Kacey Musgraves Honors Dolly Parton at 2026 VMAs — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Kacey Musgraves performed "I Will Always Love You" at the 2026 VMAs on Sunday, honoring Dolly Parton, who died August 25 at age 80.
- Since Parton's death, Musgraves has covered her songs throughout the Middle of Nowhere tour, including "Here You Come Again" in Boston and "9 to 5" at Madison Square Garden.
- At the MSG "9 to 5" performance, Musgraves told the crowd: "I'm not over it, and I'm never gonna be over it. The world definitely lost a light, and it's hard for me to talk about."
- Musgraves is nominated for Best Country Music Video this year for her "Dry Spell" video from the Middle of Nowhere album — the same ceremony where she delivered the Dolly tribute.
- Musgraves has never won a VMA despite two prior nominations: Best Longform Video and Best Art Direction for 2022's Star Crossed: The Film.
Why it matters: Musgraves is competing at the same ceremony where she's paying tribute — nominated for Best Country Music Video for "Dry Spell" while honoring the artist who helped define country music for half a century. Her unfiltered grief, voiced on tour and now at the VMAs, elevates a standard awards-show tribute into a publicly unresolved mourning process.
Ask SkimNews
