In 2018, Kacy Musgraves categorized herself within country music with her blissful pop album, Golden Hour. The Grammy-winning Album of the Year painted a dreamscape of domestic life with her husband and fellow country act, Ruston Kelly. On August 23, the popstress delivered the title track of her follow-up album, “Star-Crossed”—bringing her listeners up to speed for the first time since her divorce was finalized last year.
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Her poignant lyrics chronicle the unfolding of her marriage. To set the scene, she sings about two lovers ripped right at the seams who woke up from the perfect dream. Musgraves produced the album-opening title track with Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk — the writing/production team on Golden Hour. The song serves as a precursor to the full project, slated for release September 10 via Interscope Records and UMG Nashville.
In an interview with Apple Music Monday, she tells Zane Lowe that tragedy is “the most popular art form across time and I think it always will be.” Describing her album, she continues, “And yeah, it was like, ‘Man, tragedy, it’s a modern tragedy in three acts.’ But for a while, I was kind of freaked out. I don’t have a concept, I don’t have an album title. What is this going to be? It’s just going to be a bunch of sad songs, you know what I mean? But then Star-Crossed happened. It was the 14th song we wrote and actually funny that it’s the first song on that opens the album. I just really liked the definition. And I kind of came up with my own sort of too, because all the definitions that are out there are pretty antiquated from the old Bill Shakespeare days. But it’s to be fucked by love or luck.”
On release day, the star will also share a 50-minute Star-Crossed film on Paramount+. The film is directed by Bardia Zeinali and stars Musgraves, and features Eugene Levy, Princess Nokia, and others. “We wanted it to feel cinematic and epic without compromising the heart and the emotion,” Zeinali said in a statement, “to feel fantastical and heightened and tell her story through the lens of art and fashion.” Watch a trailer below.
Pre-order Kacey Musgraves’ new album Star-Crossed, here. Watch the trailer for the accompanying film below.
