Kacey Musgraves and Elton John Discuss the Changing Landscape of Country Music

Kacey Musgraves recently joined Elton John during John’s Rocket Hour on Beats 1 on Apple Music, and the two chatted about everything from country music to Harry Styles.

Musgraves recently crossed the pond to perform in England, Ireland and Scotland, and the duo noted the rising popularity of country music in Europe, with Musgraves acknowledging that audiences have realized that she and many other artists don’t just sing about “trucks” and “beer.”

“It’s amazing to see the love for country music over here,” Musgraves added of the U.K., where she will soon be touring as part of her Oh, What a World Tour.

When she’s not headlining her own shows, Musgraves will be opening for Harry Styles, agreeing with John when he noted that the pair is a “strange billing.”

“I think it’s going to be an interesting but really fun time,” she said. “With the direction that his new record just went and the way that mine has gone, I think it will really work.”

At a recent media event, Musgraves told PopCulture.com what it was like to spend time with John and why she’s so inspired by the iconic artist.

“We chatted for a while about music, and he was so unbelievably down-to-earth,” she said of the star. “It was really inspiring to see because I can’t think of a bigger icon. And someone who has reinvented themselves time and time again, who comes off as larger than life, covered in rhinestones, and yet has the most organic and natural down-to-earth personality like one-on-one that you could ever imagine from someone like that.

“I mean, he’s a frigging knight, he’s knighted, you know,” she continued. “He’s a sir and you would never know it just by talking to him. And that gave me a lot of hope, that you can still hold on to those parts of yourself after all those years and stay intact. It was just really inspiring to see.”

She also praised John’s music, which has spanned decades and earned the star numerous accolades and millions of album sales.

“And I love, I love the music he creates. I mean, you won’t find a more iconic and legendary songwriter than Elton,” she said.

Musgraves was featured on the recent Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, performing “Roy Rogers.”

“It was really cool to be apart of the restoration album that he just had made,” she said of the project. “I got to pick an old Elton and Bernie Taupin song, and re-do it kind of in my own way.”

Photo Credit: Twitter / @KaceyMusgraves