Kacey Musgraves Addresses Past Tension With Miranda Lambert And Overcoming Fued To Write ‘Horses And Divorces’

Around 13 years ago, Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves were at the center of a rumored “feud” that Musgraves now confirms was a “grass-fed, grade A” beef. But time has clearly healed any tension between the two artists because they have now come full circle with a collaboration on Musgraves’ new album Middle of Nowhere.

The “Dry Spell” singer opens up to Variety about how she was able to not only patch things up with her fellow Texan, but come together on writing and recording the track “Horses and Divorces.”

Their rivalry began when Musgraves was frustrated over being convinced to give up “Mama’s Broken Heart,” a song she had originally seen as her breakout moment as a new artist, to Miranda Lambert, who went on to turn it into a major hit. While the decision ultimately helped Musgraves’ reputation as a songwriter in Nashville, there was still a sense of missed opportunity for her at the time.

All these years later, the tenson lingered, but when an idea struck Musgraves reach out to Lambert, she couldn’t ignore it.

“I had this idea one day when I saw her on Instagram, riding one of her horses, and I thought, ‘Well, I guess we have two things in common: horses and divorces.’ And I was like, ‘Wait, that’s a song.’ Then I took it a step further: ‘What if I write it with her? What if it’s a duet? F**k it, I’m gonna reach out.’ I hadn’t spoken to her in years and was like, ‘Hey, I have this idea. If anybody would get it, it would be you. We’ve had our s**t over the years, but this would be really funny.’ And she was like, ‘I’m down,’” Musgraves recalls.

They teamed up with hitmaking songwriter Shane McAnally and pulled together the last song for the album. Middle of Nowhere drops tonight at midnight and so far, Musgraves has only released the title track and “Dry Spell.” So fans have not gotten to hear this highly anticipated collaboration yet, but according to the GRAMMY winner, it’s a very “real” song about exactly what the title suggests.

“I mean, it’s real and that’s why I love this song, because it’s not coming from some contrived place in a writing room. We’ve come together after years of really, honestly, not being friends.”

Kacey Musgraves says she teamed with Miranda Lambert on her upcoming album despite past beef because “we have two things in common: horses and divorces.”

"We’ve come together after years of really, honestly, not being friends. I had this idea one day when I saw her on Instagram,… pic.twitter.com/qlN5MQJxCM

— Variety (@Variety) April 29, 2026

After years of tension, Musgraves confirms that she and Lambert have finally turned a page. Coming together to write this song put an end to the lingering awkwardness between them and resulted in an honest conversation.

“In our writing session, Miranda said, ‘Hey, I wouldn’t have the career that I have without that song, and I’m really grateful for it,’” Musgraves recalls. “So it was very full circle…It was a plot twist that even I did not see coming, so it really surprised me too. We talked about everything, and we’re both older now and have less energy for dumb shit. I don’t love having weirdness with anyone out there.”

Middle of Nowhere marks Kacey Musgraves’ sixth studio album. Lambert isn’t the only featured guest fans will hear as she also tapped Willie Nelson, Gregory Alan Isakov and Billy Strings for collaborations.

She will celebrate the collection throughout her upcoming Middle of Nowhere Tour which launches August 21, and features shows in major venues like Madison Square Garden and L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena.