Half musician, half comedian.
Laci Kaye Booth is the real deal, and she’s here to show it with her life experiences spun into her lyrics, which are delivered through her ethereal vocals. The Texas native has been pushing her name in Nashville over the last few years, steadily growing her fanbase, which has a strong social media presence.
Since her first hit, “Shuffle,” from her 2021 self-titled record, she has continued to show fans that she will authentically write about what’s on her mind with her 2024 record, The Loneliest Girl In The World. After years of keeping her nose to the grindstone, she was asked to make her Grand Ole Opry debut while on stage with Parker McCollum after performing the title track from her last album.
While it’s an honor to step into the circle no matter what point in your career you’re at, Booth’s debut could not have come at a better time, given she was heavily teasing her latest single, “Daddy’s Mugshot,” around the time she was asked to step into the sacred circle.
She heavily teased the single on TikTok with fans begging her to release it after Valentine’s Day, to which she hilariously (but with a sad twist) responded that she was “working on it,” with the life events thrown at her.
@lacikayebooth Replying to @Urfavkb all jokes aside, i do appreciate y’all and i am workin’ on it. Promise. Also, love you my sweet Nana ♥️ #country #unreleased ♬ original sound – Laci Kaye Booth
Not to say we would have gotten the single sooner, but she timed its release perfectly so that “Daddy’s Mugshot” hit streaming platforms the night before her Opry debut. Fans loved the snippets shared of the songs, and once they heard the full version, they were head over heels for the rebel anthem.
The following evening, Booth stepped into the circle for the first time which made her cry like a “big ole titty baby,” according to her Instagram caption. Before firing up her latest single, she shared with the Opry audience what inspired “Daddy’s Mugshot.” Unlike some songwriters who will create fictional plotlines for their songs, this song was truly inspired by her daddy’s mugshot.
“I wrote this song called ‘Daddy’s Mugshot’ after I was scrolling on Facebook and I saw my dad’s mugshot going around. And I didn’t know he got arrested. He was grinning from ear to ear.
He would be here tonight, but his probation officer wouldn’t let him come so… Dad, I love you so much, if you’re watching this right now.”
Sounds like Booth’s father is quite a character, and what a a**hole probation officer for not letting him go to his daughter’s Grand Ole Opry debut.
When the song came out, Booth added to the inspiration for the song, noting:
“I started writing about him, my life, the curse passed down to me, and trying to ‘make it’ in Nashville.”
This “curse” she speaks of goes back to her father, who dreamed of making it in country music. However, that dream slowed down when he and Booth’s mother got pregnant with Laci at 16. By 21, he had entirely given up on his dream of music to provide for his family. When Laci first came to Nashville and was signed to Big Machine, after getting dropped, she felt like this generational curse had struck her, too.
“When I was dropped by Big Machine, I accepted that I was following this curse.”
She told The Tennessean. Now signed to Geffen Records, she has not only broken that curse but kept the same rebel and outlaw spirit of her dad, smiling ear to ear, knowing she would make it one day.
“Now I’m a little too Texas for Tennessee
I smiled in the picture, but I was gritting my teeth
They found bitter in my bones when they broke this show pony
Said I’d be a star, hell, they don’t even know me
What runs in the blood ain’t ever gonna stop
I might look like my mama
But I smile like my daddy’s mugshot…”
Booth has been chasing this dream for over twenty years, first appearing on a Houston radio station, 93Q Country’s singing contest. Talk about a full circle moment singing Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” during that contest, to having one of her debut songs at the Opry.
No matter how long she chased that dream, she made it a reality and had a stellar new single to perform on the historic stage.
Keep the good songs and jokes coming, Miss Laci Kaye Booth.
