Kelsea Ballerini will become the next member of the Grand Ole Opry!
The 25-year-old was invited on Tuesday, March 5, by Little Big Town, who asked Ballerini to join them on stage, reportedly to sing “Girl Crush,” before the quartet changed the words and sang the invitation to her instead.
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Fairchild later repeated the question before a stunned Ballerini finally said yes.
BREAKING: @KelseaBallerini has just been invited to become the newest member of the Grand Ole #Opry by @littlebigtown! pic.twitter.com/UFo3qZGOK8
— Grand Ole Opry (@opry) March 6, 2019
“I was so excited about it, and I was so nervous, because I didn’t want to mess it up for them, on that stage,” Ballerini later told the Associated Press backstage. “I was totally like, head in the game. At the end, they started singing my name, and I thought they were going to sing, ‘Kelsea, we have a girl crush,’ and they sang, ‘Kelsea, do you wanna join the Opry?’ I had to completely change paths in my brain.”
Thankfully, Ballerini’s mother, Carla, has never missed any of her famous daughter’s performances at the Grand Ole Opry, so she was on hand to witness the invitation.
“It’s such a rich, important place in the world,” Ballerini gushed. “And especially in Nashville and especially in country music. To be invited to even play it once is such an honor.”
Later, the “Miss Me More” singer shared her thoughts on Instagram.
“I don’t have the right words yet, but [Little Big Town] just asked me to become the newest member of the [Opry],” Ballerini shared. “This has been at the very top of my bucket list since I wrote my first songs at 12 years old, and tonight the heart of country music wrapped their arms around me and asked me to be family. In tears over how much this means to me. Thank you thank you thank you.”
Ballerini also reflected on how far she has come since first visiting the Grand Ole Opry when she was 13, and vowing to always support the iconic institution.
“To be on this stage is the greatest gift in the world,” she said. “This is the home of country music, and I get to be a part of it.”
Ballerini’s Grand Ole Opry induction is scheduled for April 16.
Photo Credit: Getty / Kevin Winter
