You might be surprised to find a country song on Clean. So are we. But there was no denying Kacey Musgraves and her latest album Middle of Nowhere. We couldn’t scroll through our socials without seeing people rave about it, so naturally we had to give it a spin ourselves. At the end of the day, you don’t end up with eight Grammys if you’re not that good.

The song that immediately caught our attention is ‘Loneliest Girl’. It is without a doubt the poppiest moment on the album, standing out in between the more traditional country tracks. That might be why it stuck with us the most. But honestly, it’s the lyrics and the way they’re delivered. There is something beautifully contradictory about it all. Kacey sings about how at peace she is being single: “I don’t have to navigate nobody’s drama. I don’t have to act like I like all your friends or your mama. I don’t have to take on your childhood trauma. I’m happy to be the loneliest girl in the world.” Yet the way she sings it carries a certain sadness, almost a quiet loneliness underneath.

We all know that feeling. Telling everyone we’re doing just fine, just to convince ourselves we actually are, even when we’re not. That’s exactly what we’re feeling listening to ‘Loneliest Girl’. And honestly, that makes it quite beautiful.