Kelsea Ballerini Shines on CMA Fest Stage With Electrifying ‘Baggage’ Performance

Kelsea Ballerini’s electric performance of her current single, “Baggage,” lit up the stage during tonight’s primetime special, “CMA Fest Presented by SoFi”. Viewers got the chance to relive her headline set from the main stage of Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, alongside countless other standout moments from CMA Fest 2025, during the three-hour concert event on ABC.

Her return to the longest-running country music festival in the world was filled with plenty of memorable moments, but her performance of “Baggage” particularly stood out. From the first note to the last, she had the crowd locked in to every lyric, effortlessly blending her signature vulnerable storytelling with confidence as she delivered the fan-favorite track from her chart-topping Patterns album.

Wearing a sparkly blue, white, and black patterned jumpsuit and flashing a bright smile, Ballerini kicked things off with her blue guitar in hand before ditching the instrument, along with her rhinestone-studded orange mic stand, to dance from one end of the stage to the other. With every note, she effortlessly connected with fans as they proudly sang every lyric back to her. In a stadium full of thousands, Ballerini’s performance felt like an intimate experience.

In a backstage interview with CMA, Kelsea Ballerini revealed that this performance marked a milestone in her long-standing history with CMA Fest.

“My first year getting to play CMA Fest as an artist was a small tent on Broadway. And then the next year I got to play the stage in front of Bridgestone Arena and then the next year I got to play the stadium. And I feel like those three years it went from just like, I can’t believe I get to be a part of it as an artist to I am playing the stadium where I came as a fan and sat in the nosebleeds and I think it was just like a whirlwind of a time and I’m happy to still be here,” she shared humbly.

This year, the East Tennessee native got involved with the festival in a brand-new way. She was tapped to help launch a new $2 million initiative alongside tnAchieves and CMA Fest’s official 2025 partner, SoFi. The Rising Stars Program aims to help empower the Tennessee students and give them the chance to gain financial independence in their post-graduation years.

“Basically we’re helping students in Tennessee 18 to 24 start their investments early because just like they’re investing in their education and their dreams, we want them to invest in their finances too and get ahead of it,” she explained. “And I think that’s something that I wish I would’ve talked about more as a young girl and understood more as a young girl. And so I really am excited to be a part of that conversation for people now.”

After delivering her unformattable set at the stadium, Ballerini closed out day two of CMA Fest with a visit to the Spotify House. Taking the stage at Ole Red on Lower Broadway, she performed hits including “Penthouse,” “Half of My Hometown,” and “Love Me Like You Mean It.”

Following a whirlwind year filled with milestones, including her massive sold-out arena tour and her CMA Fest performances, Kelsea Ballerini revealed she is taking a much-needed break.

“I need a break!” Ballerini said during an appearance on Today With Jenna & Friends. “And I’ve never been able to say that before, but I really think it’s just time for me to pump the brakes, figure out what’s next, have a summer, what? Go to the beach? Huh? Learn to cook a new meal, hang out with the dogs. So that’s kind of my agenda.” 

 “CMA Fest presented by SoFi” aired Thursday, June 26 at 8/7c on ABC and is available to view the next day on Hulu.