Kacey Musgraves Officially Announces New Album ‘Star-Crossed’, Releases Title Track & Film Trailer

Kacey Musgraves with red hair
Sophia Matinazad/Press

Star-Crossed is officially coming SOON.

Kacey Musgraves announced the new project on her Instagram today, along with the release date on September 10th and what appears to be the album cover:

“Fall apart September 10 with 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗-𝖈𝖗𝖔𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖉: the album + film. Pre-order now to hear the title track.”

She even mentioned that there will be an accompanying film, and seeing as the whole project is going be a modern day Greek tragedy in three acts told through song, I have a feeling it’s going to be equally as amazing as the music itself.

She stopped by Zane Lowe’s Apple Music 1 podcast to share quite bit more detail about the record and inspiration behind her “divorce album”.

Of course, she’s been through a very public divorce from ex-husband Ruston Kelly over the last year or so, which all came on the heels of the incredible mainstream success (including several Grammy awards) for the psychedelic, rose-colored record he inspired that shot her into superstardom called Golden Hour.

This is going to be a huge departure from that:

“They see me as this starry-eyed, rose-colored glasses kinda girl, the ‘Golden Hour’ girl.

Well, here I come with a post-divorce album, bursting the fucking bubble.”

How Star-Crossed Came Together

Zane and Kacey discussed how the title track to the record, “Star-Crossed,” is also the album opener. She begins the project in narration mode, but quickly switches gears and speaks from each characters point-of-view.

Doing so allowed her to be as honest, and as vulnerable, as she possibly could be in terms her feelings over the tragedy that took place in her own life.

And, she revealed that her use of psychedelics (on a guided trip) helped her turn all of that emotion into a real concept:

“I went in, it was at the beginning of this year. I was like, I want the chance to transform my trauma into something else.

And I want to give myself that opportunity, even if it’s painful. And man, it was completely life changing in so many ways. But it also triggered this whole big bang of, not only the album title, but the song ‘star-crossed’, the concept.

Me looking into the structure of tragedies themselves, as an art form throughout time. I mean back in the Greek theater, it was set around a tragedy. Oh my God, it brought me closer to myself. The living thread that moves through all living things, to my creativity, the muse.

It was just, it’s still all the same. And the common thread there is catharsis. I mean these audiences would go to the theater to forget about their own traumas, for just a second.

And they would witness these characters, the exposition, a climax, a downfall, and then a resolution and they would all leave. Days of Our Lives.”

The Romeo-and-Juliet-style story is a timeless concept as old as time, really, and one that has been retold a million different ways.

This is Kacey’s version as it relates to her own life:

“It’s that and it’s the most popular art form across time and I think it always will be. 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.”

She even came up with her own definition of what it means:

“It’s to be f*cked by love or luck. You’re ill-fated, it’s just not written in the stars. It is not for you. And everyone puts out their highlight reel, nobody’s putting out their f*ck ups.”

I just love that. I’m absolutely pumped to hear the entire thing (which she also promises will be more country than Golden Hour in some regard).

Though it’s absolutely terrifying to put all of the worst parts of your life out into the world for people to judge, scrutinize and spin into whatever they want it to mean, Kacey admits that it was necessary for her to share it all.

She’s always been a songwriter who writes about what’s going on in her life, good, bad, or indifferent, and this record will be no exception:

“And that’s one of the reasons why it’s daunting. But I’m excited to share ‘star-crossed’ just because people know me to be a songwriter that writes about what I’m going through.

And I think it would have been extremely awkward if I just acted this last chapter didn’t happen for me.

So I think you saw my highlight reel with Golden Hour and this is the other side of that. And I mean there are beautiful parts of that too.”

I cannot WAIT.

The whole concept of tragedy and the way she’s put it together as one big drama, paired with her incredible songwriting talent, is so intriguing to me. It’s just going to be something special.

Mark your calendars people, we’re only a little more than TWO WEEKS away…

Here’s the title track, “Star-Crossed”, that she teased on Instagram yesterday:

Star-Crossed Tracklist:

1. Star-Crossed
2. Good Wife
3. Cherry Blossom
4. Simple Times
5. If This Was a Movie…
6. Justified
7. Angel
8. Breadwinner
9. Camera Roll
10. Easier Said
11. Hookup Scene
12. Keep Lookin’ Up
13. What Doesn’t Kill Me
14. There Is a Light
15. Gracias a la Vida

And finally, the trailer for the upcoming Star-Crossed: The Film, which will appear exclusively on Paramount+.

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