Middle of Nowhere (Kacey Musgraves album)

Middle of Nowhere is the upcoming seventh^[a] studio album by American singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves. It is set to be released on May 1, 2026, through Lost Highway Records. Following her sixth studio album, Deeper Well (2024), Musgraves began teasing new material in March 2026. The album's lead single, "Dry Spell", was released alongside the announcement of the album.

In March 2024, Musgraves released her sixth studio album, Deeper Well, and its deluxe edition that August.^[2] It reached number 1 on the US Top Country Albums chart.^[3] In April 2025, Musgraves signed with the relaunched Lost Highway Records as the country label's first signee since Interscope Records announced the revival; Musgraves originally signed to Lost Highway in 2011 as its final artist signing, before the label folded into Mercury Nashville a year later.^[4] She released several singles in 2025, including "Lost Highway" and "If the World Burns Down".^[2]

Musgraves worked on the album while single and "leaning into" herself,^[6][7] co-writing every song of the album.^[8] According to press release, the album was "written during a period of reflection and post-breakup clarity".^[9] She also enlisted her longtime collaborators to write and produce the album,^[10] reuniting with Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, and Brandy Clark, who contributed to her first major label albums, and Daniel Tashian as well as Ian Fitchuk, who she began working with on Golden Hour (2018).^[11] American singers Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, and Billy Strings, and South African musician Gregory Alan Isakov featured in the album.^[12][13] It is the third collaboration between Musgraves and Nelson, following "Are You Sure", a hidden track on her second album Pageant Material, and "A Willie Nice Christmas" from her A Very Kacey Christmas album. The collaboration between Lambert and Musgraves was spawned when Musgraves reached out to propose writing a song about their shared life experiences, noting that the two women were able to "air out the old laundry" and resolve any animosity they had over "Mama's Broken Heart", a song co-written by Musgraves to be her debut single which was ultimately given to Lambert without her consent.^[14]

In a press release, Musgraves said the album was partly inspired by her experience of solitude and self-definition. She described how "it actually felt incredible being alone" and "existing in a space not defined by anyone else", adding that she became interested in the concept of "liminal space, both geographical and emotional".^[15][16][17]

According to Musgraves, the title of Middle of Nowhere and its concept came from exploring her roots in Texas. While wandering around her hometown, she noticed a sign that said, "Golden, Texas: Somewhere in the middle of nowhere".^[7][8] She stated that she found herself "being totally okay in this proverbial 'middle of nowhere'", elaborating that it could be "how you feel relationally or emotionally. It could be someone in between jobs. It can be between relationships or even geographically speaking." She felt drawn to the physical liminal places like airport terminals.^[11]

The album cover was shot in Dallas by Musgraves' sister, and a friend brought a bull from his ranch. "We just rode around Dallas and would quickly get out and try to block traffic with some cones", Musgraves said, adding that they had "no permits or anything". Musgraves was careful to present "those pieces of Texas and country life that often get overlooked" as opposed to something "cliche".^[11]

Middle of Nowhere is inspired by "the musical borders of country" and Musgraves' Texas upbringing, drawing on genres including Western swing; bluegrass; '70s, '80s, '90s country; traditional Mexican music like norteño and mariachi; and zydeco.^[11][9][18] According to a press release, the album incorporates elements such as "pedal steel, accordion, and dancehall rhythms", which is a "sonic love letter to the musical borders of country".^[19] Madison Haynie of Melodic Magazine believed these elements made the album "a sonic love letter to the wide musical borders of country".^[20]

On March 1, 2026, a fan on X asked Musgraves whether she could reveal more about "KM6". Musgraves replied on March 5 with a cow face emoji, echoing the cow imagery used in the promotional posters that soon began circulating online.^[21] That day, posters and billboards featuring an image of Musgraves with her back turned to the camera appeared in several major United States cities, including Nashville. The advertisements included the message "Dry Spell? Call for a Real Good Time."^[22][23]

Calling the number displayed on the posters led to a recording that began with a three-tone sequence similar to the signal heard when a number is misdialed or out of service. Musgraves then introduces herself, saying that callers have reached "the middle of nowhere" and that there is "no service available", before inviting them to "press 1 for a really good time". The message transitions into a short musical snippet in which she sings lyrics, including "It's been a real long 335 days" and "I'm so lonely. Lonely with a capital H if you know what I mean. I've been sitting on the washing machine".^[22][23] In her Instagram page, she put the caption "Welcome to the Middle of Nowhere", with the hashtag of "KM6".^[1][24]

On March 11, 2026, Musgraves announced the album's cover artwork, release date, and track list along with the lead single "Dry Spell".^[9][25] The album is set to be released on May 1 via Lost Highway Records, and the single's music video was premiered on the same day, directed by Hannah Lux Davis.^[9][26] It took place in a grocery store where Musgraves fantasized about one of the employees.^[6]