Kelsea Ballerini has had an incredible year so far and has no plans to slow down any time soon. She’s performed with Taylor Swift on her 1989 tour, been tweeted by Carrie Underwood and been the first person in 15 years to have two consecutive number one’s off her debut album. We spoke to her about her most recent song Peter Pan, her accomplishments so far and what she misses most when she’s on the road.
“You can hear those other influences and I really wanted to be upfront and honest about that. I grew up on a farm in East Tennessee, my roots are extremely southern, extremely country and that’s kind of where the heartbeat of my artistry is, and hopefully it will always be.”
Taylor Magazine: Describe 2015 in three words.
Kelsea Ballerini: Crazy, amazing and dreamlike.
Taylor Magazine: Tell us a bit about your debut album. What was it like for you to make it and have so much input?
Kelsea Ballerini: It was an amazing experience. Getting to write my whole record was a dream of mine and even picking the songs and deciding that I wanted this album to represent me from 12-21 when I put it out and letting that be the focus of it and let that be the introduction that I got to give to the world. It’s been so cool, even at shows people sing songs off the record that haven’t been on the radio yet. It’s a great feeling especially as a song writer to write my life and then see it be well received.
Taylor Magazine: First and foremost you are a songwriter, tell us about the inspiration for your music?
Kelsea Ballerini: I’ve always been drawn to the songs by artists that when I listen their song I know it’s them and I feel like I know them a little bit better. So for me I always wanted to write songs that were as transparent as I could possibly make myself write them. That way they were honest and they were real and they were as me as I could make them and I feel like that’s the kind of song people gravitate towards. Then they listen to it and they’re like, “man, I feel like I know this artist now.”
Taylor Magazine: You started writing songs at 12, how did you get started? Did you know it was a potential career?
Kelsea Ballerini: I didn’t know it was a career, I loved music growing up and I was involved in my school’s glee club and I was involved in church choir but I didn’t write songs until I was 12. It was the year I got tall, boys got cute, my parents were getting divorced. A lot was happening and it was this little outlet that I stumbled into and fell in love with.
Taylor Magazine: What was the first point when you realised this is definitely what you wanted to pursue?
Kelsea Ballerini: I think it was probably the first time I went to Nashville because I knew I enjoyed writing songs and singing but when I went to Nashville, I fell in love with the community. I fell in love with the potential of a career of it. I think that’s what set the fire under my belly.
Taylor Magazine: We have to discuss the fact that you’ve had two consecutive number one’s off your debut album and you’re the first person in 15 years to achieve this. Congratulations on that! Did you ever imagine that your debut album would be so powerful and accomplish so much?
Kelsea Ballerini: No, honestly. I think as a new song writer and as a new artist, you want your voice to be heard. I think that can be in a lot of different capacities and to have two back to back number one’s, that’s the biggest my voice could have been heard right now. To have radio and to have fans embrace me like they have this early on is an honour and it makes me really excited to hopefully keep making good music for them.
Taylor Magazine: Who would be your ideal person to collaborate with? It could be anybody in the world!
Kelsea Ballerini: I love collaborations and I have this goal to have one on every album. It did work for the first one but maybe I’ll double up on the next one. I’d love to work with Gavin DeGraw, I’d love to work with Taylor, I’d love to work with a bunch of people. Drake one day? I don’t know. I love when you put two people together that you wouldn’t necessarily get together and you listen to it and you’re like, “ugh, this is genius.”
Taylor Magazine: You’re also the first solo female artist to have a hit number 1 with your country single, how did you feel when you heard the news?
Kelsea Ballerini: Oh it was incredible, I feel like we’re still celebrating that. The thing is as a song writer and as an artist it was my first number one, but it was also my co-writer’s, my producer’s and my label’s first number one so it was just this big victory throughout the whole team.
“I have a goal list and I write out goals every year. It’s hard to say. One of my goals was to go on tour and that’s a big one I got to check off this year. I got to release my favourite song off my album and it’s called Peter Pan and I’ve been waiting for it to get out there so that’s something I was looking forward to.”
Taylor Magazine: What can you tell us about Peter Pan compared to your other releases?
Kelsea Ballerini: It’s a little different. I got to show my fun flirty side with other songs but I really wanted to show more depth and a different side of me and that’s hopefully what Peter Pan showcases. I love this song so much and it’s a take on the story that everybody knows; the boy who can’t grow up.
Taylor Magazine: For the rest of your album, what can you tell us about the tracks?
Kelsea Ballerini: I really wanted there to be something for everyone. I have songs about falling in love and I have songs about crushes and heartbreaks. I have songs about being underaged and I have songs about my parents divorce and I have songs about how women, even if we’re going through something hard, we act like we’re okay. I have songs about feeling different. I really wanted to have something for everyone if you listened to it top to bottom and that was important to me.
Taylor Magazine: Things have changed for you quite quickly. You’ve gotten some amazing success. How has it changed your life?
Kelsea Ballerini: Oh gosh. I mean everything’s different. My life is unrecognisable compared to what it was a year and a half ago. Just writing and touring, it’s incredible. But it’s definitely different and that’s probably the biggest change, being on the road and being away from home.
Taylor Magazine: What do you miss the most when you’re away from home?
Kelsea Ballerini: I get to bring my dog with me which is pretty cool but when I don’t, I miss him the most.
Taylor Magazine: We love that you’ve really stayed true to country. Is that something you hope to continue doing?
Kelsea Ballerini: Absolutely yeah. I’m super open about that. I listen to everything and I love every genre of music. I think when making this album and even when picking the first two singles, we picked songs where you could hear that. You can hear those other influences and I really wanted to be upfront and honest about that. I grew up on a farm in East Tennessee, my roots are extremely southern, extremely country and that’s kind of where the heartbeat of my artistry is, and hopefully it will always be.
Taylor Magazine: You’ve so far received a lot of praise from massive country artists like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. How does it feel when you hear that they are listening to you and they think that you’re amazing?
Kelsea Ballerini: It’s so crazy, I am a huge fan of both of those women. I remember listening to them on the radio when I was 12/13/14 and to have people like that congratulate you or empower you… it’s a big deal. It’s one of the weirder parts of the past year and a half, like having a tweet from Taylor Swift. Seeing Carrie saying, “congratulations on your new single” is a crazy part of this year. That’s the thing when you get to be part of a community of people that you’re a fan of.
Taylor Magazine: Speaking of Taylor Swift, what was it like when you got to perform on her 1989 tour?
Kelsea Ballerini: It was incredible, I think that may have been one of the best moments of my life. It was in the arena in Nashville that I have seen all most favourite artists playing. Then it was my song that had just gone number one and with the artist that is probably one of my biggest inspirations and influences. It was just a really special night.
Taylor Magazine: That was actually one of my next questions. What has been your career highlight so far?
Kelsea Ballerini: That’s definitely one of them. I feel like everyone hears my song on the radio more than I do which is amazing because every time I hear it I have a panic attack because I can’t believe it. That’s a special and crazy moment. Getting nominations, that’s such a new thing in my life and we’ve been lucky enough to get a couple so that’s been crazy. Those are all really cool things that have been going on.
Taylor Magazine: Who are some of your other big inspirations?
Kelsea Ballerini: A bunch of people. I love Taylor. Kelly Clarkson is probably my favourite artist of all time, I’m obsessed with her. I’m obsessed with a lot of older music too you know… Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and I love Amy Winehouse. I really do listen to everything, it’s a bit all over the place.
Taylor Magazine: Country is quite big here. Who are you listening to that you think that we should start listening to in the UK?
Kelsea Ballerini: Good question. Who do I love? Mo Pitney is a new country artist and his song ‘Clean Up On Aisle Five’ will make you cry your face off. Cam is incredible. I’ve just discovered this artist called Troye Sivan who I am obsessed with. He is so good. Those are probably my few favourites right now.
Taylor Magazine: Tell us something that we don’t know about you?
Kelsea Ballerini: I danced for 10 years. I know that’s so hard to believe because I’m so long and lanky but then I traded it off for singing and now singing is my new favourite thing.
Taylor Magazine: How would you spend a day off?
Kelsea Ballerini: I’m pretty boring. I would like to stay in my sweatpants eating pizza in my apartment probably.
