Kacey Musgraves just won Song of the Year at the CMA Awards for her open-minded tune "Follow Your Arrow."
But she says former tourmate Katy Perry initially turned the song down.
"Honestly, it sounds like something you would sing," Perry said, according to Musgrave in an interview with People. "You should keep it."
The song touches on a couple controversial topics — same-sex marriage and marijuana use — so Musgraves did not expect much airplay.
"I knew it wasn't going to be a radio song — and it was banned in a lot of places — so it's kind of crazy to me that it's nominated for a CMA," she said before the song won. "But if there are kids in small towns — or big towns — who don't feel like they belong, and this song gives them courage to walk taller, that's better than any award I can ever hope to win."
Here is a sample:
Make lots of noise
Kiss lots of boys
Or kiss lots of girls
If that's something you're into
When the straight and narrow
Gets a little too straight
Roll up a joint, or don't
Just follow your arrow
Wherever it points, yeah
Follow your arrow
Wherever it points
After winning the CMA, Musgraves was pumped.
"I think I can speak for all of us when I say that this award means so much because our genre was built on simple, good songs about real life," Musgraves said. "And that's what this was. And it was because of the fans that connected with it who spread it and took it farther than I ever could."
"Follow Your Arrow" was written by Musgraves with Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark, who was also up for New Artist of the Year.
Rolling Stone reported that Musgraves and Clark are two of only 14 women who have taken CMA Song of the Year honors.
"When I came off stage, Vince Gill grabbed me and said, 'You just won the biggest award you can ever win,'" said Clark, who picked up her first CMA win. "'I know, I've won them all and this one means the most to me.' That about sums it up!"
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