Kacey Musgraves, the Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter, turns 38 today, having built a career on frank lyricism and a refusal to be confined by genre conventions. Born in Sulphur Springs, Texas, on 21 August 1988, she has become known for blending traditional country storytelling with pop, disco and Tejano influences, marking her out among a generation of women artists who have challenged Nashville's norms.

Musgraves began performing young, mastering guitar and mandolin, winning yodelling championships and competing on Nashville Star in 2007, before moving to Nashville in 2008 to work as a demo singer and staff songwriter. Her 2012 debut single "Merry Go Round", released despite label doubts about its bleak tone, helped her album Same Trailer Different Park win a Grammy for Best Country Album and an ACM Album of the Year award; she went on to release further acclaimed records, including 2015's Pageant Material, cementing her reputation as one of country music's sharpest wordsmiths.