Kelsea Ballerini
Kelsea Nicole Ballerini (born September 12, 1993) is an American country pop singer and songwriter. A four-time Grammy Awards nominee, she has gained success since the 2010s, being honored with the Gene Weed Milestone Award at the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Rising Star Award at the Billboard Women in Music.
Kelsea Ballerini
Kelsea Nicole Ballerini[1]
September 12, 1993[2]
Mascot, Tennessee, U.S.
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
- Singer
- songwriter
- musician
- Vocals
- guitar
2014–present
She began songwriting as a child and signed a contract with Black River Entertainment in 2014,[4] releasing her debut studio album, The First Time, and her second one Unapologetically, followed in 2017.[5] The two albums have accounted for seven charted songs on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. She has five No. 1 singles on the latter, starting with her debut single "Love Me Like You Mean It", which made her the first female artist to send a debut single to the top of that chart since Carrie Underwood in 2006. It was followed by "Dibs" and "Peter Pan", whose peaks also made her the first female country artist to send her first three singles to the top of that chart since Wynonna Judd.
Her third studio album, Kelsea, and a counterpart acoustic album, Ballerini, were both released in 2020. The collaboration "Half of My Hometown" with Kenny Chesney gave to the singer two Country Music Association Awards. Her fourth studio album, Subject to Change was released in 2022.
Early life[edit]
Ballerini, an only child, was raised in Knoxville, Tennessee[2] by her father, Ed[6][7] and her mother, Carla. Ed held a job as a sales manager for a country radio station and is of Italian descent. Carla has worked in marketing for Thomas Nelson Bible publishing and a sponsorship company.[7] Ballerini started taking dance lessons at Premiere Dance Studio in Seymour, Tennessee when she was three and quit ten years later.[8] She also sang in the church and school choirs.[6] She wrote her first song at 12 for her mother[9] and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, three years later.[2] She attended Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee; Centennial High School in Franklin, Tennessee; and then Lipscomb University for two years until she pursued a musical career.[10]
Influences[edit]
Ballerini has been influenced by artists in both the pop music and country music fields. Originally influenced by pop music, Ballerini states "I grew up on top 40 pop. I didn't know what country music was, which is so funny because I grew up in East Tennessee."[54] Ballerini lists Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, NSYNC, and Hilary Duff among these early artists influencing her.[55][56] Ballerini also cites Justin Bieber as an early pop musical inspiration.[57] It was not until Ballerini heard "Stupid Boy" by Keith Urban that she decided to delve deeper into country music by listening to albums by Taylor Swift, Sugarland, and Dixie Chicks. She credited Swift's self-titled debut studio album for introducing her to country music. Ballerini also cites Shania Twain as her greatest influence.[58] She has also performed songs originally recorded by Alison Krauss and sang "Ghost in This House" alongside Krauss at the CMT Artists of the Year Awards in 2018.[59][60]
Studio albums