Kacey Musgraves sings ‘Dry Spell’ atop a washing machine at ACMs

Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean Mon, May 18, 2026 at 1:41 AM UTC

0

Kacey Musgraves is "lonely with a capital H," and at the Academy of Country Music Awards, she owned it — sitting atop a washing machine.

On May 17, the country star entertained the awards show's audience with cheeky, suggestive performance of "Dry Spell," where she hit all the right comedic high notes.

In the risqué track, Musgraves sings that she's going through a sex drought: "Ain't nobody's tool up in my shed / Ain't nobody's boots under my bed."

It has taken less than three months for the song to become an anthem for single women everywhere.

Clad in a white tank top and denim shorts, Musgraves started her ACM performance sitting on the washer before wandering around an on-stage grocery store. As she pushed around a shopping cart, Musgraves found herself surrounded by produce with suggestive shapes, everything from sausages to eggplants.

Kacey Musgraves appears on the red carpet before the 61st Academy Of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., Sunday, May 17, 2026.

More: Kacey Musgraves becomes the voice of single women on 'Middle of Nowhere'

"It's been a real long three-hundred and thirty-five days / And the last time, it wasn't good anyway," Musgraves sings.

"I'm so lonely, lonely with a capital 'H' / If you know what I mean, I've been sitting on the washing machine."

And no, Musgraves isn't sitting atop the washer to keep an eye on the laundry cycle.

Her bodily lyrics are a nod to self-pleasure, a topic country stars rarely tackle.

The track was the first single released on Musgraves' seventh album, "Middle of Nowhere," which dropped on May 1.

With her most expansive global audience to date, the album was Musgraves' largest album debut week of her career.

Advertisement

The 13-track project, which was produced by Musgraves, along with Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk, is considered a return-to-form for Musgraves.

The album features a classic country sound, mixed with Tejano and Ranchera inspiration, and lyrics that highlight Musgraves' cutting sense of humor and silky voice.

Is Kacey Musgraves single?

Yes, Kacey Musgraves is single.

Musgraves has shared that the new album was born out of a period of aloneness, but not loneliness.

Much like Musgraves, data suggest more young women are single by choice than ever before. According to a survey by the Institute for Family Studies, roughly 74% of single women and 64% of single men said they had not dated or dated only a few times in the last year.

We're officially in a dating recession, and now we have a soundtrack for it.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 29: (Exclusive Coverage) Kacey Musgraves performs onstage as Spotify Presents: An Evening with Kacey Musgraves at Nashville Palace on April 29, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Spotify )

"I typically always have been in relationships," she told NPR before the album's release.

"This was the longest period in my adult life where I was on my own, and I had gone through a breakup. I was taking stock of my relationships and what I want(ed) in my life, and really learning how to lean into being alone. I started really loving my singledom."

Musgraves was married to singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly from 2017 to 2020, and briefly linked to Nashville-based doctor Gerald Onuoh in 2021. Then she coupled up with writer and poet Cole Schafer for about two years, splitting in 2023.

"There's a divorce album, 'Golden Hour' is its own thing," she added. "'Deeper Well' is pretty introspective, kind of calm and therapeutic. And then now we're here."

Returning to her trademark humor, which Musgraves veered away from for a moment to avoid boxing herself in to the "bumper sticker lane," Musgraves' album "Middle of Nowhere" is about learning to find sanctity in isolation, both emotionally and physically.

Audrey Gibbs is a music reporter at The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com. Follower her on Instagram at @audreyraegibbs.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kacey Musgraves performs at ACMS atop a washing machine

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”