kelsea ballerini tour london

Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan Give Cowboys Permission to Cry on New Song

• By Kory Grow

Grab your bandana and dry your eyes. A month and a half after Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan duetted “Stick Season” and “Mountain With a View” at the ACMs , they’ve teamed up again for a reflective new song: “Cowboys Cry Too.”

Over an easy tempo, Ballerini sings about how her man is “as stubborn as the weeds in the backyard” because of having a hard time growing up, while Kahan sings about how you can’t outdrive pain. “When he’s showing his skin, letting me in, that’s when he’s toughest to me,” goes the chorus. “I never knew cowboys cry, too.” The pair recorded the vulnerable track with producer/songwriter Alysa Vanderheym.

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Ballerini previously discussed the song with Taste of Country Nights . “I wrote the chorus on my back porch last November,” she said. “And I love the idea of writing the song from a female perspective, kind of tackling toxic masculinity. Then as I was making the whole record and kind of putting the puzzle together, I was like, ‘Man, if we could have a male perspective on this who’s willing to go there and really be emotionally available to write his perspective into the song, that’d be amazing.'”

Ballerini reached out to Kahan by sliding into his DMs, according to Taste of Country . Kahan wrote his part while on tour and they recorded it before teaming up at the ACMs. “He opens his mouth and sings this whole verse and I just was like, ‘Oh, my gosh,'” Ballerini said of her appreciation of Kahan. She added of his lyrics, “If you don’t deal with the things that are living inside of you and your emotions and your traumas and your past and whatever it is, it manifests in your life somehow.”

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• Ballerini, Kelsea
• February 25, 2023 Setlist

Kelsea Ballerini Setlist at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, England

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• Song played from tape Growing Up It Kinda Hurts Like Hell Play Video
• SUBJECT TO CHANGE Play Video
• THE LITTLE THINGS Play Video
• HEARTFIRST Play Video
• Love Me Like You Mean It / Dibs / Yeah Boy Play Video
• Song played from tape LOVE IS A COWBOY INTRO Play Video
• LOVE IS A COWBOY/Cowboy Take Me Away Play Video
• half of my hometown Play Video
• IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO) Play Video
• hole in the bottle Play Video
• YOU’RE DRUNK, GO HOME Play Video
• Homecoming Queen (with Georgia Webster ) Play Video
• Song played from tape What's It Like Living In Space? Play Video
• This Feeling ( The Chainsmokers  cover) ( Shortened, first verse to end of first chorus, acapella) ) Play Video
• UNIVERSE Play Video
• WEATHER Play Video
• Penthouse ( Paused to check on audience member ) Play Video
• Peter Pan Play Video
• I GUESS THEY CALL IT FALLIN’ Play Video
• Leave Me Again ( Live debut ) Play Video
• MUSCLE MEMORY Play Video
• Miss Me More Play Video
• DOIN’ MY BEST Play Video

Edits and Comments

5 activities (last edit by harry198913 , 26 Feb 2023, 22:59 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• DOIN’ MY BEST
• I GUESS THEY CALL IT FALLIN’
• IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO)
• MUSCLE MEMORY
• SUBJECT TO CHANGE
• THE LITTLE THINGS
• YOU’RE DRUNK, GO HOME
• Homecoming Queen
• half of my hometown
• hole in the bottle
• Leave Me Again
• LOVE IS A COWBOY/Cowboy Take Me Away
• Love Me Like You Mean It / Dibs / Yeah Boy
• Miss Me More
• This Feeling by The Chainsmokers

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• Feb 23 2023 Queen Margaret Union Glasgow, Scotland Add time Add time
• Feb 24 2023 O2 Institute Birmingham, England Add time Add time
• Feb 25 2023 O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire This Setlist London, England Add time Add time
• Mar 04 2023 Saturday Night Live New York, NY, USA Add time Add time
• Mar 06 2023 History Toronto, ON, Canada Start time: 8:55 PM 8:55 PM

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I love Kelsea Ballerini so much and it wsas amazing to see her live. She has an incredible voice and her performance was stellar. The interaction with the crowd was great and she just really connected with people. I honestly just wish I could meet her in person.

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Kelsea Ballerini was truly amazing! She has amazing stage energy and it made a perfect night... this was a concert I will never forget. I have been listening to her music for a long time and getting to see her perform them live was an incredible experience.

This concert was absolutely amazing. She put on such a great show and really tried to interact w the crowd taking selfies and Doug lots of covers. Her music is great so fun sassy and entertaining. She was super nice and we got to meet her backstage!!!

GREAT SHOW! Loved watching Levi Hummon, he was so awesome!! And loved the surprise visit from Tori Kelly! Kelsea was absolutely stunning and she was so fun to hang out with!

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Past Events

Here are the most recent UK tour dates we had listed for Kelsea Ballerini. Were you there?

February 2023

• Sat 25 Feb London, O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire Kelsea Ballerini
• Fri 24 Feb Birmingham, O2 Institute Kelsea Ballerini
• Thu 23 Feb Glasgow, Queen Margaret Union Kelsea Ballerini
• Wed 22 Feb Manchester, O2 Ritz Kelsea Ballerini

October 2020

• Fri 16 Oct ➙ Sun 18 Oct Online / Streaming Events Save Our Stages Fest Adam Melchor, Alec Benjamin, Bea Miller, Black Pumas, Brittany Howard…

September 2019

• Sun 15 Sep London, Hyde Park BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park Pet Shop Boys, Westlife, Status Quo, Clean Bandit, Bananarama…
• Fri 9 Mar London, The O2 Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Kelsea Ballerini, Old Dominion
• Fri 9 Mar ➙ Sun 11 Mar Glasgow, The OVO Hydro C2C Country To Country 2018 Little Big Town, Emmylou Harris, Margo Price, Midland (1), Faith Hill…
• Fri 9 Mar ➙ Sun 11 Mar Dublin, 3Arena C2C Country To Country 2018 Kacey Musgraves, Sugarland, Kip Moore, Luke Combs, Little Big Town…
• Thu 11 May London, Under The Bridge Kelsea Ballerini

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Kelsea ballerini, heartfirst uk tour, o2 shepherds bush empire - london.

25 FEBRUARY 2023 - DOORS OPEN: 7:00PM

After touring the U.S. in support of her latest record Subject To Change, singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini has revealed she'll be taking her Heartfirst Tour across to the UK in 2023.

EVENT TIMES

19:00 - 23:00

Country, Pop

O2 Shepherds Bush Empire

Shepherd’s Bush Green London W12 8TT

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Kelsea Ballerini

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Kelsea Ballerini says she is in a ‘good space’ after ‘blowing up her life’ with Morgan Evans divorce

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Kelsea Ballerini insists that she is finally happy, but that it has taken her a lot of work to get there in the wake of her divorce from Morgan Evans.

The US country star, 29, and fellow musician Evans, 37, were married for five years before going their separate ways last November.

On Valentine’s Day, Ballerini dropped candid new EP Rolling Up The Welcome Mat and an accompanying short film about the breakdown of a relationship. It wouldn’t take a mathematician to work out that it was inspired by her split from Morgan, which she described in a recent interview with the Call Her Daddy podcast as “nasty”.

Sitting down with the Standard, Ballerini – who is currently in the UK for a sold-out tour to promote latest album Subject To Change, including a date at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Saturday – was in good spirits.

“I’m happy! I mean that deeply. It has taken me a lot of work to get to this place sitting with you, but I’m in a good space,” she said.

“I think sometimes when you ‘blow up your life’ and I put it in quotes because it’s a lyric on the EP I just released, you get to the other side and you’re like, ‘Oh, that wasn’t… I’m ok’, and so now I’m just kind of figuring out what this new season of my life looks, feels and sounds like.”

It’s a big year for Ballerini both professionally and personally.

Not only did track Heartfirst secure her a third Grammy nomination, she’s co-hosting this year’s CMT Music Awards for the third year in-a-row.

She’s also making her Saturday Night Live debut as the music guest on March 4, where she will be performing songs from her EP for the first time – something she calls both “kismet and exciting”.

There’s also the matter of Ballerini turning 30 this year.

Reflecting on what she wants to achieve as she approaches the milestone, she said: “I think I’m so open right now in my life. For the longest time I was so zoomed in on, ‘Ok, I am a country singer’. Everything revolves around this one facet of my life and I don’t know if it’s with age or like a little bit of success, or maybe a culmination of a lot of things, but I think finally I am asking myself, ‘What else?’

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“I think with a lot of women that I respect and look up to, whether it’s Shania [Twain] or Reese Witherspoon or whoever it is, these women do so many things and have their hands in so many creative outlets and stuff because it makes them happy and it feeds their overall passion, and I think I’m finally asking myself those questions and nothing is off the table anymore.”

Acting is definitely a route that she would like to consider and she’s hoping to put out a second collection of poetry after releasing her first book, Feel Your Way Through: A Book of Poetry, in 2021.

The Dibs hit-maker – who is reportedly in a new relationship with Outer Banks actor Chase Stokes – is bursting with ideas about other things she wants to achieve before hitting the big 3-0.

She said: “I want to host a pool party. I bought a house and it has a pool and I’ve never gotten to host a pool party before.

“I want to start to make another record, but not rush it. I want to go to Hawaii.”

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The summer of gig-tripping: How the travel trend has taken off with Taylor Swift fans

Three Taylor Swift fans share how they saved by seeing the concert in Europe.

If you've noticed an influx of friends, influencers, or colleagues posting travels abroad at concerts -- especially from the hot ticket of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour -- you're not alone.

The trend known as gig tripping -- booking travel to see an artist internationally -- has always been around, but has skyrocketed recently as a way for fans to enjoy shows, in most cases for cheaper prices, with the added perk of exploring a new city and culture.

As Swift's Eras Tour continues dominating across Europe, driving an unprecedented boom in travel bookings to tour cities, concertgoers have shifted from spending on U.S. events to instead catch her abroad.

MORE: Taylor Swift says she is 'swooning' over Travis Kelce's Eras Tour debut: See London photos

In a Skyscanner trends report, the travel agency found that 44% of U.S. travelers would fly short haul to see their favorite artist live, with 18% saying they’d fly long haul. While 50% of U.S. travelers between the ages of 25 to 34 said they have plans to attend a show at home in 2024, 60% said they would consider a singalong overseas instead if it would help them save money.

The travel trend is particularly picking up because it can be a more cost-effective experience overall, with many fans finding cheaper tickets and opting for affordable travel accommodations by booking with airline miles or opting for a no-frills airline with lower fare prices.

26-year-old Swiftie Megan Levi, who's been listening to Taylor Swift since she was a teenager and previously attended Swift's concerts in Dallas, Texas, in 2014 and 2015, opted to find a more affordable option than the U.S. by browsing the European leg of the Eras Tour.

"This year I couldn't get any tickets, couldn't get a presale code and thought, 'why is it so hard?' I was scrolling through international dates and Portugal was available for 350 euros on the floor," Levi told "Good Morning America," which is just over $375 usd, compared to a nosebleed seat in America that she said was priced at $1,000 resale.

"I decided to go by myself and I made into this whole Euro trip," she said. "I flew to Porto for $200 then went to Lisbon to see Taylor and stayed in hostels the whole time -- I paid $38 a night," she said. "I walked into the hostel and it was like all Swifties and we're all there for the same reason, so it was very easy to make friends and you didn't feel like you're alone cause it was so easy to connect."

"I planned everything around Taylor Swift," Levi said of her concert-centric travel plans, which began in Portugal and continued on to Madrid, Paris, and Italy, where she met up with friends.

MORE: Travis Kelce joins Taylor Swift on stage during London Eras Tour stop

European cities like Paris, Portugal, London and more have boasted massive crowds for what Expedia calls the "Taylor tourism effect," reporting their booking interest traffic has increased 65% for cities that are part of the singer's 2024 tour. Searches for Warsaw, Poland, have also increased by 1130%, per Expedia, with bookings tied to her August concert dates.

Economists estimated Swift's concerts in Singapore added around $222 to $296 million to the country's first-quarter GDP, according to Bloomberg .

Another U.S.-based fan Katherine McCall, who lives in New York City, told "GMA" this tour was the perfect opportunity to create lifelong core memories with family.

"We always wanted to do a family euro trip and when we realized we could tie in a Taylor Swift concert with it, it was a no brainer," she said. "It was so much easier and cheaper to get tickets abroad too. We chose Portugal because none of us had been there before and the concert date happened to be over Memorial Day weekend, so it was easy for us to extend time off work and enjoy more time traveling."

McCall's brother, who lives in San Francisco, gifted her ticket as a Christmas gift, but she said it was approximately half the cost of that of a U.S. city for the same floor seats.

"Also beers at the venue were $5 -- that would never happen in the U.S.," she said of the added savings. "It was an amazing experience and it was such a great excuse to travel and bond over live music together as a family. My sister-in-law cried tears of joy the whole show."

Her advice for fellow travelers interested in gig-tripping, "book your accommodations near the venue and allow plenty of time for commuting since you’ll be in a new place."

And it's not just concerts, gig tripping can also be popular for major sporting events like the European Football Championship or the Paris Olympics, with cities seeing notable direct impacts and spikes in hotel, car, train and other travel-related bookings.

How to see Taylor Swift’s tour without breaking the bank

ABC News' Will Ganss hopped across the pond for Swift's London performance at Wembley Stadium for his first-ever gig tripping experience, which he documented for "GMA" and shared some additional insights for any Swifties in search of a similar experience.

"If you can, secure your ticket to the concert before your vacation begins," he advised. "I waited to try to score the best deal on seats, and it was stressful -- I was constantly refreshing StubHub and ViaGogo attempting to score last minute cheap tickets. I ended up paying an amazing price, but it came at the expense of some relaxation, for sure."

Plus, he said that much like Levi, who made fellow American friends in the hostel, "The Swiftie from Minnesota who sold me her extra ticket is now someone I would consider a friend for life!"

"We had such an amazing night at the concert. In fact, my whole row were American Swifties, as were so many people on the tube to and from the show," Ganss recalled. "It was cool bonding over a shared love for music thousands of miles from home."

Ganss added that there's "a special blend of experiencing a brand new city, culture, and cuisine with the added bonus of a shared love of Taylor Swift's music in a foreign place. It feels familiar, yet fun and exciting and new."

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Kelsea Ballerini Gives Cathartic “Penthouse” Performance, Talks Bringing Recent Album to CMA Fest for First Time

by Lauren Boisvert June 25, 2024, 10:39 am

Kelsea Ballerini took the CMA Fest stage a couple of weeks ago, performing from her recent album, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat , for the first time at the country music festival. If you missed the show live, you can catch her cathartic performance of the break-up anthem “Penthouse” on the CMA Fest television special tonight, June 25, at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC.

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Speaking with the crowd at the time, she shared that they were withing ear-shot of the infamous penthouse where she used to live with ex-husband Morgan Evans. However, while the song is abut the actual Nashville penthouse, it’s also a metaphor for a relationship that’s working on the surface, but in turmoil underneath.

Kneeling on the stage, she passionately sang to the audience, I kissed someone new last night / But now I don’t know where you’re sleeping, baby / We got along real nice, until I wanted out, now I know you hate me / One day, the curtain started coming down / We changed the second we were moving out / I guess wrong can look alright / When you’re playing home in a penthouse, baby .

Backed simply by piano, she lit up the stage with the vulnerable song, sharing her emotional journey with the audience who responded in kind. They screamed the raw lyrics back to her, creating a moment between themselves and Ballerini as she poured her heart out.

@laurel.sabadosh Been waiting to see this moment for months ✨ #kelseaballerini #penthouse #cmafest #cma @Kelsea Ballerini ♬ original sound – Laurel Sabadosh

[RELATED: CMA Fest TV Special Performers Announced: Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, More]

Kelsea Ballerini Talks Playing Rolling Up the Welcome Mat for the First Time at CMA Fest

Speaking with CMA Fest backstage after her performance, Kelsea Ballerini spoke at the time about how much she loves the festival, the good vibes on stage, and playing her recent album there for the first time.

First, she opened up about how much she missed CMA Fest, as she was on tour with Kenny Chesney last year and couldn’t play the festival. However, she got her chance to debut her special, emotional album at CMA Fest this year for all the fans in attendance, who matched her energy throughout the performance.

“To be able to bring [Rolling Up the] Welcome Mat to the stage for the first time, and just be in it again with people who love country music the most, [CMA Fest] feels like a huge celebration,” she said.

Ballerini also called Rolling Up the Welcome Mat the “anomaly” of her career. “I feel like I wrote it differently than any other album,” she said. “I had just written my proper 13-song, through the label, A&R record [ Subject to Change ], and then I was quietly going through a very big life change. And I made this record really selfishly, like truly for myself, and didn’t worry about where the songs would fit or if they would work with X, Y, and Z. It was just creative freedom.”

Featured Image by Hunter Berry/Country Music Association

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Kelsea Ballerini Adds New Dates to 2023 US HEARTFIRST Tour

By Maxim Mower

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Although she hasn't yet started the second leg of her US HEARTFIRST tour, which kicks off on March 6, Kelsea Ballerini has extended her 2023 run of shows with newly announced Summer shows.

This third wave of dates will commence on June 16 in Santa Barbara, California, with Kelsea due to make a number of follow-up appearances across the state later in the month.

Kelsea Ballerini recently wrapped up her UK tour, which took her across Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London.

During these shows, the setlist primarily consisted of highlights from Kelsea's much-loved 2022 album, SUBJECT TO CHANGE .

However, the ‘half of my hometown’ hitmaker has also started performing a handful of tracks from her more recent Rolling Up the Welcome Mat EP , such as ‘Penthouse’ and ‘Leave Me Again’.

The vulnerable, revealing project explored the breakdown of Kelsea Ballerini's divorce from fellow country artist, Morgan Evans.

Kelsea confessed on-stage during her final show in London that she never imagined she'd ever play any songs from the EP live.

On March 2, US fans got a taste of what to expect on her upcoming tour dates through her moving rendition of ‘Penthouse’ on the hugely popular TV variety show, Saturday Night Live .

All dates on the recently announced third leg of the HEARTFIRST tour will be support by country prodigy, Georgia Webster, who also opened for Kelsea on all of her UK shows.

For the full list of Kelsea Ballerini's newly added third leg of US tour dates, see below:

16 - Santa Barbara Bowl - Santa Barbara, CA^

17 - The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas - Las Vegas, NV^

20 - Yaamava’ Theatre - Highland, CA^

21 - Fox Theater - Oakland, CA^

24 - Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery - Seattle, WA^

25 - Britt Pavilion - Jacksonville, OR^

27 - Keller Auditorium - Portland, OR^

28 - Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden - Boise, ID^

29 - Sandy Amphitheater - Salt Lake City, UT^

1 - Arizona Financial Theatre - Phoenix, AZ^

Support Key:

^with Georgia Webster

For more on Kelsea Ballerini, see below:

• Kelsea Ballerini 2023 Concert Tour Setlist
• Kelsea Ballerini 2023 Concert Tour: Dates & Tickets
• In Conversation: Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini To Perform ‘Penthouse’ On SNL

Kelsea Ballerini Releases Anti-Valentine's Day Film and EP, ‘Rolling Up the Welcome Mat’

Kelsea Ballerini Unveils Second Leg of Dates for 2023 HEARTFIRST Tour

ESSENTIALS • The Best Kelsea Ballerini Songs

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Kelsea Ballerini is a force of nature, even at the end of a huge tour supporting Lady Antebellum around Europe and the UK.

At her label office in London, she is pure southern charm; funny and down to earth despite a pair of teetering high heels.

“I’ve done Australia a few times and there’s no jet lag quite like that one,” the 24-year-old says, explaining her energy. She’s excited her second album Unapologetically, which was released earlier this month.

“I started writing it the second after I finished the last one, around three and a half years ago. So it’s been this process, to write and then filter through it, figure out what I wanted the album to be about and say.

“I love albums. I think you really get to know an artist by listening to the body of work. I want people to listen to the whole thing. So I thought, I’ve written about my life for years so why don’t I just put it in order? Piecing it together to make this story. Even when I listen to it, I remember feeling a certain way when I was on tour three years ago. It’s going to be so fun to relive that.”

Ballerini sings a different kind of tune to the more cliche country pop that has dominated radio in the past. The album title fits: On Unapologetically she’s confident and upfront, unafraid to say what she wants; a nod to that chapter in her life.

“My first record was called The First Time because it was the first time I did anything – release a record, do a live show, come to London,” she nods. “I loved the sentiment of the second album title. I thought the title track was gonna be some big girl power anthem, and it ended up being a love song! It’s a song about literally just being ‘I don’t care if this doesn’t work, I don’t care what people are gonna say about it… it’s right for me’.

“There’s something really freeing about not caring, and that’s the heart of the record. It’s vulnerable but there’s strength in that. I learned over the last few years to be that way, be unapologetic about who I am as an artist.”

Ballerini might seem unusual because she is as unapologetic in real life as she is on the record. She admits to studying the careers of female artists who dominated the country-pop scene, and doesn’t pay too much attention to country purists who might sneer at her outside influences.

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“I get comments about it a lot. But I think it’s a really cool eclectic time in country music, you can hear Little Big Town who are folk country, Chris Stapleton – soul country, Sam Hunt who’s R&B country, me who’s pop country... You can hear the influences we listen to. I grew up on a farm in east Tennessee and my first concert was Britney Spears , that’s my music.”

“Attitudes are changing, and radio’s been really good to me, Maren [Morris], RaeLynn, Lauren Alaina... this new class of women that I’m in. We all have influences that are outside of country and you can hear it.”

Ballerini is a hip hop fan alongside those pop influences. She grew up dancing (”I can’t dance to save my life,” she guffaws), and thinks this helped her as a songwriter, getting those infectious rhythms into her music.

She’s been songwriting for half her life and is, understandably, quite self-critical. For the second record she was determined to step things up, so while it went relatively unmentioned in the media that she wrote her debut herself, she now wants to grow her reputation as a credible songwriter: “I really want people to know that part of me this time,” she says.

“I feel like the greatest gift we had when we made my first record is that none of us knew what we were doing. None of us had been in the room with a hit writer, I wrote the album with my friends. I was on a new independent label. We were winging it, hard. But I think because of that, I didn’t know. I didn’t know it was hard for a girl to be on the radio. I didn’t have the opportunity to be around people who knew that side of the industry.

“The biggest celebration we had over the last three and a half years was when the first single went to No 1. Obviously I was proud, but for it to be the other three songwriters’ first number one, my producer’s first number one, my label’s first number one, my management’s first number one… we looked at each other and it was like this underdog victory. That’s what made it special.”

On tour she’s been observing Lady Antebellum’s performances from the soundbooth, believing there’s something magical about watching a band that can play 75 minutes of hits, to keep people engaged for so long. “I want to soak that up,” she says.

Watching the trajectories of four major female artists – Taylor Swift , Shania Twain, Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson – she’s found elements of their careers that she’s fascinated by.

“Kelly is incredibly normal,” she praises. “I can’t be in a room with her because I’m too much of a fangirl, but I remember I went to her show when I was 14, the air conditioning was out and it was boiling. She was onstage, sounding incredible, she finishes a song and goes: ‘Woo! If y’all could smell me right now, you wouldn’t be here.’ And I was like, ‘she’s a person!’

“Often there’s this disconnect when someone’s onstage, and in that moment with Kelly, she was right there with the fans.”

Ballerini was one of the artists performing at the iHeartRadio music festival in Las Vegas, which took place just one week before the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest event.

Posting on her social media accounts after the tragedy, she pledged to try and make people smile in the wake of an event sparked marred by hatred.

“Obviously any time something like that happens you can’t get your head around it, because you shouldn’t have to,” she says now. “But this time, for the music community it was so close to home… it was sad, that’s all I can think of. How now every time we go on stage, part of us is gonna wonder.

“Even as a fan, when I go to shows, there’s something magical and unexplainable about that connection of singing a song together. That’s why people show up for concerts. To have someone take that away… So it’s up to us as country music artists to keep going.”

Unapologetically, the new album from Kelsea Ballerini, is out now via Black River/Sony Music. She plays C2C in London, Dublin and Glasgow in 2018 – tickets here

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Kelsea Ballerini

Country singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini has created hit songs such as “Peter Pan” and “Love Me Like You Mean It.”

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1993-present

Latest News: Kelsea Ballerini Is Joining The Voice as a Coach

Ballerini is no stranger to the popular reality program, previously appearing as a battle advisor, fill-in mentor for her music idol Kelly Clarkson , and the first coach for eliminated contestants on the show’s “Comeback Stage.” The “Peter Pan” and “Miss Me More” singer will join Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine , crooner Michael Bublé , and R&B star John Legend as a team leader.

Quick Facts

Where is kelsea ballerini from, music career, tv shows: the voice and more, boyfriend chase stokes and ex-husband, who is kelsea ballerini.

Grammy-nominated country singer Kelsea Ballerini is known for songs such as “Peter Pan,” “Love Me Like You Mean It,” and “Dibs.” Born and raised in the country hotbed of Tennessee, Ballerini moved to Nashville as a teenager in the hope of beginning a music career. She signed with the Black River Entertainment label at age 19 and achieved immediate success with her debut album, The First Time , from 2015. Her songs often contain personal lyrics and a mix of country and pop influences. Ballerini has announced she will release her seventh album later in 2024.

FULL NAME: Kelsea Nicole Ballerini BORN: September 12, 1993 BIRTHPLACE: Mascot, Tennessee SPOUSE: Morgan Evans (2017-2022) ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Virgo

Kelsea Nicole Ballerini was born on September 12, 1993, in Mascot, Tennessee, and raised in nearby Knoxville. She is the only child of Ed Ballerini, who worked as a sales manager for a radio station in the city, and Carla Denham, a marketing professional in the publishing industry.

Ballerini described her childhood as “very Southern,” complete with “church on Sunday, a big family, [and] fried chicken.” She and her parents shared a rural plot of land with other family members, as well as three cows and a goat.

Ballerini showed an interest in the arts from a young age. She took dance lessons for 10 years, earning the alliterative nickname “Ballerini the Ballerina,” and competed for a local hip-hop dance team. She also participated in her church’s choir and glee club. Kelsea wrote her first song as a gift to her mom, Carla, after forgetting to get her a present for Mother’s Day.

At age 12, Ballerini grappled with her parents’ divorce. She began suffering from bulimia around this time, also taking diet pills and working out excessively. She eventually sought help for her eating disorder at age 18 after passing out several times. “I think, for me, it was a source of control,” she said in a 2021 interview with People . “There are still days where I revert back to being that 12-year-old, and I have to catch myself and hold myself accountable to the work I’ve done.”

In the meantime, Ballerini had her first meeting with a Nashville record label at age 14, though she was rejected and bluntly told she sounded too similar to Taylor Swift . She and her mother moved to the city soon after. Kelsea graduated from Centennial High School in the suburb of Franklin, Tennessee, and attended Lipscomb University starting in 2011.

Although she grew up in the epicenter of country music, Ballerini initially found inspiration in primarily pop artists. Britney Spears , *NSYNC , Shania Twain , and Kelly Clarkson were among her early idols. She has called Clarkson her favorite artist of all time: “I think that she’s the best vocalist in the whole world, but my favorite is watching her interviews because she’s so 200 percent herself,” she told Billboard in 2016.

Hoping to make it big like Clarkson, Ballerini continued to pursue music while at Lipscomb University, which is located in Nashville, and performed in variety shows. She reached an agreement with her mother that she would drop out of college if she caught her big break in music. That finally came in 2013, when Black River Entertainment signed the 19-year-old and added her to its artist roster. Next came making her breakout first album.

Early Albums: The First Time and Unapologetically

Ballerini showed she would be a force from the start with her debut studio record The First Time , released in May 2015. She became the first female country artist to have her first three singles—“Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs,” and “Peter Pan”—from an introductory album all reach No. 1 on Billboard ’s Country Airplay chart. “Peter Pan” is also her only song to date to reach No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Off the now-platinum-certified album’s success, Ballerini was named New Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2016 ACM Awards. She also embarked on her first headlining tour later that year and received a nomination for Best New Artist at the subsequent Grammy Awards , ultimately losing to Chance the Rapper .

Further success arrived with her second studio album Unapologetically in November 2017 and its singles “Miss Me More” and “Legends.” The latter became the singer’s fourth No. 1 Country Airplay hit, and the album peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, showcasing Ballerini’s crossover appeal.

More accolades poured in, as Ballerini received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album. Then in April 2019, she officially became a member of the Grand Ole Opry—the youngest in the organization’s history at age 25—with Carrie Underwood overseeing her induction. The singer was now a bona fide country star.

Recent Work: Rolling Up the Welcome Mat

Other singers began lining up to work with Ballerini, who collaborated with both Kenny Chesney and Halsey for her 2020 self-titled album Kelsea . She also released an accompanying album Ballerini , featuring alternate versions of songs from Kelsea , later that year. In 2021, Ballerini, a self-professed Jonas Brothers fan, fulfilled a personal dream by performing as an opener on the group’s Remember This Tour.

In September 2022, she released the album Subject to Change , spawning the popular single “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too).” The song about a close-knit female friendship was inspired by the 1991 Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon movie Thelma & Louise , as well as the singer’s relationship with her own pals amid her divorce from her ex-husband, Morgan Evans. “Sometimes, you put out a single because you think it’s the most radio-friendly, and sometimes you put out a single because it’s actually reflective of where you’re at in your life. And then sometimes, both things can be true,” she told Billboard .

Her breakup with Evans also served as the primary influence for her February 2023 EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat , which became Ballerini’s sixth album to reach the Top 20 on the Top Country Albums chart. Led by the single “Blindsided,” the project was nominated for Album of the Year at the CMA Awards and ACM Awards in 2023 and earned Ballerini her fourth Grammy nomination, for Best Country Album, the following year.

Ballerini has stayed busy outside the studio, as well. She embarked on her multi-leg Heartfirst Tour in 2022 and sold out her first headlining major arena show in Knoxville the following year. She also joined Chesney for his I Go Back 2023 Tour.

The singer has teased a new album due out later this year. “It’ll be worth the wait. It’s something I’m really proud of,” she has said of the currently unnamed project.

Ballerini’s songs have proven immensely popular on country music charts, even as her work largely hasn’t struck a chord in the mainstream. (Her biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 is “Peter Pan,” which peaked at No. 35.) Peaking in June 2015, “Love Me Like You Mean It” was the first of her seven singles that have become Top 10 Hot Country Songs. Those are:

• “Love Me Like You Mean It”
• “Peter Pan”
• “Miss Me More”
• “Hole in the Bottle”

Additionally, Ballerini is credited with five No. 1 Country Airplay songs. They include “Half of My Hometown,” a 2020 collaboration with Kenny Chesney , as well as the first four tracks listed above. When “Love Me Like You Mean It” reached the top spot in July 2015, Ballerini became the first female artist since Carrie Underwood to accomplish the feat with her debut single.

“The coolest thing about that is I remember when ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ came out, and how impactful that was not only to country music but to me,” she told the Argus Leader , referencing Underwood’s 2005 hit. “To watch her career since then… makes me just want to keep going.”

Ballerini has appeared as a guest on numerous TV shows, including the drama series Nashville in 2016, Songland in 2019, and the children’s staple Sesame Street in 2021. She also performed her singles “Blindsided” and “Penthouse” during a March 2023 episode of Saturday Night Live .

Ballerini hosted the CMT Music Awards from 2021 through 2024, emceeing three times with Kane Brown and once solo. She notably used the platform to show her support for the LGBTQ community, performing with drag queens from the reality series RuPaul ’s Drag Race in 2023. “I love performance, and I love self-expression, and I love inclusivity,” she told Entertainment Tonight .

Starting in spring 2025, the singer will serve as a celebrity coach for the NBC reality competition The Voice alongside John Legend , Michael Bublé , and Adam Levine .

Ballerini is also a published author. Her book, Feel Your Way Through: A Book of Poetry , released in 2021.

Ballerini is currently dating actor Chase Stokes, known for his role as John Booker Routledge, or simply John B., on the Netflix drama Outer Banks . Stokes first confirmed their relationship during a March 2023 appearance on Today .

The pair were first spotted together earlier that year in January. Ballerini revealed during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast that she reached out to Stokes through an Instagram message. “I was ready to open back up [after my divorce]… I just felt, why not? I’ve never really dated; I don’t know how it works,” she said . “I’ve never seen his show, but I just knew of him, and I just swan dove right on in.”

Ballerini and Stokes made their red carpet debut at the CMT Music Awards in April 2023 and have attended multiple events together, most recently the 2024 Met Gala in New York City. They frequently post updates from their life on social media.

Prior to connecting with Stokes, Ballerini was married to Australian singer Morgan Evans. They wed in December 2017 but announced their separation in August 2022. The couple officially divorced that November.

Ballerini later said their relationship fractured over their opposing views on starting a family. “He was like, ‘I don’t want to be an old dad,’ is what he kept saying. And I was like, ‘I’m not there yet, and I can’t do that to save this and give you something that I’m not ready for,’” Ballerini said .

Celebrity Net Worth estimates Ballerini’s total fortune at around $6 million.

• Songwriting is the most selfish part of what I do. I write songs for me. I do it to process my life—the good, the bad, the complex, the ugly, the pretty, all of it.
• I never want to get to a point where I’m dishonoring each stage that I get to be on, because I’m so, so happy that I get to be on it.
• I wish I could change a lot of things. But I can just change myself and the community around me. And I am making sure that my intentions are good and pure.
• I think we live in a culture where sadness is commendable, because it’s relatable. And happiness is something that people kind of don’t want to see anymore from people. And one thing that I’m personally working on is just, when I’m happy, doing it completely—like uninhibited—and when I’m sad, feeling that as well, the fullness of that.

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Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams.

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Kelsea Ballerini Releases New Single ‘Cowboys Cry Too’ Featuring Noah Kahan

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Kelsea Ballerini is back in the saddle.

The country music star, 30, has turned the page to a new chapter in her career today, beginning with her new single, “Cowboys Cry Too,” featuring Noah Kahan . The emotional new release comes just weeks after Ballerini subtly announced her upcoming album via Instagram.

“Album: recorded mind: lost dibs: unimpressed,” the singer captioned a collection of photos and videos of her in the recording studio. The upcoming LP is her fifth studio album and follows her 2022 release, Subject to Change .

The new single with Kahan, 27, is an emotional ballad combating the culture of toxic masculinity. Singing from two perspectives of a man and woman, Ballerini and Kahan address the struggles of living “in a world that says ‘saddle up and be a man.’”

“When he’s showing his skin, letting me in, that’s when he’s toughest to me,” Ballerini says in the chorus. “I never knew cowboys cry too.”

All of Kelsea Ballerini’s Looks at the 2024 CMT Music Awards

The release comes almost two months after the stars joined forces on the stage of the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards, where they collaborated by singing her 2023 single “Mountain With a View” and Kahan’s 2022 hit “Stick Season.”

Kahan teased the new song ahead of its release, posting a sneak peek of his verse on the single via Instagram on Wednesday, June 27. “This entire verse is just❤️‍🩹🥺," Ballerini commented. “Can’t wait for y’all to hear it.

Ballerini has been hinting at new music since January. The single is her first release since her 2023 EP, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat . The singer’s boyfriend, Outer Banks star Chase Stokes , has also been sharing his support for her new tunes. The actor replied in the comments section of Ballerini's Instagram announcement saying, “Ooooh yes. The teases of teases. I can’t wait I can’t wait.”

Breaking Down Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes’ Relationship Timeline

The couple was first linked in January 2023 after Ballerini’s split from ex-husband Morgan Evans in August 2022. Ballerini confirmed her relationship with Stokes, 31, in February 2023, and the duo made their red carpet debut in April 2023 at the CMT Music Awards in Austin, Texas.

Ballerini has been open about her new phase of life in the years following her divorce. Now with a new relationship, a new gig as a coach on NBC’s The Voice  and new music on the way, the country singer is reminding fans “this ain’t [her] first rodeo.”

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Gracie Abrams Says Taylor Swift ‘Saved the Building’ When She Put Out Apartment Fire

The singer performed songs from her new album The Secret of Us on TODAY .

By Hannah Dailey

Hannah Dailey

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Gracie Abrams is living out every Swiftie’s wildest dreams, having gone from childhood fan to Eras Tour opener to close friends with Taylor Swift herself. With that in mind, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter can say from firsthand experience that the pop superstar is just as great a pal as she is an idol.

Will It Be Taylor Swift vs. Bestie Gracie Abrams for No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Next Week?

Trending on billboard.

“Us” appears on Abrams’ sophomore studio album The Secret of Us , which dropped one week prior to her TODAY appearance. The project is currently challenging Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department for the No. 1 spot on next week’s Billboard 200 , where the “Anti-Hero” singer’s LP has reigned for nine consecutive weeks.

During her time on the Today Plaza stage, the California native also performed new song “Blowing Smoke” and older fan favorite “I Miss You, I’m Sorry.” Plus, she got the chance to interact with ecstatic fans in the audience, gifting one tearful person — who just so happened to be graduating that day as their school’s valedictorian — free tickets to her Radio City Music Hall concert later this year.

See clips of Abrams on TODAY below.

"She's as extraordinary a friend and mentor as she is an artist and a writer." Gracie Abrams speaks on TODAY about her friendship with Taylor Swift, details the night of the fire at Taylor’s apartment from going to dinner to writing “us.” and more! pic.twitter.com/cJVyXJuTen — TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 28, 2024

imagine gracie abrams telling you this just a few hours before you give your valedictorian graduation speech 😭 congrats, ava!! Sponsored by Citi. @gracieabrams #citiconcertseries pic.twitter.com/5G4gYz8LD9 — TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 28, 2024

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Morgan Wallen Hit in the Face With Fan’s Thong During Concert

Singer morgan wallen was hit in the face after a fan threw their thong onto the stage during his concert in minneapolis, minn., june 21..

Morgan Wallen has been pelted with a pair of panties. 

During his One Night at a Time tour show in Minneapolis, Minn., June 21, the "Last Night" singer was hit in the face by a fan's thong after it was thrown onto the stage. 

As the country star sang "I Had Some Help"—his latest collaborative project with Post Malone —he leaned down to one side of the catwalk before the underwear was flung into his face. The 31-year-old quickly recovered, grabbing the thong off his face and smirking briefly before turning to the opposite side of the stage. 

While Morgan, who wore a pair of skinny jeans, black cowboy boots, a black button up shirt and a trucker's hat during his June 21 performance, was not hurt by the flying undergarment, he quickly tossed them back off the stage before ascending back up the catwalk to finish his song. 

The fiasco happened just before the midpoint of the concert, and Morgan was able to continue performing without much interruption.

However, flying objects thrown onto stages has been an issue for performers for many years—with Steve Lacy , Harry Styles , Ariana Grande and many others having their fair share of objects flung onstage during their shows. Bebe Rexha , who was hit with a fan's phone last July, even suffered from a black eye following the disruption. 

After being charged with assault, the 27-year-old who threw his phone at the "Meant To Be" singer stated through a lawyer that it was "never his intention" to hurt Bebe, only to get her to take some photos on his device. Even so, some musicians including   Taylor Swift , have spoken out against the popular fan gesture—citing the harm it can cause whether they are hit or not.

"It really freaks me out when stuff gets thrown on the stage, because if it's on the stage then a dancer can trip on it," Taylor explained during an Eras Tour concert in November after an object landed near her piano while performing. "I love that you brought presents and that is so nice, but just can you please not throw them on the stage. I love you so much."

Keep reading for more artists' reactions to getting hit with objects on stage.

The Jonas Brothers member had to send out an S.O.S and ask fans to stop throwing things on stage after two bracelets almost hit him at a California stop on the group's tour. 

In case it wasn't clear, Cardi B does not like it like that. When a front row patron splashed their drink on the performer mid-set at Drai's Beachclub in Las Vegas July 29, she responded by throwing her microphone .  The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement that an unidentified woman reported a battery case the day after the concert, but noted no arrest or citations have been issued. On Aug. 3, Cardi's lawyers told TMZ that police informed them no chargers would be filed against the singer.

Baby, Bebe Rexha is gonna have the best f--kin' night of her life no matter what happens. Struck in the face when a man at her June show in NYC threw a phone, she later posted a photo of her injured eye, writing , "Im good." Todd A Spodek , a lawyer for Nicolas Malvagna , who was arrested and charged with assault, told TMZ , "As a fan, Mr. Malvagna's sole intention was to have Ms. Rexha take photos with his phone, and return it as a keepsake. It was never his intention to injure Ms. Rehxa."

Kelsea Ballerini didn't find it all that charming when someone tossed jewelry up on stage during a June performance in Idaho . "Someone threw a bracelet, it hit me in the eyes," she wrote on Instagram Stories days later, "and it more so just scared me than hurt me."

Listen, she's not that sweet. Ava Max had words for the man who assaulted her during an L.A. performance this past June. "He slapped me so hard that he scratched the inside of my eye," the "Sweet but Psycho" singer wrote on Twitter . "He's never coming to a show again."

Pink thought the fan who randomly passed her a wheel of Brie while she was singing at at the British Summer Time Festival in London this past June was kinda grate. "What the f--k," the musician said, as she reached for the dairy. "I wanna kiss you on the mouth." But just give us a reason for why another fan tossed a bag of ashes the very next day. "This is your mom?" the "What About Us" singer asked. "I don't know how to feel about this."

A sign of the times? Harry Styles had to get away from numerous flying objects during his recently wrapped Love on Tour , including, inexplicably, a handful of Skittles  at a 2022 show in Los Angeles. A rep for the taste the rainbow brand later tweeted , "Didn't think I needed to say this: Please don't throw Skittles."

What a boob. As Billie Eilish sang "Lost Cause" at a February 2022 show, one fan tossed a set of false boobs  at her. But proving that she's, uh, breast under pressure, the seven-time Grammy winner flung them back into the crowd and kept going. 

Uh, guys, he warned you. Moments after Kid Cudi told the crowd at his 2022 Rolling Loud set , "Yo, I'm going to walk off this stage, if y'all throw one more f--king thing up here, I will leave," he was pegged with yet another object. So he left. 

Arianators were left feeling sour after Ariana Grande was beaned with a lemon while headlining Coachella in 2019. And though the singer was definitely not so into it, into it, into it, she brushed off the fruit, telling the crowd, "One of ya'll threw a lemon at me, s--t."

10 Kelsea Ballerini Tour Dates Added For Fall 2023

Gearing up for a much-anticipated return to the road, two-time GRAMMY® Award nominated and multiple ACM and CMA Award winning multiplatinum songwriter, producer and author Kelsea Ballerini will embark on the intimate HEARTFIRST TOUR for 10 Nights Only in the fall.

This exclusive headline jaunt launches on September 24 th when she tops the marquee at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY. As part of this exclusive run, she’ll grace the stage of the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on October 6 th and visit major markets coast-to-coast. Check out the full confirmed itinerary for the HEARTFIRST TOUR 10 Nights Only below.

Pre-sale starts Tuesday July 26 th at 10AM local time. Sign up for early access to tickets at heartfirsttour.com . The Spotify presale follows on Wednesday July 27 th at 10am local time. Local and AEG presales commence on Thursday July 28 at 10am local time. Public on-sale goes live on Friday July 29 th at 10am local time.

Additionally, these dates will be the first in support of Kelsea’s eagerly awaited fourth studio album, and one of the year’s most anticipated country releases, SUBJECT TO CHANGE . Set to debut on September 23, 2022 , SUBJECT TO CHANGE is available for pre-order/pre-save/pre-add HERE with exclusive merchandise dropping at her official store HERE .

Kelsea Ballerini Tour 2024 | Events & Tickets

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