{"id":508,"date":"2021-02-24T11:26:34","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T11:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/kaleidoscope\/?p=508"},"modified":"2021-02-26T10:21:20","modified_gmt":"2021-02-26T10:21:20","slug":"lgbt-history-month-24-28-the-songstress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/kaleidoscope\/2021\/02\/24\/lgbt-history-month-24-28-the-songstress\/","title":{"rendered":"LGBT+ History Month 24\/28: Allies - The Songstress"},"content":{"rendered":"

It goes without saying that LGBTQ+ people are amazing.\u00a0 We are.\u00a0 I\u2019ve decided as such and my word is gospel at this point.\u00a0 That being said, I wouldn\u2019t be allowed to say that if it were not for some of the bravest people out there who have made an impact on LGBTQ+ rights and who just happen to not be LGBTQ+ themselves.\u00a0 These people are allies.<\/p>\n

Allies are individuals who support and advocate the rights and equalities of others who are marginalised and discriminated against in society.\u00a0\u00a0 In this instance, heterosexual (straight) people who advocate the rights of LGBTQ+ people.<\/p>\n

Over the next few blogs, I will be highlighting key names across the world who are making their voices heard on behalf of the marginalised.\u00a0 In today\u2019s issue, we\u2019re looking at a female singer whose genre isn\u2019t your typical when it comes to championing LGBTQ+ rights.\u00a0 In the penultimate issue of the allies arc I bring you Kacey Musgraves.<\/p>\n

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Kacey Lee Musgraves was born in Golden, Texas in August 1988.\u00a0 From a young age, living in a town with nothing to do was no fun and Musgraves was encouraged to be creative with painting and poetry.\u00a0 At age 9 she wrote her first song and would spend weekends in Opry Houses* singing country-covers with a live band.\u00a0 This early experience helped Musgraves find confidence in front of crowds and her love of performing was born.<\/p>\n

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As she got older Musgraves would learn the mandolin and the guitar, focusing on learning the chords instead of overall music arrangements, and was encouraged to spend her time song writing.\u00a0 She went on to independently release her first album, Movin\u2019 On,<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/a> with help from her family in 2002.<\/p>\n

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After graduating high school, Musgraves moved to Austin Texas and in 2007, entered the reality singing competition Nashville Star, placing 7th overall.\u00a0 She described the experience as surreal and felt that it wasn\u2019t the right stage for her career, commenting that three judges cannot provide an overall opinion millions of music lovers.\u00a0 A year later, she was signed to her first record label, Triple Pop and went on to release cover versions from Miley Cyrus and OneReuplic, the latter of which saw her climbing the US music charts.<\/p>\n

Musgraves career grew steadily and she would go on tour with country music elites Lady A in 2012.\u00a0 That same year she signed with Mercury Nashville and was later moved to the MCA Nashville brand in 2018, both under the Universal Music Group Nashville umbrella.<\/p>\n

To date she has released 4 albums under the brands including Same Trailer Different Park in 2013, Pageant Material in 2015, A Very Kacey Christmas in 2016 and Golden Hour in 2018.<\/p>\n

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Her albums have been met with great acclaim and has awarded her Gold and Platinum status from the RIAA, despite inner community resistance from country music aficionados.<\/p>\n

Country music has gone through numerous redevelopments over the decades, adapting to modern cultures, and embracing the times in lyrical ways.\u00a0 Many songs themselves refer to heavily conservative themes such as religion and heteronormative culture.\u00a0 Musgraves however took things in another direction and is credited as one of the many genre redefining artists on the scene with her writings discussing previously unheard themes of religious questioning, drug use and LGBTQ+ culture.<\/p>\n

In October 2013, Musgraves released Follow Your Arrow, an LGBTQ+ anthem which encourages people to do what they want and be who they want to be because whether you do or don\u2019t people will criticise you.<\/p>\n