Her authenticity shines through her songs, each one more catchy and relatable than the next.
Ballerini’s 2015 debut album,The First Time, spawned three No.
1 singles onBillboard’s country airplay chart.
Let’s take a look at Kelsea Ballerini’s journey to becoming country music’s sweetheart.
Back then, she’d write songs about a boy she thought was cute.
I want to be a voice of comfort for people going through that," Ballerini said.
She noted, “And I love my parents; I have the coolest parents ever.
separately,” adding, “So it’s not a knock on parents and their choices.
As a teen, Ballerini attended a show on Clarkson’s “Behind These Hazel Eyes” tour.
And I looked up and the eyes winked.
She added, “I swear, true story.”
That was around the time that a young Taylor Swift was establishing herself as country-pop’s princess.
Like Swift, Ballerini was a spunky blonde singer-songwriter who played guitar.
Speaking to theChicago Tribune, Ballerini said rejection was a tough pill to swallow.
“I walked in, and I had my big, pink, sparkly guitar case.
That slot’s taken.'”
“He was right,” she added.
Those early years in Nashville taught Ballerini another valuable lesson.
She’s humble, she’s talented, she writes.
So, I admire that.”
Ballerini revealed toVarietythat she was surprised by the warm welcome.
I’m still super-new and aware that my platform is not big compared to those artists."
1 hits(including “Peter Pan” and “Dibs”).
But Ballerini didn’t want to just write and perform songs.
It was the first time in Grammys history that two female country music artists were honored in that category.
For Ballerini, this achievement was for female country artists everywhere.
In 2017, Ballerini toldVarietyshe reflected on the last two years of her life to writeUnapologetically.
So yeah, we tried to self-sabotage.
We just did two years in two weeks.'"
The couple tied the knot the following year with an intimate beach ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Ballerini has always placed her hometown high on her priority list.
In 2016, she brought her “The First Time” tour to Knoxville (viaCMT News).
During her 2019 performance, Ballerini took a minute in between songs to thank her fans.
“Thank you.”
She even shines a light on her hometown in her music.
Talking withIndependent, Ballerini said she wroteThe First Timewith friends.
I was on a new independent label.
We were winging it, hard."
Ballerini toldThe Tennesseanshe didn’t expect to earn the honor this early in her career, if at all.
Ballerini wrote this response in the Instagram caption: “Middle school was really hard for me too.
She added, “It will make you stronger and full of grace.”
We can’t wait to hear what she comes up with next!
