All About Kacey Musgraves' Parents, Craig and Karen Musgraves

Meet the people who raised Kacey Musgraves.

Born on Aug. 21, 1988, the “Deeper Well” singer, who will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live March 2, is the daughter of Craig and Karen Musgraves. 

Before making it big in the country music industry, Musgraves grew up with her parents and sister in Golden, Texas. 

Over the years, Musgraves has opened up about her small-town upbringing in both interviews and her music. “I guess you guys would call it a village, but there’s nothing there,” she previously told The Guardian about her hometown. 

Though she grew up in a town with a population of less than 200, Musgraves eventually pursued her “big city dreams” when she released her 2013 debut album Same Trailer Different Park, earning her widespread critical acclaim and a Grammy for best country album. 

Through all of her musical successes though, Musgraves’ parents have been her biggest supporters. 

Here’s everything to know about the singer’s mom and dad. 

They have two children 

Craig and Karen are the parents of two children, Kacey, who is the oldest child, and another daughter named Kelly Christine Sutton, born in 1990. Kacey’s sister is a photographer based in Dallas, Texas, and has captured the singer on several occasions, including helping create the album art for each of Musgraves’ records, per Texas Monthly.

Notably, Musgraves’ Grammy-winning album Golden Hour was shot by her sister in their hometown of Golden, Texas. “I love the cover, it felt like it fit the music for many reasons,” Musgraves told American Songwriter about the album cover. “There’s some kind of magic in making do with what you have. There’s something to be said for working with someone who’s known you your entire life. She instantly knows what I’m going to like and not like, and it made it extra special too that it was shot in Golden during golden hour. It couldn’t have been more perfect.”

Her mother is an artist 

The artistic gene clearly runs in the Musgraves family. The singer’s mother works as a visual artist; Musgraves told Glamour that her mother was always “covered in paint, or creating, like, a giant horse sculpture out of sticks” when she was growing up.

Per a previous feature on Karen in Country Line Magazine, her artistic style has “blends of Fauvism, Spontaneous Realism and Pop Art.” Inspired by “whatever is inspiring to her at the time,” per the publication, her artwork features everything from wildlife to portraits of notable figures like Willie Nelson. 

In fact, Musgraves gave Nelson one of her mother’s distinctive paintings of him, to which he replied, “Sometimes when I wake up in the mornings, I look just like this.” 

Her father owns a printing business 

In addition to being an artist, Kacey’s mother co-owns a small print and graphic design shop, MPrints Printing, Inc., alongside her husband Craig. Speaking with The Standard, Musgraves said she’s always tried to support small businesses because of her parents.

“My parents had a small business for as long as I can remember, a print shop, doing business cards, faxes,” she told the publication. In fact, she even helped out with the family business when she was younger. “I worked there when I was in high school. ‘Printing & Graphics, this is Kacey, how can I help you?’” she recalled. “They agreed unanimously I was their worst f—--- employee ever.”

Her parents encouraged her to pursue music at a young age

Musgraves developed a passion for music and songwriting at a young age, penning her first song at age 8, and her parents encouraged her passions early on. 

“I had a supportive family that took note. They noticed things my sister and I were interested in," she told Savannah Morning News, noting how her mother would take her to various lessons as a child. "My mother started taking me to guitar lessons and vocal lessons," Musgraves said. "She encouraged me to play instruments and eventually write."

Kacey has said she’s a “daddy’s girl”

Speaking with Taste of Country in 2015, Musgraves further opened up about her parents’ support, noting how she was definitely daddy’s girl.

“He’s a pretty smart individual,” she said of her dad. “He’s pretty good at, like, ‘If you don’t have anything super smart to say, then don’t say anything, because you’ll always come off a little better.” 

She wrote a song about her mom 

While Musgraves has referenced her upbringing in various songs through the years, she penned one specifically about her mom Karen for her album Golden Hour. The song, aptly titled “Mother,” is about the longing of wanting to be close to your loved ones. The music video, released shortly before Mother’s Day in 2018, also features a sweet cameo from her mom at the end. 

Her father has gotten emotional over her performances

Musgraves’ father is one of her biggest supporters and has even gotten emotional over some of her big career moments. When country music legend John Prine died in April 2020, Musgraves paid special tribute to her musical hero, referring to their previous performances together. 

“John Prine singlehandedly impacted my songwriting more than anyone else. He’s the king of turning phrase but keeping it simple,” Musgraves told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “They say you shouldn’t meet your heroes, but you’ll never meet someone as truly genuine as he was.” She added, “There are two times I’ve ever seen my dad cry: my Memaw’s funeral and the time I got to play with John Prine.”