“Perfection, Perfection, Perfection”: Kacey Musgraves Is ‘The Architect’ of Her Amazing CMA Awards Performance

The CMAs kicked off tonight, November 20, with a collaborative performance from Post Malone and Chris Stapleton. From there, the night of music has only gotten better and better. Kacey Musgraves took the stage to perform “The Architect” from her recent album Deeper Well, drawing inspiration from her current tour. She’s due back in Nashville in December, but she gave everyone a taste of the show she’s been putting on lately.

Seated with an acoustic guitar and backed by a set piece of shifting stars and light, Musgraves performed “The Architect” in a stripped-down setting. The tune shines with the simple composition, with her crystal clear voice ringing out over the crowd.

One fan on X summed it up perfectly tweeting, “I mean… Kacey Freaking Musgraves perfection perfection perfection.. the voice, the songwriting, the intimate set up, the simplicity of letting the music speak for itself… other artists take note!!!”

[RELATED: American Songwriter November/December Cover Story: Kacey Musgraves Reflects on Her Life, Sisterhood, and John Prine—“It Can Be Really Intimidating to Put Your Most Intimate Thoughts Out There”]

Kacey Musgraves Spoke to American Songwriter About Putting Herself Out There

During a conversation for American Songwriter‘s recent cover story, Kacey Musgraves spoke about “put[ting] your most intimate thoughts out there” and how intimidating it can be. With how honest and vulnerable Musgraves can get in her music, it seems like she’s past the intimidation of sharing her innermost thoughts. However, she revealed that there’s still a lot of trepidation that comes with writing emotionally.

“It can be really intimidating to put your most intimate thoughts out there,” she said. “But I always find it to be the opposite in the sense that some of the things that are hard for me to say in real life, I can actually randomly say more easily in song form. The whole process is really therapeutic for me, for sure.”

While the act of releasing these intimate songs is still intimidating for Kacey Musgraves, it seems like the actual writing is more of a form of therapy. That comes through clearly on tracks from Deeper Well like “The Architect,” which paints a picture of earthly marvels and wonderment at the natural world. There’s a sense of Musgraves’ big feelings about the world in the lyrics, and writing it all down may have helped her come to terms with how full life really is.

Featured Image by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for ABA