
Long story short, Kacey Mysgraves wrote another song her herself called "Merry Go Round." Meanwhile, Lambert lucked out with "Mama's Broken Heart." "So in the end," Musgraves concluded, "everyone won because I was able to let go of something."
