Kacey Musgraves is opening up about her long-rumored tension with fellow country star Miranda Lambert — and how the two singers ultimately turned years of distance into a new duet.

The eight-time Grammy winner revealed that she recently reconnected with Lambert to collaborate on a song titled “Horses and Divorces,” which will appear on her upcoming album Middle of Nowhere.

Musgraves, 37, discussed their complicated history in a new interview with NPR, explaining that the roots of the tension stretch back to the early days of her career.

At the time, Musgraves had written a song called “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which she believed would become the lead single from her debut album.

“I loved the song so much,” Musgraves said. “I had been a staff writer for years at that point, writing for other people and had finally felt like I was collecting songs that felt like me that I didn’t wanna pitch to anyone else.”

But the song ultimately went in a different direction.

According to Musgraves, “Mama’s Broken Heart” was pitched to Lambert without her knowledge.

Lambert ended up recording the track for her 2013 album Four the Record, where it went on to become a major hit.

“It was a tricky situation,” Musgraves said, recalling the moment.

Still, she said she eventually made peace with the outcome — in part because losing the song pushed her toward writing one that felt even more personal.

“That forced me to write ‘Merry Go Round,’” Musgraves explained.

The song became the breakout single from her debut album Same Trailer Different Park and helped establish her distinctive voice in country music.

“So in the end, everyone won because I was able to let go of something,” she said.

Despite sharing similar backgrounds — both grew up in small Texas towns before finding success in Nashville — Musgraves said the two singers gradually drifted apart over the years.

“We’d lost touch for years and wouldn’t consider each other friends,” she admitted.

But recently, inspiration struck in an unexpected way.

Musgraves said she was scrolling through Instagram when she saw Lambert riding one of her horses.

That moment sparked an idea.

“I was like, ‘Well, we ain’t friends, but I guess we have two things in common — horses and divorces,’” Musgraves joked.

The phrase quickly turned into the concept for a song.

“What if it’s a duet with her?” Musgraves thought. “What if I got her to write on it?”

She decided to take a chance and reach out to Lambert directly.

“I know we’ve had our s— over the years,” Musgraves recalled telling her. “But listen, we’ve at least got two things in common.”

Musgraves told Lambert she wasn’t trying to rekindle a friendship but thought the concept would make a “pretty funny song.”

Lambert agreed.

The pair teamed up with songwriter Shane McAnally and wrote “Horses and Divorces” together in just a few hours.

For Musgraves, the moment felt surprisingly meaningful.

“We aired out any of the old laundry,” she said. “We had some laughs and wrote the song in a matter of a few hours.”

She described the collaboration as “very full circle in so many ways.”

Musgraves also said the experience reflected something she wishes people did more often.

“Just [expletive]sit down and poke fun at each other, have a beer and call it a day,” she said.

The duet will appear on Musgraves’ upcoming album Middle of Nowhere, which she announced March 11.

The project will also feature collaborations with Willie Nelson, Billy Strings and Gregory Alan Isakov.

The album’s lead single, “Dry Spell,” was released alongside a playful music video the same day.

Middle of Nowhere — Musgraves’ first album since 2024’s Deeper Well and her return to Lost Highway Records — is set for release on May 1.