Kacey Musgraves said she was “still pretty bitter,” as she shared the story behind a childhood photo during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday evening (November 18).
Host Stephen Colbert noted that Musgraves has performed on stages throughout her life, including at the sweet potato festival in the singer-songwriter’s hometown of Golden, Texas. Musgraves guessed she was about 4 years old in the photo.
“This was me trying out for the Little Miss Tater Tot Pageant,” Musgraves said. “I’m still pretty bitter. It was a hard loss.” Colbert played footage of Musgraves competing for Little Miss Tater Tot, and said “I can’t believe you didn’t win.”
During the conversation, Musgraves also spoke about late legend John Prine, who was a friend and mentor to the Deeper Well star. Musgraves, who collected five Grammy nominations for her fifth studio record, said she had “a special connection” with Prine, a “hero” of hers. Prine died in April 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 73. Musgraves told Colbert that after Prine’s passing, she frequently saw a cardinal visiting her, appearing to serve as a sign of a message from the other side. She said “it felt like something was kind of speaking to me,” and it inspired some of the songwriting on her latest studio record.
Musgraves is nominated at the 58th CMA Awards this week in Nashville, Tennessee. She’s up for Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (Deeper Well), and Music Event of the Year (“I Remember Everything” with Zach Bryan). Musgraves will perform during the show, along with Eric Church, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Megan Mooney and other artists. The 58th CMA Awards will take place on Wednesday, November 20. It will air live at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on ABC, and will be available the following day on Hulu.