Kelsea Ballerini is a country pop singer and songwriter from America. She has been recognized for her achievements in the music industry since the 2010s, such as the Gene Weed Milestone Award at the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Rising Star Award at the Billboard Women in Music. She has also been nominated for four Grammy Awards.
Early Life & Education
Kelsea Ballerini was born on September 12, 1993, in Mascot, Tennessee. She spent her childhood in Knoxville. Her mother, Carla, is employed in the field of marketing while her father, Ed, previously held a position as a sales manager at a country radio station.
Ballerini started dancing at the age of three and also participated in singing activities at school and in church choirs during her upbringing.
During her teenage years, she attended both Central High School in Knoxville and Centennial High School in Franklin. She then enrolled at Lipscomb University in Nashville for two years before deciding to focus on her music career.
Kelsea Ballerini’s Career
When Kelsea Ballerini was 19 years old, she officially joined the independent record company Black River Entertainment in Nashville. In 2014, she released her first single, “Love Me Like You Mean It,” which went on to reach the number one spot on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
This achievement made Ballerini the first solo female artist since Carrie Underwood in 2006 to have a debut single reach the top of that chart.
Later, Kelsea Ballerini’s debut EP titled “Love Me Like You Mean It” was released. This EP also marked the first single from her debut album, “The First Time,” which was launched in 2015. The album included two more chart-topping songs, “Dibs” and “Peter Pan.”
In 2017, Ballerini’s first single “Legends” was released from her upcoming studio album “Unapologetically.” The album’s debut ranked at number three on the Country Album Chart and number seven on the Billboard 200, marking her most successful album so far. The album’s additional singles were “I Hate Love Songs” and “Miss Me More.”
Without hesitation, Ballerini received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album for her album “Unapologetically.” In 2019, she released two more singles, “Homecoming Queen?” and “Club,” which were both featured on her third studio album, “Kelsea,” released in 2020.
Other singles from this album were “LA” and “Hole in the Bottle.” Towards the end of the year, Ballerini also released a companion album to “Kelsea” titled “Ballerini,” which featured stripped-down acoustic versions of the songs from the original album.
Kelsea Ballerini has frequently appeared on television in various roles such as host, judge, and coach. In 2016, she co-hosted “Greatest Hits” on ABC alongside Arsenio Hall and co-hosted the CMC Awards with Morgan Evans. In 2018, she became a coach on the 15th season of “The Voice,” a popular reality singing competition show.
In 2021, Ballerini made a comeback on “The Voice” as a replacement for Kelly Clarkson, who was unable to participate due to illness. She has also made various other appearances, such as a guest spot on the NBC show “Songland” in 2019, as well as co-hosting CMT Crossroads with Halsey and the CMT Music Awards with Kane Brown.
Love Life
In 2016, Kelsea Ballerini and Australian country singer-songwriter Morgan Evans started a romantic relationship. On Christmas Day of the same year, they became engaged and eventually tied the knot in December of 2017. However, the couple separated and divorced in 2022.
In February 2023, it was announced that Ballerini was in a relationship with Outer Banks actor Chase Stokes. The two were said to have started dating in December 2022.
Net Worth
American singer and songwriter Kelsea Ballerini has a net worth of $6 million. In 2014, she gained recognition with her first single, “Love Me Like You Mean It,” which topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
Her other chart-topping singles include “Dibs,” “Peter Pan,” and “Legends.” Ballerini has released three studio albums: “The First Time,” “Kelsea,” and “Subject to Change.”
