Kelsea Ballerini facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kelsea Ballerini
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Ballerini performing in September 2021
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| Birth name | Kelsea Nicole Ballerini |
| Born | September 12, 1993 Mascot, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Origin | Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | Black River |
Kelsea Nicole Ballerini (born September 12, 1993) is an American singer and songwriter. She is known for her country and pop music. Kelsea has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. She has also won special awards like the Gene Weed Milestone Award and the Rising Star Award.
Kelsea started writing songs when she was a child. She signed with Black River Entertainment in 2014. Her first album, The First Time, came out in 2015. Her second album, Unapologetically, followed in 2017. These albums had many popular songs. She has five number-one songs on the Country Airplay chart. Her first song, "Love Me Like You Mean It", made her the first female artist since Carrie Underwood in 2006 to have a debut song reach number one. Her next two songs, "Dibs" and "Peter Pan", also hit number one. This made her the first female country artist since Wynonna Judd to have her first three songs reach the top.
Her third album, Kelsea, and an acoustic version, Ballerini, were both released in 2020. Her song "Half of My Hometown" with Kenny Chesney won two Country Music Association Awards. Her fourth album, Subject to Change, was released in 2022. She then released an EP called Rolling Up the Welcome Mat in 2023. Her fifth album, Patterns, came out in late 2024.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Kelsea Ballerini was born in Mascot, Tennessee. She is an only child. Her parents are Ed and Carla Ballerini. Kelsea grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her family background includes Italian, German, and Scottish roots.
Her father, Ed, was a sales manager at a country radio station. Her mother, Carla, worked in marketing. Kelsea started dance lessons at age three. She stopped dancing ten years later. She also sang in church and school choirs. Kelsea wrote her first song for her mom when she was 12. She moved to Nashville at 15. Kelsea went to Central High School and Centennial High School. She also studied at Lipscomb University for two years. Then, she decided to focus on her music career.
Kelsea's Music Journey
2014–2016: First Songs and Albums
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At 19, Kelsea Ballerini signed a music deal. It was with Black River Entertainment. In late 2014, she released her first song, "Love Me Like You Mean It". It quickly appeared on the Country Airplay chart. She also released a short album called an extended play (EP).
In 2014, CMT named her one of their Next Women of Country. She performed at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time in February 2015. Her debut album, The First Time, came out in May 2015. "Love Me Like You Mean It" reached number one in July 2015. This made Kelsea the first solo female country artist since Carrie Underwood in 2006 to have her first song hit number one.
Kelsea also became one of only five female country artists to have their first two songs reach number one. Her second song, "Dibs", also topped the Country Airplay chart. The third song from the album was "Peter Pan". It was released in March 2016. "Peter Pan" reached number one on two country charts. This made Kelsea the first solo female country artist to top both charts at the same time. She was also the first female to send her first three songs to number one since Wynonna Judd in 1992. The album's fourth song, "Yeah Boy", was released in October 2016.
2017–2019: Unapologetically and New Roles
In 2017, Kelsea was featured on Forbes' "30 Under 30" music list. She received two Academy of Country Music Award nominations. These were for Female Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year. In June 2017, she released "Legends". This was the first song from her second album. Her second album, Unapologetically, came out in November. It reached number three on the Billboard Top Country Album Chart. It also hit number seven on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. This made it her highest-charting album at the time.
The second song from the album, "I Hate Love Songs", was released in March 2018. In September 2018, Kelsea announced a deluxe version of the album. It included four new songs. She also sang on "This Feeling" with The Chainsmokers. They performed this song at the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. The last song from Unapologetically was "Miss Me More". It was released in October 2018. Kelsea also sang on her husband Morgan Evans' song "Dance With Me."
Kelsea joined The Voice as a coach for its 15th season. She coached contestants who didn't get a chair turn. In December 2018, Unapologetically was nominated for a Best Country Album Grammy.
In March 2019, Little Big Town invited Kelsea to join the Grand Ole Opry. She officially became a member on April 16, 2019. Carrie Underwood inducted her. Kelsea went on the Miss Me More Tour in 2019. The tour was very successful. In June 2019, Kelsea was a guest on the show Songland. She released the song "Better Luck Next Time."
2019–2021: Kelsea and Ballerini Albums
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In July 2019, Kelsea shared that her third album was finished. On September 6, 2019, she released the first song from it, "Homecoming Queen?" This song had her highest debut on the Country Airplay chart. In November, she released "Club" as a promotional song.
On January 20, 2020, Kelsea announced her third album would be self-titled, Kelsea. It was released on March 20, 2020. She also released another song, "LA". On February 28, she released "Hole in the Bottle". She also shared the full list of songs for Kelsea. It included "Half of My Hometown" with Kenny Chesney and "The Other Girl" with Halsey.
On September 2, Kelsea announced a companion album to Kelsea. It was called Ballerini. This album featured acoustic versions of the songs. It was released on September 11, 2020. She said Ballerini was "emotional, vulnerable and soft." She felt Kelsea showed her "bold and effervescent" side. Both albums could be bought together physically at Target.
In 2021, Kelsea filled in for Kelly Clarkson as a coach on The Voice. She co-hosted the 2021 CMT Music Awards with Kane Brown. She won an award there for CMT Performance of the Year. In May, it was announced she would open for the Jonas Brothers' Remember This tour. Her first poetry book, Feel Your Way Through, came out on November 16, 2021.
2022–2024: Subject to Change and Rolling Up the Welcome Mat
In March 2022, Kelsea announced her song "Heartfirst". It was released on April 8, 2022. This song was the first from her fourth album, Subject to Change. She performed "Heartfirst" for the first time while co-hosting the 2022 CMT Music Awards. The music video for the song came out on July 7, 2022. On July 15, 2022, she released "Love is a Cowboy" as a promotional song.
The album Subject to Change was released on September 23, 2022. In November 2022, "Heartfirst" was nominated for a Grammy Award. On December 5, 2022, "If You Go Down (I'm Goin' Down Too)" was released as the album's second song. On February 13, 2023, Kelsea announced her short film and EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. It was released the next day. She performed songs from the EP on Saturday Night Live.
2024–Present: Patterns and Acting Debut
On June 28, 2024, Kelsea released "Cowboys Cry Too". This was a song with folk-pop singer-songwriter Noah Kahan. It was the first song from her fifth album. On August 8, 2024, she announced her fifth album would be called Patterns. She also said the song "Sorry Mom" would be released the next day. The album came out on October 25, 2024.
In September 2024, it was announced that Kelsea would act in a TV series. She will have a guest role on the ABC show Doctor Odyssey. In February 2025, Kelsea started as a coach on the 27th season of The Voice.
Musical Influences
Kelsea Ballerini has been inspired by both pop and country music. She grew up listening to pop music. She mentioned artists like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, NSYNC, and Hilary Duff. Kelsea also said Justin Bieber was an early pop inspiration.
She discovered country music after hearing "Stupid Boy" by Keith Urban. After that, she listened to albums by Taylor Swift, Sugarland, and Dixie Chicks. Kelsea credits Taylor Swift's first album for introducing her to country music. She also says Shania Twain is her biggest influence. Kelsea has performed songs by Alison Krauss. She sang "Ghost in This House" with Krauss in 2018.
Personal Life
In March 2016, Kelsea started dating Australian country singer Morgan Evans. They got engaged on Christmas Day 2016. They married on December 2, 2017, in Mexico. On August 29, 2022, Kelsea announced that she and Morgan were getting divorced. Their divorce was finalized on November 15, 2022.
In February 2023, it was confirmed that Kelsea was dating actor Chase Stokes. He is known from the TV series Outer Banks. They reportedly started dating in January 2023.
Kelsea attended Central High School in Knoxville. She was at the school during a shooting incident in 2008. She has shared that she experiences post-traumatic stress disorder because of this event.
Discography
Studio Albums
- The First Time (2015)
- Unapologetically (2017)
- Kelsea (2020)
- Subject to Change (2022)
- Patterns (2024)
Tours
Headlining Tours
- The First Time Tour (2016)
- The Unapologetically Tour (2018)
- The Miss Me More Tour (2019)
- Heartfirst Tour (2022–2023)
- Kelsea Ballerini - Live On Tour (2025)
Supporting Tours
- Wheels Up Tour (2015) with Lady A
- Just the Right Kind of Crazy Tour (2015) with Dan + Shay
- Rhythm and Roots Tour (2016) with Rascal Flatts
- Home Team Tour (2017) with Thomas Rhett
- You Look Good World Tour (2017) with Lady A
- Graffiti U World Tour (2018) with Keith Urban
- Meaning of Life Tour (2019) with Kelly Clarkson
- Remember This Tour (2021) with Jonas Brothers
- The Final Tour (2023) with The Judds
- I Go Back Tour (2023) with Kenny Chesney
Television Appearances
Kelsea Ballerini has appeared on many TV shows:
- 2015: Southern Charm (Herself)
- 2016: Greatest Hits (Co-host with Arsenio Hall)
- 2016: CMC Awards 2016 (Co-host with Morgan Evans)
- 2017–2019: CMA Music Festival: Country's Night To Rock (Co-host with Thomas Rhett)
- 2018: The Voice (The Comeback Stage Coach)
- 2018: Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (Performer)
- 2018: Hell's Kitchen (VIP guest)
- 2019: The Voice (Team Kelly Battle Advisor)
- 2019: Songland (Guest)
- 2019: Trisha's Southern Kitchen (Guest)
- 2019: Brad Paisley Thinks He's Special (Guest)
- 2020: CMT Crossroads (Herself with Halsey)
- 2020: #KidsTogether: The Nickelodeon Town Hall (Herself)
- 2021: The Voice (Guest coach for Kelly Clarkson)
- 2021: Sesame Street (Herself)
- 2021–present: CMT Music Awards (Host)
- 2023: Saturday Night Live (Musical guest)
- 2023: That's My Jam (Musical guest)
- 2023: Superfan (Herself)
- 2024: RuPaul's Drag Race (Guest Judge)
- 2024: Doctor Odyssey (Guest role as Lisa)
- 2025: The Voice (Coach for Season 27)
Awards and Nominations
Kelsea Ballerini has received many awards and nominations throughout her career. Here are some of her notable achievements:
- She won the New Female Vocalist of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2016.
- In 2017, she received the Gene Weed Milestone Award from the Academy of Country Music.
- She won the Rising Star award at the Billboard Women in Music event in 2015.
- At the Country Music Association Awards in 2021, her song "Half of My Hometown" with Kenny Chesney won Musical Event of the Year and Video of the Year.
- She won CMT Performance of the Year at the 2021 CMT Music Awards for "The Other Girl" with Halsey.
- Kelsea has won multiple iHeartRadio Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best New Country Artist in 2017.
- She has also won several Radio Disney Music Awards for Country Favorite Artist and Country Favorite Song.
See also
In Spanish: Kelsea Ballerini para niños
