Kelsea Ballerini Hints At New Music And Acting Ventures After Career-Defining Year

Kelsea Ballerini unexpectedly experienced one of the most successful moments of her career thus far in 2023 when she released Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, an extremely personal and heartfelt project that documented the demise of her marriage, her divorce, and the first stages of the healing process that came shortly after. 

This project was recognized with Album of the Year nominations at the ACM and CMA Awards as well as Best Country Album at the GRAMMY Awards. 

Now, Ballerini is preparing to start a new musical chapter, using the lessons learned from the success of Rolling Up The Welcome Mat to inspire her upcoming work.

“It’s been the most freeing chapter of writing music. It really has. I think with ‘Welcome Mat,’ I never really, I didn’t think about it. I wrote it for me really, selfishly, and I put it out just in case anyone else had experienced something like that. And it’s changed my life in every way,” Ballerini told Music Mayhem this week at the Musicians On Call Anthems of Healing celebration. “And so I think because of that, I’ve gone back and I’ve kind of analyzed it without the emotion and attachment to it and gone like, ‘Okay, well why did this work like this?’ And I realized it was just detail of truth-telling and not being scared to go a couple layers deeper.” 

The East Tennessee native’s main takeaway from her latest release was the deep connection people felt with the songs due to their personal nature. She says this inspired her to embrace sharing personal stories through her music.

“I think I’ve always rounded the edges on songs. I want it to be for everyone. I want it to feel like it’s for you and for Chip and for Kelly. I want it to be for everyone,” she pointed out. “And I realized that actually the way that it feels more relatable is when it feels more personal. And so that challenge in this really different season of my life, it’s really sharpened my songwriting and I finally feel truly in the last month and a half, like I am ready to follow it up. I am.”

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When asked about the timeline for the release of new music, Ballerini playfully responded,  “Soon. We’re in mixing.” 

Along with teasing new music on social media, the award-winning artist has hinted at another project: acting. While she’s kept details under wraps, she did give a small hint, saying, “Yeah, I think there’s been something.”

With a smile on her face, Ballerini added, “I don’t know if it’s turning 30 or whatever it is, but I’m realizing that the people that I just really gravitate towards as role models are the women specifically that ask themselves what else? And so I’m just in this season of my life where I’m like, I will always protect the music and making records with my whole body weight, but what else could make me feel creative? And what else could be an outlet and what else could challenge me and sharpen me. And so I have another announcement really soon.” 

As fans anticipate Kelsea Ballerini’s exciting announcements, they can catch her performing at CMA Fest in Nashville on Friday, June 7. She’s slated to perform at Nissan Stadium alongside Parker McCollum, Jon Pardi, Cody Johnson, Luke Bryan, and more.