‘Star-Crossed’: Does Kacey Musgraves Actually Speak Spanish?
Hot off of the heels of āJustified,ā Kacey Musgraves released her full-length album Star-Crossed, featuring one song performed entirely in Spanish. Why was this song included on the country album? Hereās what the artist said about āGracias a la Vidaā and her experience with Spanish.
Kacey Musgraves is the Grammy Award-winning artist behind āGolden Hourā
Some know her from her Amazon Prime Christmas special, titled A Very Kacey Christmas. Others know her as the country artist behind songs like āHigh Horse,ā āButterflies,ā and āRainbow.ā Musgraves is the award-winning artist behind the 2021 album, Star-Crossed.
Musgraves earned several Grammy Awards for her album Golden Hour, including the Grammy for Album Of The Year, Best Country Solo Performance, and Best Country Album. With this artist came a ānew eraā of country music.Ā
Musgraves is an open supporter of the LGBTQ community, even featuring RuPaulās Drag Race contestants in one live performance. The artist is also open about her recreational use of marijuana.
In addition to her original songs, Musgraves sometimes performs songs popularized by other artists. That includes some hits by Selena Quintanilla that Musgraves sang in Spanish. However, this country artist does not officially speak the second language.
Kacey Musgraves sings in Spanish for her recently-released album, āStar-Crossedā
This country artist is not officially bilingual, but she does sometimes perform in Spanish. That includes several Selena Quintanilla covers and one all-Spanish song added to her 2021 album, Star-Crossed ā āGracias a la Vida.ā
āIām playing with a lot of different textures and a lot of different sounds that I havenāt really tried before,ā Musgraves said during an interview with NPR. āAnd I even learned a little bit of Spanish for this record. It was really fun for me.āĀ
āI grew up in Texas; Iāve been around Spanish speakers my whole life,ā she continued. āI just really respect the language. I think itās gorgeous. Just kind of as a fan, Iāve been taking Spanish lessons for several years. But I heard the song āGracias a la Vida,ā and I knew that I had to record it for this.ā
āGracias a la Vidaā is not a Kacey Musgraves original song
As a Texan-born and raised musician, Musgraves is no stranger to Hispanic music and culture. The song was originally written by Violeta Parra. However, different adaptations of āGracias a la Vidaā appeared throughout history. Musgraves credits Mercedes Sosa with inspiring her version of this traditionally Spanish song.Ā
āThe album starts out with āStar-Crossedā and so āGracias a la Vidaā ends the album,ā Musgraves added during the same interview. āAnd I think it sums up kind of where Iām at perfectly.ā
Star-Crossed also features songs like āJustified,ā āIf This Was a Movie,ā and āSimple Times,ā both featured in the Paramount+ exclusive film. Music by Musgraves, including her version of āGracias a la Vida,ā is available on most major streaming platforms.Ā