Kacey Musgraves Says Her Songs ‘Aren’t Very Progressive’

Kacey Musgraves has been labeled as one of country music's most rebellious contemporary artists, but the "Biscuits" singer says that the issues she covers in her songs aren't meant to push buttons.

“To me, these things aren’t very progressive issues. I never thought it would get brought up this much," she tells Billboard. "I can see why it is, though -- it’s going against the grain in country music right now.

"People always like to pull these handfuls of talking points that I have in my songs and call those out and really focus on those, but to me, these things aren't very progressive issues. I just, I chuckle a little inside when that happens," she continues. "People say, 'She's so progressive,' or, 'She's a rebel,' or whatever, and I think it's cool because it's just, it is the way the world is moving, the human race is moving. Look at the laws that are happening ... You know, all these things that people are pulling out of my songs won't be that crazy anymore [in the future], and the truth is that the songs are just about life."

One of Musgraves' most-talked about songs, "Follow Your Arrow," has received a lot of attention for touching on subjects like same-sex marriage and smoking marijuana, and while the singer may not see it as a particularly progressive song, she recognizes that it's a barometer for how society is shifting its perspective.

"A lot of people talk about "Follow Your Arrow" and its crazy message and this and that. The other day at a show, we were in Texas, kind of in the hill country outside San Antonio, [and] I looked out, and I saw just a random couple, two guys, and they were holding each other. It's something that I see a lot in my crowd, but for some reason it, like, really hit me because, you know, that part of Texas is not always that friendly to that kind of thing," she says. "It kind of made me a little bit emotional. It made me feel good that people like that can feel comfortable being themselves there."

It was a big step for country music when Musgraves and her co-writers Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, who are both openly gay, took home the CMA Award for Song of the Year for "Follow Your Arrow," and Musgraves still recognizes the impact of that achievement today.

“Even if I was just sitting on my couch as a bystander, that moment would give me hope for new ideas, for country still being about real life -- which is what it’s supposed to be about,” she says.

Musgraves is currently readying her sophomore album, Pageant Material, which drops on June 23. The album is available for pre-order at iTunes and MyPlayDirect.com.

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