Three Times Kelsea Ballerini Channeled Her Inner Britney Spears

On Wednesday (Oct. 21),  Kelsea Ballerini teamed up with Halsey to perform their collab “The Other Girl,” and while their performance gave off some Coyote Ugly vibes, Ballerini’s look also reminded some fans of Britney Spears circa 2002. And that’s likely not an accident.

It’s no secret that Ballerini is one of Britney Spears’ biggest fans. The singer/songwriter has been vocal about the pop icon’s impact on her music for years, so it should come as no surprise that she would pay tribute to Spears every now and then.

“[Britney] was also my first concert, she’s a legend, I think she’s the queen of pop music, and I adore Britney Spears,” Ballerini previously shared during an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

With the internet a-buzz about Ballerini’s “The Other Girl” performance, we are taking a look back at three times the Tennessee native channeled her inner Britney.

1. Her look during the 2020 CMT Music Awards

From her hair to her leather outfit, Ballerini’s CMT Awards performance look screamed Britney Spears. It was intentional, too.

“We’re kind of doing a Coyote Ugly, Britney Crossroads, southern-grunge hot performance and I’m really excited about it,” Ballerini shared prior to the performance. “I think the whole performance is very empowered, we’re both trying to really show off our confidence as artists and as women and I’m excited to really try to exude that tonight.”

https://youtu.be/fEm1ChfWTgs

2. In her “Hole In the Bottle” music video

There are some subtle nods to Spears in Ballerini’s “Hole In the Bottle” music video and fans took notice to them.

3. When she paid tribute to Britney Spears at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards.

Talk about nerve-wracking! Ballerini performed some of Britney Spears’ biggest hits while Spears looked on from the front row.

https://youtu.be/RkeeMcRoBSM