Kelsea Ballerini

Ballerini was married to Australian singer Morgan Evans from December 2, 2017, until their divorce was finalized on November 15, 2022. The couple became engaged in December 2016 and announced their separation in August 2022.

Ballerini has spoken about experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing the 2008 shooting at her high school. She is also a longtime supporter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Ballerini began writing songs as a child and wrote her first song at age 12 as a gift for her mother, Carla. She took dance lessons for 10 years, sang in church and school choirs, and competed on a local hip-hop dance team. She moved to Nashville as a teenager and attended Lipscomb University for two years while pursuing music.

At age 19, Ballerini signed with Black River Entertainment. Her debut single, "Love Me Like You Mean It," was released in 2014, and she was named one of CMT's Next Women of Country that year. Her early musical influences included Shania Twain, Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban.

Ballerini released her debut studio album, The First Time, in May 2015. Its first three singles, "Love Me Like You Mean It," "Dibs," and "Peter Pan," each reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The achievement made her the first female country artist to send the first three singles from a debut album to the top of that chart.

"Love Me Like You Mean It" also made Ballerini the first female artist since Carrie Underwood to reach No. 1 on Country Airplay with a debut single. "Peter Pan" topped both the Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts, and Ballerini received the 2016 ACM Award for New Female Vocalist of the Year. She later toured with Lady A, Dan + Shay, and Rascal Flatts before launching her first headlining tour.

Ballerini's second studio album, Unapologetically, arrived in November 2017 and reached No. 3 on the Top Country Albums chart and No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The album included the singles "Legends," "I Hate Love Songs," and "Miss Me More." "Legends" became her fourth No. 1 Country Airplay hit, and the album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album.

In 2018, Ballerini joined Keith Urban's Graffiti U World Tour and served as the fifth coach on The Voice's digital Comeback Stage. Little Big Town invited her to join the Grand Ole Opry in 2019, and Carrie Underwood inducted her that April. At age 25, Ballerini became the youngest member in the Opry's history at that time.

Ballerini released the albums Kelsea and Ballerini in 2020. Kelsea included collaborations with Kenny Chesney, Halsey, and other artists, while Ballerini presented stripped-down versions of songs from the album. Her collaboration with Chesney, "Half of My Hometown," won both Musical Event of the Year and Video of the Year at the 2021 CMA Awards.

Her fourth studio album, Subject to Change, was released in 2022. The album included "Heartfirst" and "You're Drunk, Go Home," a collaboration with Kelly Clarkson and Carly Pearce. In 2023, Ballerini released the six-song EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat and an accompanying short film that she wrote and directed. The project received Grammy, CMA, and ACM nominations and led to her debut as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live.

Ballerini's fifth studio album, Patterns, was released in October 2024 and became her first album to reach No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. The album includes "Cowboys Cry Too," a collaboration with Noah Kahan that received nominations for Musical Event of the Year at the CMA Awards and Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the Grammy Awards. She followed the album with her first arena tour, Live on Tour, in 2025.

Ballerini hosted the CMT Music Awards from 2021 through 2024 and served as a coach on season 27 of The Voice. She made her dramatic acting debut as Lisa Parsons on the ABC series Doctor Odyssey in 2024. Her other projects include the 2021 poetry book Feel Your Way Through: A Book of Poetry, an appearance in the audiobook of Dolly Parton's Run, Rose, Run, and partnerships with CoverGirl and Pantene.