Kacey Musgraves is getting candid about what she wants from a relationship after spending much of the past few years learning how to be comfortable on her own. The 37-year-old country star revealed that confidence and security are the two qualities she finds especially difficult to find in a partner, explaining that insecurity can quickly create problems between two people.
Kacey Musgraves’ comments come as her dating life enters a new chapter. After openly writing about a lengthy “dry spell” on her latest album, “Middle of Nowhere,” Musgraves confirmed that period has now ended. She is seeing someone, but she is keeping that relationship private.
Kacey Musgraves Says Confidence And Security Are Hard To Find
Musgraves opened up about relationships while speaking with People, explaining that confidence and security are the qualities she most values in a potential partner. According to the Grammy winner, those qualities can be surprisingly difficult to find.
Musgraves said personal insecurity can negatively affect a relationship, especially when one person is not comfortable with themselves. That perspective appears to come from years of navigating both public relationships and highly visible heartbreak.
Rather than describing a long checklist for a future partner, Musgraves focused on emotional stability and being secure enough to handle the realities of a relationship. Her comments also reflect how much her own mindset has changed. She has spoken repeatedly about learning how to enjoy being alone instead of viewing single life as something she needed to escape.
Her ‘Dry Spell’ Is Officially Over
Musgraves also confirmed that the romantic dry spell she joked about on “Middle of Nowhere” has ended. The singer addressed the subject directly when asked whether the situation that inspired “Dry Spell” was still ongoing.
It is not! Musgraves did not identify the person she is currently seeing and made it clear that she intends to keep that part of her life private. The update gives the song a slightly different meaning now.
“Dry Spell” takes a humorous approach to going without intimacy for an extended period, something Musgraves said she felt was both relatable and rarely discussed so openly in music. The track has become one of the standout songs from “Middle of Nowhere” and earned a Song of the Year nomination at the 2026 CMA Awards.
Musgraves earned five CMA nominations overall, including Album of the Year for “Middle of Nowhere,” Song of the Year for “Dry Spell,” Female Vocalist of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year.
Learning To Be Alone Changed How She Dates
Musgraves has said “Middle of Nowhere” was shaped by a period in which she was single for a substantial amount of time for the first time in her adult life. Earlier this year, she described that period as initially uncomfortable.
“I’ve been in this period of learning how to be a single adult for the first time, really, in my adult life,” she previously said while discussing the album, as EntertainmentNow reported. Instead of rushing into another relationship, Musgraves said she eventually learned to enjoy the uncertainty.
That experience appears to have changed the way she now evaluates potential partners. She told People that becoming happy on her own made it easier to enter relationships from a place of choice rather than desperation.
For Musgraves, learning to enjoy solitude did not mean giving up on love. It meant becoming more selective about what kind of relationship was worth leaving that comfort for.
Kacey Musgraves Has Been Through Public Heartbreak Before
Musgraves’ approach to relationships has also been shaped by some very public breakups. She married fellow musician Ruston Kelly in 2017 after the pair met at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe.
The couple announced their divorce in July 2020, and it was finalized that September. Musgraves later dated writer and poet Cole Schafer, whom she met after they locked eyes across a crowded restaurant in 2021.
Their relationship became public that year, but the pair eventually split in 2023. Musgraves later reflected on the breakup while discussing love and heartbreak, saying she did not regret having loved deeply.
Those experiences eventually fed into the period of independence that inspired “Middle of Nowhere.” Now, Kacey Musgraves’ dating life appears to be changing again. The singer may be keeping the identity of her new romantic interest private, but she is being much more open about what she has learned along the way.
Kacey Musgraves Reveals The Two Things She Struggles To Find In A Partner