Why JD Vance Did an Interview With Kacey Musgraves in 2017

Former president Donald Trump made headlines on July 15 (Monday), after he chose Ohio Sen. JD Vance to be his running mate on the 2024 Republican White House Ticket.

Prior to his political career, Vance wrote the New York Times bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which was adapted into a 2020 Netflix film starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams.

Hillbilly Elegy details Vance’s journey from a former marine and Yale Law School graduate to sharing his tumultuous childhood in Appalachia.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis offers “a broader, probing look at the struggles of America’s white working class,” according to the book’s summary.

READ MORE: Who Is J.D. Vance, Donald Trump’s VP Pick?

Turns out, Vance is a Country music fan. Back in 2017, shortly after the release of his book, the now 39-year-old gushed over his love for country music superstar Kacey Musgraves.

In an interview with Time, the two sat down to discuss how growing up in small towns shaped them.

"On the surface, they’re pretty different," the article accompanying the video interview reads. "Yet they’re both storytellers who paint nuanced portraits of what America is like in small towns, depicting the lives of working-class folks who rarely land in the spotlight."

It appears the interview was part of a series called "Stories of Small Town America."

Vance told the country singer that his cousin was her biggest fan — prompting Musgraves to take his phone and FaceTime her.

He then went on to tell Musgraves that his favorite tune of hers is "Merry Go Round."

Watch their chat here:

"There’s obviously a certain vibe about small town America, that’s what you’re singing about and that’s what you’re writing about. It’s an interesting comparison to a lot of the folks I write about in my book," he told the musician, comparing her song to the feeling of his book.

The duo discussed their childhoods and how they both have felt out of place among "high society."

READ MORE: Kacey Musgraves Recalls First Time Smoking With Willie Nelson

Musgraves, a Texas native, has been a vocal opponent of Trump, and supported the failed campaign of Texas governor candidate Beto O’Rourke against GOP incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott.