Kelsea Ballerini has been climbing her way to the top ever since she got her start in country music. Now, with a Grammy nomination under her belt and a headlining tour underway, it seems the 23-year-old country music singer/songwriter is having her best year yet.
Photo Credit: Austin Lord
We got the chance to see the superstar in concert at Boston’s House of Blues. With a line around the block outside the venue hours before the show started, it’s hard to imagine this is Ballerini’s first solo tour. But that fact is not lost on her.
“Putting together this tour, I was a little bit nervous because I’ve been opening for two years, so I didn’t really know how to put together a 75-minute show,” she told us. “But we’re almost done and even looking back on it already, I feel like it’s been one of the most reassuring and reaffirming things I’ve done as an artist. To see every song on the record have a life and people know every word has been cool—to get up close and personal with people and just say thanks.”
Of course, a successful performance relies on expert song choice. Her now-Platinum ballad “Peter Pan” is among her favorites to sing live. “People sing that song louder than I ever can, and it’s just so cool seeing how that song connects to people in ways I’ve never seen before.” Probably because we’ve all dealt with a guy who refuses to grow up, right ladies?
Incorporating covers into her set also helps to keep Kelsea’s music interesting and fresh for those fans who know her lyrics by heart and love to belt them out with her. “I love doing covers that tell stories leading into one of my songs,” she said. “So I do a mash-up of ‘Let It Go,’ ‘Sorry’ and ‘Apologize’ talking about the story behind ‘Peter Pan,’ so that’s been really fun to incorporate.”
Although going on the road is every musician’s dream, you have to wonder how she manages to stave off homesickness. For Kelsea, it’s all about making her surroundings feel like home, no matter what city she’s in. “I’ve made my bus kind of my home away from home by decorating it with a bunch of sparkles, throw pillows and cozy blankets, so it’s kind of become my little sanctuary on the road.”
Kelsea doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon either. She’s been working on new music for a while and has even been debuting some of the tracks in concert. (Spoiler alert: We heard one, and it’s fantastic!)
The response Ballerini has received thus far has exceeded her wildest expectations. “To see people know every word to every song that isn’t released yet and only exists on YouTube has been crazy,” she shared. “Especially my song ‘Roses’—it doesn’t exist anywhere but people have given it such a life, and I’ve only played it nine times total.”
Photo Credit: Austin Lord
It’s no surprise that Kelsea continues to break barriers and set new limits for herself as an artist and a woman. We have a feeling 2017 is going to be even better!