Country music feud takes unexpected turn as singers quash the ‘beef’

Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert hadn’t spoken in years before ‘Horses and Divorces’ collaboration

Kacey Musgraves knows a “high horse” when she sees one.

Musgraves, 37, reflected on her past while also moving forward to change the narrative on her challenging relationship with another beloved country star, Miranda Lambert.

When asked about reported squabbles with the “Bluebird” singer, Musgraves told Variety their “beef” was “grass-fed, grade A.”

Kacey Musgraves admitted she quashed the “beef” with fellow country star Miranda Lambert. (Getty Images)

“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,” she said about their surprise duet on her new “Middle of Nowhere” album.

“We’ve come together after years of really, honestly, not being friends.”

The “Golden Hour” musician was inspired to reach out after finding song inspiration on social media.

“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,’” Musgraves said.

Kacey Musgraves performed at Stagecoach earlier this month ahead of the release of her sixth studio album, “Middle of Nowhere.” (Timothy Norris)

“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— 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— over the years, but this would be really funny.’ And she was like, ‘I’m down.’

“I was like, ‘Look, I’m not trying to be your friend, but we should write this song at least.’ So, it was a late addition, the last song added to the album, which wrapped up in January.”

Musgraves previously discussed their rumored feud in an interview with NPR in which she recalled writing “Mama’s Broken Heart,” a song Lambert recorded on her 2013 album, “Four the Record.”

Kacey Musgraves co-wrote the song “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which earned Miranda Lambert a No. 1 hit in 2013. (Rick Diamond)

“It was gonna be my first single, and I loved the song so much. I had been a staff writer for years at that point, writing for other people, and had finally felt like I was collecting songs that felt like me that I didn’t wanna pitch to anyone else,” she said.

The “Deeper Well” singer claimed the song was pitched to Lambert without her “consent or knowledge,” and it soon became a “tricky situation.”

Kacey Musgraves has won seven Grammy Awards, including album of the year in 2019 for “Golden Hour.” (Dan MacMedan/Getty Images)

“She ended up loving the song, and she really wanted it. And I had other co-writers to consider,” she said.

The country music queens collaborated for “Horses and Divorces” on Musgraves’ sixth studio album, which is slated for release on May 1.