Kelsea Nicole Ballerini (born September 12, 1993) is an American
country pop
Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...
singer. She began songwriting as a child and signed with
Black River Entertainment in 2014, releasing her debut studio album the following year, ''
The First Time''. Her second studio album, ''
Unapologetically'', followed in 2017. Ballerini's first two albums have accounted for seven charted songs on the
Hot Country Songs and
Country Airplay charts. She has four No. 1 singles on the latter, starting with her debut single "
Love Me Like You Mean It
"Love Me Like You Mean It" is a song co-written and recorded by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini. Ballerini co-wrote the song with Josh Kerr, Forest Glen Whitehead and Lance Carpenter. It was released on July 8, 2014, as Ballerini's d ...
", which made her the first female artist to send a debut single to the top of that chart since
Carrie Underwood in 2006. It was followed by "
Dibs Dibs may refer to:
* Pekmez, Arabic fruit molasses
* Dibs (song), a 2015 Kelsea Ballerini song
* The subject of '' Dibs in Search of Self'', an emotionally crippled boy
* Mr Dibs (born 1964), a British rock musician
* Nestlé Dibs, a frozen snac ...
" and "
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...
", whose peaks also made her the first female country artist to send her first three singles to the top of that chart since
Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Ellen Judd or simply Wynonna ( ; born Christina Claire Ciminella; May 30, 1964) is an American country music singer. She is one of the most widely recognized and awarded female country singers. In all, she has had 19 No. 1 singles, incl ...
. Ballerini's fourth No. 1 single is "
Legends
A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief.
Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to:
Narrative
* Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth
* A fictitious identity used in espionage
Books, co ...
". Her third studio album, ''
Kelsea
''Kelsea'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the third studio album by American country artist Kelsea Ballerini. The album was released on March 20, 2020. ''Kelsea'' debuted at numbers 2 and 12 on the Top Country Albums and ''Billboard'' 200 charts ...
'', and a counterpart
acoustic album, ''
Ballerini'', were both released in 2020. Her fourth studio album, ''
Subject to Change'' was released in 2022.
Early life
Ballerini grew up in
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...
.
Her father, Ed, a former sales manager for a country radio station, is of part
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
descent.
Her mother, Carla, has worked in marketing for
Thomas Nelson Bible publishing and a sponsorship company.
She is an only child. She started taking dance lessons at Premiere Dance Studio in Seymour, Tennessee when she was three and stopped ten years later. She sang in the church and school choirs.
She wrote her first song at 12 for her mother and moved to
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, three years later.
She attended
Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee;
Centennial High School in Franklin, Tennessee; and then
Lipscomb University
Lipscomb University is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike o ...
for two years until she pursued a musical career.
Career
2014–2016: Self-titled EP and ''The First Time''
![Kelsea Ballerini Country Artist 3 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Kelsea_Ballerini_Country_Artist_3_%28cropped%29.jpg)
At 19, she signed a deal with
Black River Entertainment.
In late 2014, she released her debut single "
Love Me Like You Mean It
"Love Me Like You Mean It" is a song co-written and recorded by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini. Ballerini co-wrote the song with Josh Kerr, Forest Glen Whitehead and Lance Carpenter. It was released on July 8, 2014, as Ballerini's d ...
", which debuted on the
Country Airplay chart in October 2014. She released a
self-titled extended play for the label in November. She was named one of
CMT's Next Women of Country in 2014. She performed for the first time at the
Grand Ole Opry on February 14, 2015, and sang "Love Me Like You Mean It".
On May 19, 2015, Ballerini's debut album ''
The First Time'' was released through Black River. For the chart dated July 4, 2015, "Love Me Like You Mean It", the album's first single, reached number one on the ''
Billboard''
Country Airplay chart, making Ballerini the first solo female country music artist to score a number one hit with her debut single since
Carrie Underwood did so with "Jesus, Take the Wheel" in 2006, and only the eleventh in history to achieve the feat. Ballerini also became only the fifth solo female country music artist to score back-to-back number one hits with her first two singles when "
Dibs Dibs may refer to:
* Pekmez, Arabic fruit molasses
* Dibs (song), a 2015 Kelsea Ballerini song
* The subject of '' Dibs in Search of Self'', an emotionally crippled boy
* Mr Dibs (born 1964), a British rock musician
* Nestlé Dibs, a frozen snac ...
" reached the top of the Country Airplay chart and the first to do it since
Jamie O'Neal
Jamie O'Neal (born 3 June 1968) is an Australian country singer and songwriter.
In 2000, O'Neal released her first studio album, '' Shiver''. The album included the back-to-back number one singles " There Is No Arizona" and "When I Think About ...
in 2001.
The album's third single, "
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...
", was released to country radio on March 21, 2016. "Peter Pan" reached number one on both the Country Airplay and
Hot Country Songs charts in September, making Ballerini the first solo female country music artist to top both country music charts simultaneously.
This achievement also made her the first solo female to send her first three singles to number one since
Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Ellen Judd or simply Wynonna ( ; born Christina Claire Ciminella; May 30, 1964) is an American country music singer. She is one of the most widely recognized and awarded female country singers. In all, she has had 19 No. 1 singles, incl ...
accomplished the same feat in 1992.
The album's fourth single, "
Yeah Boy
"Yeah Boy" is a song co-written and recorded by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini for her debut studio album, '' The First Time'' (2015). Ballerini co-wrote the song with Forest Glen Whitehead and Keesy Timmer. It was released to Americ ...
", was released to country radio on October 10, 2016.
2017–2019: ''Unapologetically'', coaching ''The Voice'', and joining the Grand Ole Opry
![Kelsea Ballerini in concert in 2017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Kelsea_Ballerini_in_concert_in_2017.jpg)
In early 2017, Ballerini was named to
Forbes' 30 Under 30 – Music list at number two. In 2017, Ballerini received two Academy of Country Music Award nominations for Female Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year for "Peter Pan."
In June 2017, Ballerini released "
Legends
A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief.
Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to:
Narrative
* Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth
* A fictitious identity used in espionage
Books, co ...
" as the first single from her second studio album. On November 3, she released her second album, titled ''
Unapologetically''. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard Top Country Album Chart and number seven on the
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
Album Chart, making it her highest charting album on both charts.
The second single from the album, "
I Hate Love Songs", was released in March.
In September 2018, she announced that she would be releasing a deluxe edition of the album with four new tracks. On September 18, 2018,
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
-
pop duo
The Chainsmokers released a song titled "
This Feeling" featuring Ballerini, which later performed at the 2018
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was an annual promotional event sponsored by and featuring Victoria's Secret, a brand of lingerie. From 1995 to 2018, Victoria's Secret used the show to market its goods in high-profile settings. Models unde ...
in November. The third and final single from ''Unapologetically'', "
Miss Me More
"Miss Me More" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini for her second studio album, '' Unapologetically'' (2017). Ballerini co-wrote the song with David Hodges and Brett McLaughlin. "Miss Me More" was released digitally ...
", was released in October 2018. In October, she provided vocals on her husband Morgan Evans' song "Dance With Me".
Ballerini joined the
15th season of ''
The Voice
The Voice may refer to:
Fictional entities
* The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics
* The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe
* The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
'' as the fifth coach. She coached six contestants who did not get a chair turn during The Blinds, in a new round called ''The Comeback Stage''. ''The Comeback Stage'' was a digital companion series to the show.
In October 2018, Ballerini released the song "We Were Like". In December 2018, ''Unapologetically'' received a nomination for Best Country Album at the
61st annual Grammy Awards
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and ...
.
On March 5, 2019, Ballerini was invited by
Little Big Town
Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group from Homewood, Alabama. Founded in 1998, the group has comprised the same four members since its founding: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman (née Roads), Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbr ...
to become a member of the
Grand Ole Opry. On April 16, 2019, she was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by Carrie Underwood. Ballerini embarked on the Miss Me More Tour in support of ''Unapologetically'' in April 2019. The tour was a success, with Ballerini selling out multiple dates. In June 2019, Ballerini was a guest on the NBC competition show ''
Songland
''Songland'' is an American songwriting competition series that aired on NBC from May 28, 2019, to June 15, 2020. The show, produced in cooperation with the Universal Television Alternative Studio, 222 Productions, Live Animals Productions and D ...
'' and released the song "Better Luck Next Time".
2019–2021: ''Kelsea'' and ''Ballerini''
![Kelsea Ballerini performing at Red Rocks Amphitheater 2021 4 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Kelsea_Ballerini_performing_at_Red_Rocks_Amphitheater_2021_4_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In July 2019, Ballerini confirmed in an Instagram post that work on her third studio album was complete. On September 6, 2019, Ballerini released the first single off of her then upcoming third album, titled "
Homecoming Queen?" The song debuted at number 22 on the
Country Airplay chart, making it Ballerini's highest debut on the chart to date. On November 8, Ballerini released the promotional single "Club".
Ballerini confirmed on January 20, 2020, that the album is self-titled (''
Kelsea
''Kelsea'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the third studio album by American country artist Kelsea Ballerini. The album was released on March 20, 2020. ''Kelsea'' debuted at numbers 2 and 12 on the Top Country Albums and ''Billboard'' 200 charts ...
'') and was released March 20, 2020.
The announcement coincided with the release of a second promotional single, "LA".
On February 28, she released the single "Hole in the Bottle" (stylized in all lowercase) and announced the tracklist for ''Kelsea'' including "Half of my Hometown" featuring
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has recorded more than 20 albums and has produced more than 40 Top 10 singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs and Country ...
and "The Other Girl" featuring
Halsey.
On September 2, Ballerini announced she would be releasing a counterpart album to ''Kelsea'', titled ''
Ballerini'', featuring stripped-down versions of the songs. It was released September 11, 2020. The stripped-down version of "Club" was released alongside the album announcement. She described ''Ballerini'' as "emotional, vulnerable and soft" while ''Kelsea'' showed her "bold and effervescent" side. As of October 16, 2020, ''Kelsea'' and ''Ballerini'' can be purchased physically as a
double album, exclusively from
Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, f ...
.
In 2021, Ballerini temporarily filled in for
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
as a coach during
Season 20 of ''
The Voice
The Voice may refer to:
Fictional entities
* The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics
* The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe
* The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
''. She co-hosted the
2021 CMT Music Awards The 2021 CMT Music Awards, the 55th edition of the awards ceremony, were held in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini were hosts of the ceremony.
Background
The CMT Music Awards are a fan-voted awards s ...
with
Kane Brown
Kane Allen Brown (born October 21, 1993) is an American singer. Brown first came to the attention of the public through social media. He released his first EP, titled '' Closer'', in June 2015, and followed it with a new single, "Used to Love Y ...
, where she won the award for CMT Performance of the Year. In May, it was announced she would be an opening act on the
Jonas Brothers' Remember This tour which began in August. Her debut book of poetry, ''Feel Your Way Through'', was released on November 16, 2021.
2022–present: ''Subject to Change''
In March 2022 Ballerini announced that "
Heartfirst" would be released April 8, 2022. The song serves as the first single from her fourth studio album, ''
Subject to Change''. While co-hosting during the
2022 CMT Music Awards
The 2022 CMT Music Awards, the 56th edition of the awards ceremony, were held in Nashville, Tennessee on April 11, 2022, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium and locations in and around Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony was hosted by Kelsea B ...
, Ballerini performed the song for the very first time. The music video for the song premiered July 7, 2022.
On July 15, 2022, the second single, "Love is a Cowboy" was released along with the official music video.
The album features a collaboration, "
You're Drunk, Go Home", with
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
and
Carly Pearce. The album was released on September 23, 2022. In November 2022, "Heartfirst" was nominated for
Best Country Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is design ...
at the
65th Annual Grammy Awards
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. It will recognize the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from October 1, 2021, to September 3 ...
.
Influences
Ballerini has been influenced by artists in both the pop music and country music fields. Originally influenced by pop music, Ballerini states "I grew up on top 40 pop. I didn't know what country music was, which is so funny because I grew up on a farm in East Tennessee." Ballerini lists
Britney Spears,
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
,
NSYNC, and
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her acti ...
among these early artists influencing her. Ballerini also cites
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
as an early pop musical inspiration. It was not until Ballerini heard "
Stupid Boy" by
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...
that she decided to delve deeper into country music by listening to albums by
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
,
Sugarland, and
Dixie Chicks
The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and ...
. She credited Swift's
self-titled debut studio album for introducing her to country music. Ballerini also cites
Shania Twain
Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...
as her greatest influence. She has also performed songs originally recorded by
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...
and sang "
Ghost in This House" alongside Krauss at the CMT Artists of the Year Awards in 2018.
Personal life
![Morgan And Kelsea CMC Awards 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Morgan_And_Kelsea_CMC_Awards_2016.jpg)
In March 2016, Ballerini began dating Australian country singer
Morgan Evans. They became engaged on Christmas Day 2016 and were married on December 2, 2017, in
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Cabo San Lucas (, " Saint Luke Cape"), or simply just Cabo, is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As at the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 202,694 inhab ...
. On August 29, 2022, Ballerini announced that she and Evans were divorcing. On November 3, 2022, it was revealed that Ballerini and Evans had reached a settlement agreement and their divorce was finalized on November 15, 2022.
Ballerini was a student at
Central High School during the 2008 shooting, which she witnessed. She has said she suffers from
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...
due to the experience.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
The First Time'' (2015)
* ''
Unapologetically'' (2017)
* ''
Kelsea
''Kelsea'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the third studio album by American country artist Kelsea Ballerini. The album was released on March 20, 2020. ''Kelsea'' debuted at numbers 2 and 12 on the Top Country Albums and ''Billboard'' 200 charts ...
'' (2020)
* ''
Subject to Change'' (2022)
Remix albums
* ''
Ballerini'' (2020)
Awards and nominations
Tours
;Headlining
*The First Time Tour (2016)
*The Unapologetically Tour (2018)
*The Miss Me More Tour (2019)
*Heartfirst Tour (2022)
;Supporting
*
Wheels Up Tour
The Wheels Up Tour was the fourth headlining tour by American country music trio, Lady Antebellum. The tour was in support of their sixth studio album, '' 747'' (2014) that began on February 28, 2015, in Oslo, Norway, and concluded on October 3, ...
(2015) with
Lady A
Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar), ...
* Just the Right Kind of Crazy Tour (2015) with
Dan + Shay
Dan or DAN may refer to:
People
* Dan (name), including a list of people with the name
** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark
* Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa
**Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...
*
Rhythm and Roots Tour (2016) with
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cou ...
*
Home Team Tour (2017) with
Thomas Rhett
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
*
You Look Good World Tour
The You Look Good World Tour was the fifth headlining concert tour by American country music trio, Lady A. The tour was in support of their seventh studio album, ''Heart Break'' (2017). It began on May 26, 2017, in Bakersfield, California and f ...
(2017) with Lady A
*
Graffiti U World Tour
''Graffiti U'' is the tenth studio album by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on 27 April 2018, through Hit Red and Capitol Records Nashville. The album was heavily influenced by experiences from Urba ...
(2018) with
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...
*
Meaning of Life Tour
The Meaning of Life Tour was the eighth headlining concert tour from American pop singer Kelly Clarkson. Her first tour in three and a half years, it supported her eighth studio album ''Meaning of Life (album), Meaning of Life'' (2017). The tour ...
(2019) with
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
*
Remember This Tour
The following is a list of tours by the Jonas Brothers.
American Club Tour
The American Club Tour was the debut concert tour of American boy band Jonas Brothers, launched in support of their debut album, ''It's About Time (Jonas Brothers album) ...
(2021) with
Jonas Brothers
Television appearances
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballerini, Kelsea
1993 births
American women country singers
American country singer-songwriters
American people of Italian descent
Black River Entertainment artists
Country musicians from Tennessee
Country pop musicians
Lipscomb University alumni
Living people
Musicians from Knoxville, Tennessee
Singer-songwriters from Tennessee
People from Knox County, Tennessee
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
Grand Ole Opry members