Kacey Musgraves responds to Grammys snub: “You can take the girl out of the country (genre)…”

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Kacey Musgraves‘ latest album, ‘Star-Crossed’, would be ineligible for consideration in the Best Country Album category at next year’s Grammys. The singer-songwriter has now responded on social media.

Members of the Recording Academy convened last week for their annual screening committee meeting, where recordings are reviewed to make sure they are placed in the appropriate awards categories.

It was during this meeting that members of the country committee rejected ‘Star-Crossed’ as a contender for the 2022 Best Country Album, with the record instead eligible for the Best Pop Album and all-inclusive Best Album categories.

This came after Musgraves’ breakthrough 2018 album ‘Golden Hour’ won not only Album of the Year and Best Country Album at the 2019 ceremony, with album tracks ‘Butterflies’ and ‘Space Cowboy’ also receiving the Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song honours respectively.

Musgraves has since reponded on Twitter, where she posted a photo of herself as a child in a pink cowboy hat. “You can take the girl out of the country (genre) but you can’t take the country out of the girl,” Musgraves captioned the photo.

You can take the girl out of the country (genre) but you can’t take the country out of the girl. pic.twitter.com/dZaqoFsI7I

— K A C E Y (@KaceyMusgraves) October 13, 2021

As Billboard reports, Musgraves continued her response in a series of updates to her Instagram Story, posting photos of herself with country legends like Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Ronnie Milsap, George Strait, Reba McEntire and many more as evidence of her credentials.

She ended the stream of photos with an image of her performing with an acoustic guitar and two middle fingers raised in the air.

When Musgraves’ exclusion from the category came to light this week, it prompted a letter to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. from Universal Music Group Nashville president Cindy Mabe, who said it was “very inconsistent and calls into question the other agendas that were part of this decision”.

She argued that excluding Musgraves from country categories perpetuates the genre’s struggle to increase diversity. “The numbers speak and are a matter of public record with women making up only 10 per cent of all country airplay,” Mabe wrote.

“This year alone country music has been mired in the controversy surrounding one of the formats [sic] biggest artists, Morgan Wallen, who used a racial slur and grew fans and audience from it. THIS IS NOT ALL THAT WE ARE. Under the surface are the artists that change it all and they are led by the example of Kacey Musgraves.”

NME gave ‘Star-Crossed’ four stars upon its release, writing: “[Musgraves’] dissection of a crumbling relationship is inspired by Romeo & Juliet and split into three parts, never collapsing under its own concept.”

The 64th Grammy Awards will be held on January 31, 2022, with nominations announced on November 23.