Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert tagged each other in a pair of shady Instagram stories over the weekend, but there might be more to this feud than meets the eye.

Fans were confused after Musgraves appeared to dredge up a decade-old tiff between them. But when Lambert responded, viewers started to wonder if the whole thing might be a creative way to tease a new song release.

What Did Kacey Musgraves + Miranda Lambert Say About Each Other?

The whole thing started when Musgraves shared a clip from the 2013 CMA Awards, when a camera caught her looking — well, less than happy — as she watched Lambert accept the trophy for Female Vocalist of the Year.

Musgraves had been nominated in that category, too. And during her speech, Lambert gave Musgraves a shout-out, saying “East Texas girls gotta stick together.”

“You knew that I’d said some things about you,” Musgraves wrote in the post, adding an emoji of an eyeroll and tagging Lambert.

A day later, Lambert replied with an Instagram Stories post of her own.

“Well I’ve done my fair share of s–t talkin too,” Lambert clapped back in that post.

What’s the Backstory Behind Kacey Musgraves’ Feud With Miranda Lambert?

It’s unclear if there was ever exactly a feud to begin with.

Musgraves’ facial expression during Lambert’s acceptance speech at the CMAs generated a fair bit of media and fan speculation that the two artists weren’t on good terms.

Read More: Kacey Musgraves Address Her CMAs Reaction to Miranda Lambert

But Musgraves said at the time that she was a new artist, and “still getting used to cameras being on me 24/7.” She said that in this case, the cameras simply caught her in a “non-smiling” moment. She also said she’d been in touch with Lambert, and that things were all good between them.

Did Miranda Lambert + Kacey Musgraves Feud Over “Mama’s Broken Heart”?

There were some rumors that the two artists clashed over Lambert’s hit “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which Musgraves co-wrote with Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark. Lambert included the song on her 2011 Four the Record album, and released it as a single in early 2013.

At the time, Lambert admitted that it took some convincing for Musgraves to let Lambert record it.

She also said she and Musgraves had some backstory that might have made Musgraves hesitant to give Lambert. the song.

“Kacey Musgraves is a girl I grew up with back in Texas. We used to write together a lot and kind of went our separate ways,” Lambert elaborated. “I don’t this I was supposed to be pitched [‘Mama’s Broken Heart.’]”

Read More: Kacey Musgraves Was Reluctant to Let Miranda Lambert Cut “Mama’s Broken Heart”

Then, Musgraves’ sister was taking photos for Lambert’s wedding to Blake Shelton in May 2011, and Musgraves was there, too.

“At our rehearsal dinner, I went over and asked her, ‘Are you gonna cut this song or can I have it?’ And she was like, ‘I’ll think about it for a couple of days,'” Lambert recounted. Musgraves ultimately gave Lambert her blessing to cut the song as long as Musgraves could sing harmonies on it, which she did.

Why Are Miranda Lambert + Kacey Musgraves Feuding On Social Media Now?

It seems pretty unlikely that the two singers would reignite a decade-plus feud — that might never have been real to begin with — for no reason.

Read More: Every Current Country Music Feud + Beef

More credible is the theory that the two artists are planning their first-ever true duet. Other than “Mama’s Broken Heart,” they’ve never worked together before.

It doesn’t hurt the theory that the barbs Lambert and Musgraves traded sort of sound like song lyrics. “You knew that I’d said some things about you” and “Well, I’ve done my fair share of s–t talkin’, too” rhyme.  

Plus, Musgraves appears to be rolling out a new project.

Two years after she released Deeper Well in 2024, the singer has started appearing on billboards in Nashville, with a phone number to call “For a Real Good Time.”

If you call the number, according to the Tennessean, you’ll hear a message from Musgraves saying that “you’ve reached the middle of nowhere.” Callers have the option to press 1 and hear a snippet of a song.