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Any fan of Kacey Musgraves knows she isn’t the most traditional country artist. In fact, she doesn’t even like to label herself that way. From her eyebrow-raising song lyrics to her outspoken support of progressive causes, this is one woman who isn’t afraid to make a fuss. And as it turns out, Kacey Musgraves had a pretty great upbringing — and so did her mom. 

In several recent interviews, Kacey Musgraves talked about her mom and childhood and told some interesting stories, including how her mother’s family used to house some rather non-traditional pets.

Kacey Musgraves’ family background

Kacey Musgraves playing a guitar and singing into a microphone
Kacey Musgraves performs during weekend two of ACL Music Festival 2022 | Erika Goldring/Contributor

Musgraves, now 34, was born in Golden, Texas, an old sawmill town, to a print-maker father and an artist mother. Her parents always supported her dreams, with her mother taking her to local music festivals to sing western swing music when she was a child. Musgraves wrote her first song when she was only 8, and her family funded her first solo, self-released album when she was only 14. 

Musgraves always liked a variety of music, claiming she listened to the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys along with Shania Twain and Sheryl Crow. Her family always encouraged her to be herself and make the music she wanted to make. 

“I’ve never considered myself a country artist,” Musgraves said in 2019, according to The Guardian. “I’m not focused on what is or isn’t country music. I couldn’t care less.” 

There’s no doubt that Musgraves can croon a beautiful country tune, but some of her songs also dive into other genres. 

Growing up with a pet monkey and a skunk? 

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Recently, Architectural Digest toured Musgraves’ beautiful home, allowing her to talk about each room and her sense of style. Along the way, she revealed a few personal details about herself.

While showing off her impressive craft room and talking about her crafting hobby, Musgraves said:

“I really love macaws. My grandmother, she had lots of macaws, parrots… my mom grew up with a monkey at one point.”

She added, “My mom had six brothers, a half-sister, a monkey — they had a pet skunk at one point.”

It’s no surprise that Musgraves’ mother grew up to be an artist with such a creative daughter. Musgraves does not have a pet monkey or a skunk herself, but her love of macaws is apparent by all the feathers in her craft room. Macaws have a spiritual connotation for her, so she likes to keep their feathers around. 

Musgraves is still close to her family 

Musgraves still speaks very highly of her sister, grandmother, and parents, who currently run a graphic design shop in Mineola, Texas (Musgraves follows the family business on Instagram). She credits them with fueling her ambitions — her sister still takes her photographs, her grandmother used to book her gigs for her, and her parents printed her flyers in their shop.

Undoubtedly, the Musgraves family is very proud of Kacey’s many accomplishments. 

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