Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Nicole Ballerini, born September 12, 1993, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. A five-time Grammy Award nominee, she emerged as a prominent voice in country music during the 2010s. Over the course of her career, Ballerini has earned the Gene Weed Milestone Award from the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Rising Star Award at the Billboard Women in Music. She has achieved five number-one singles on the US Country Airplay chart and multiple entries on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Ballerini was born in Mascot, Tennessee, and raised in Knoxville. The only child of Ed and Carla Ballerini, she is of Italian, German, and Scottish descent. Her father worked as a country radio sales manager, and her mother worked in marketing. Ballerini took dance lessons from ages three to thirteen and sang in both church and school choirs. She began songwriting at age twelve and moved to Nashville at fifteen. She attended Central High School and Centennial High School before studying for two years at Lipscomb University.

At age 19, Ballerini signed with Black River Entertainment, releasing her self-titled debut extended play in late 2014. Her debut single, "Love Me Like You Mean It," reached number one on the US Country Airplay chart, making her the first solo female artist to top the chart with a debut single since Carrie Underwood in 2006. Her debut studio album, The First Time, appeared in May 2015. Subsequent singles "Dibs" and "Peter Pan" also achieved number-one status on the Country Airplay chart. "Peter Pan" topped both the Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts simultaneously, making her the first solo female country artist to accomplish the feat.

In 2017, Ballerini released her second studio album, Unapologetically, which debuted at number three on the US Top Country Albums chart and number seven on the Billboard 200. The record included the singles "Legends," "I Hate Love Songs," and "Miss Me More," and received a nomination for Best Country Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. During this era, Ballerini featured on The Chainsmokers' single "This Feeling" and served as a coach on the digital companion series for the 15th season of The Voice.

Ballerini was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in April 2019. She released her third studio album, Kelsea, in March 2020, followed by a companion acoustic album, Ballerini, in September 2020. The single "Half of My Hometown," featuring Kenny Chesney, garnered two Country Music Association Awards. Ballerini released her first poetry book, Feel Your Way Through, in late 2021. Her fourth studio album, Subject to Change, was released in September 2022, featured the Grammy-nominated single "Heartfirst," and was followed by her EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat in February 2023.

In October 2024, Ballerini released her fifth studio album, Patterns, led by the collaboration "Cowboys Cry Too" with Noah Kahan and the single "Baggage." She made her acting debut on the ABC television series Doctor Odyssey in November 2024. In February 2025, she became a coach on the twenty-seventh season of The Voice. Ballerini released her third EP, Mount Pleasant, supported by the single "I Sit in Parks," in November 2025.