The Untold Story: Why Kacey Musgraves Is Single In Late 2025—And The Men Who Inspired Her Deeper Well Era

The question of who is Kacey Musgraves' boyfriend in late 2025 has a surprisingly simple answer: she is currently single. Following a highly publicized divorce and a two-year relationship that ended in late 2023, the Grammy-winning artist has embraced a period of profound self-reflection, channeling her experiences into her critically acclaimed album, *Deeper Well*. This new chapter sees Musgraves prioritizing inner peace and personal growth over a romantic partner, a theme that has resonated deeply with fans and critics alike. As of December 2025, Kacey Musgraves’ focus remains on her creative work and her own journey. Her openness about her recent breakups has provided a rare, intimate look into the life of a superstar navigating love, loss, and the search for deeper meaning in her mid-30s. While past relationships have famously fueled her most iconic music, her current single status is now the driving force behind a new, more mature artistic era.

The Men Who Shaped Her Music: Kacey Musgraves' Recent Dating History

Kacey Musgraves has always been transparent about how her relationships directly inspire her songwriting, making her dating history a crucial part of her musical narrative. From the euphoric highs of her marriage to the quiet, reflective ending of her most recent partnership, each man has contributed to her evolution as an artist.

Cole Schafer: The Poet Who Inspired Reflection (2021–2023)

Cole Schafer was Kacey Musgraves' most recent significant partner, with their relationship spanning over two years before their quiet split in late 2023. Schafer is a writer and poet, known for his work published under the moniker "Butterflies and Peppercorns."

• Full Name: Cole Schafer
• Profession: Author, Poet, Writer
• Notable Works: *After Her*, *The Life of the Party*, *The Things That Matter*
• Relationship Timeline: First spotted together in June 2021, the pair dated until late 2023.
• Relationship Details: Their connection blossomed after her divorce. Musgraves once described him as a "beautiful soul" and a vital part of her life during a period of transition.
• Breakup Context: The split occurred while Musgraves was recording her album *Deeper Well* in New York City. She spoke about the breakup in a March 2024 interview, stating she has "no regrets" about their time together.
• Musical Influence: While their relationship was a source of happiness, the eventual separation served as a key catalyst for the introspective and emotionally complex songs on her 2024 album, *Deeper Well*.

Ruston Kelly: The Husband Who Inspired *Golden Hour* (2017–2020)

Musgraves’ marriage to singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly was the central inspiration for her Grammy-winning album, *Golden Hour*.

• Full Name: Ruston Kelly
• Profession: Singer-Songwriter
• Relationship Timeline: Married in October 2017; divorced in September 2020.
• Musical Influence: Kelly was the muse for the entire *Golden Hour* album, a record filled with themes of intoxicating love, connection, and marital bliss.
• Divorce Impact: The subsequent divorce inspired the raw, emotional landscape of her 2021 album, *Star-Crossed*, which chronicled the pain and processing of their separation.

Dr. Gerald Onuoha: The Brief Romance (2021)

Shortly after her divorce from Kelly, Musgraves was briefly linked to Dr. Gerald Onuoha, a Nashville-based physician and activist. Their relationship was short-lived, preceding her longer partnership with Cole Schafer.

The Deeper Well Era: Embracing Single Life and Self-Discovery

The period following her split from Cole Schafer marks a significant shift in Kacey Musgraves' public and private life. Instead of jumping into a new relationship, she has been vocal about taking time for herself and focusing on internal growth.

Evaluating What Love Means

In interviews leading up to the release of *Deeper Well* in early 2024, Musgraves articulated her new perspective. She described her mid-30s as a time of "evaluating what love means" and focusing on the relationship she has with herself. This theme of self-nurturing and emotional clarity is woven throughout the album, particularly in songs that explore letting go and finding peace.

The Inspiration Behind *Deeper Well*

While *Star-Crossed* was a direct, linear narrative of divorce, *Deeper Well* is a more philosophical album about cleansing and new beginnings. It is an exploration of the emotional space that being single creates—a space for reflection, healing, and personal evolution. The album’s success is a testament to the power of this vulnerability, with the single "The Architect" winning Best Country Song at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards. The album's title itself suggests digging past the superficial to find a more substantial, sustainable source of happiness. This is not just a breakup album; it's a "single-life-as-a-spiritual-journey" album, making her current relationship status the most important entity of her career right now.

Kacey Musgraves’ Topical Authority: The LSI Entities of Her Love Life

To truly understand Kacey Musgraves’ current status and artistic output, one must consider the entire constellation of people, places, and themes that surround her. Her love life is not just celebrity gossip; it is the engine of her topical authority in music.

• The Horse (Nava): In a humorous "hard launch" on social media, Musgraves introduced her "new relationship" with a cream-colored horse named Nava. This lighthearted post served as a playful commentary on the intense public scrutiny of her dating life, emphasizing her current focus on non-romantic connections.
• The Architect: This single from *Deeper Well* is a contemplative track about the universe's design and accepting the flow of life and love, regardless of a partner's presence.
• Nashville: The city where she was married, divorced, and where her relationships with Dr. Gerald Onuoha and Ruston Kelly unfolded, making it a constant backdrop to her romantic narratives.
• New York City: The location where she was recording *Deeper Well* at the time of her split from Cole Schafer, symbolizing a fresh geographical and emotional start.
• Mid-30s: Musgraves has explicitly cited being in her mid-30s as a time of significant personal and emotional transformation, contributing to her self-evaluation of love.
• Lyrical Honesty: A core entity of her brand, her willingness to be brutally honest about the realities of divorce (*Star-Crossed*) and the complexities of single life (*Deeper Well*) solidifies her connection with her audience.

Other key entities and keywords that are naturally intertwined with the "Kacey Musgraves boyfriend" topic include: *Country Music*, *Grammy Awards* (especially her 2025 win), *Star-Crossed* (2021 album), *Golden Hour* (2018 album), *Ruston Kelly divorce*, *Cole Schafer breakup*, *dating history*, *romantic inspiration*, *self-love*, and *personal growth*. In conclusion, while the search for "Kacey Musgraves boyfriend" in late 2025 leads to an empty chair, this single status is perhaps the most compelling story of her career right now. She is actively choosing to be the architect of her own life, using her singleness not as a void to be filled, but as a deep well from which to draw her most meaningful and award-winning art.