After winning the Grammy Award for Best Album of the Year (of all genres) in 2019, Kacey Musgraves hit the peak of her artistic career thus far. But what waits on the other side of that mountain? Well, that’s a scary question.
Speaking with The Boot in a recent interview, the crossover superstar admits thinking about whatever comes next — and whether or not she can top Golden Hour — is a daunting task.
“Post-creation depression, I think, is a thing,” she says. “But you can always sing those songs. The chapter isn’t dying. You’re gonna move on to things that inspire you just as much.”
Golden Hour also generated three more Grammys (Best Country Album, Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance), and it took home CMA and ACM Awards for Album of the Year, landing near the top of dozens of best-of lists and spawning a world tour in the process. But it was all born from one spark of inspiration, Musgraves says.
“I think that, as creators, we all get a little bit worried that the muse isn’t gonna find us again,” she explains. “It can be panicking. It can feel like, ‘Oh my God, am I ever gonna be able to beat that?’ or, ‘Am I gonna find anything that’s as inspiring?’
“But I think that might be the wrong way to think about it,” she continues. “Because the things that inspire me the most are the things living in everyday little life: tiny things, conversations and relationships — you know, just being human.”
She probably shouldn’t worry … and her fans definitely shouldn’t. Musgraves wrapped up 2019 by starring in her very own Christmas special on Amazon Prime, and heads into 2020 with a modeling deal to explore. Who knows where her muse will show up next.
“It’s there,” she says. “You just have to look for it.”
