9 Things to Know About Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini turns 26 on Thursday, Sept. 12, and the country singer has accomplished plenty over the past several years since her making her debut in country music.

After releasing her debut album in 2015, Ballerini has gone on to score two GRAMMY nominations, two ACM Awards and five No. 1 singles. Her sophomore album, Unapologetically, was released in November 2017, and the first single from that album, “Legends,” made her the first country solo female artist since Carrie Underwood to have the debut singles from her first two albums reach No. 1. Earlier this month, she released “Homecoming Queen?,” the first single from her upcoming third album and is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year at the upcoming CMA Awards in November.

Read on to learn more about the reigning princess of country music.

If she wasn’t a singer, she would be a make-up artist or a veterinarian

Ballerini told CMT that she had always planned on being a veterinarian in her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee.

“I wanted to be a vet. I really thought that’s what I wanted to do,” she said. “It was a real job, and I could stay in Knoxville, you know what I mean?”

The 26-year-old is also a self-proclaimed makeup lover and often shares beauty tips with fans.

She met her husband in Australia

Ballerini met husband Morgan Evans while co-hosting the CMC Awards in Australia. While Evans hails from the land Down Under, he was living in Nashville and the pair soon began dating. Evans proposed on Christmas Day in 2016 and the couple tied the knot in Mexico in December 2017.

Her favorite drink is a Manhattan

Ballerini told Nash Country Daily that her favorite cocktail is a Manhattan and her favorite drink is coffee, specifically coconut lattes.

She also shared that her favorite food is chicken tenders, and fans know that the singer is especially fond of Chicken McNuggets from McDonald’s. Ballerini also loves The Wizard of Oz and told Nashville Business Journal that “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is her favorite song.

She and her mom swap Christmas pajamas every year

Ballerini’s favorite holiday is Christmas, and she and her mom have a tradition of gifting each other with pajamas on Christmas Eve that they then have to wear throughout the day and night, no matter where they go.

In 2017, Ballerini’s mom gifted her and Evans with coordinating onesies to commemorate their newlywed status.

She was a dancer growing up

Her last name naturally lends itself to dance references, so it’s no surprise that Ballerini was a dancer growing up. She started with ballet before expanding into modern, jazz, and hip-hop, which was her favorite. As a young teen, she was even on a competitive hip-hop team before swapping dance for songwriting at age 13.

She moved to Nashville at age 15

After beginning to write songs as a teen, Ballerini began taking trips to Nashville before ultimately moving there at age 15.

“The first trip to Nashville I ever took, I was 14,” she told CMT. “We had two record label meetings set up that day. I walk in, and I’m awkward. I had this big, pink, sparkly guitar case that was bigger than me. I’m singing in this big office to the CEO of a record label. I could barely play the guitar. He looked at me and goes, ‘You know, there’s already a [blank],’ and it broke my heart. I canceled my second label meeting and went home because I didn’t want it yet. But it ended up being a fire for me and a lesson I was glad I learned early on. You really do have to be different. You really do have to set yourself apart.”

She vows to always write every song on her albums

Ballerini wrote or co-wrote all 12 tracks on both of her albums — The First Time and Unapologetically — and vows to do the same with each future project.

“I will always write every song,” she told The Boot. “I’m an artist because I’m a songwriter. And I think that’s part of my story that we didn’t really tell a lot from the first record. But this time around, I want people to know I’m a songwriter.”

“We got pitched songs that were undeniable song smashes,” she added. “It was a wrestle. But they just weren’t my smashes.”

She attended Lipscomb University for two years

Ballerini struck a deal with her mom that she would attend college until she could prove that she could support herself with music. So she attended Lipscomb University in Nashville for two years before scoring a publishing deal with Black River Entertainment, which ultimately became her record label and helped launch her career.

She came up with the idea for her ‘Miss Me More’ video

The video for the singer’s most recent No. 1 sees her head into a boxing ring to spar with the version of herself she became while in a relationship, ultimately defeating her former self.

“I wrote this treatment, and I paired up with [director] Shane Drake to make it come to life,” Ballerini revealed backstage at the CMT Music Awards rehearsal in June. “It’s really just about – for me it gives a different perspective of the lyric. It’s really not about fighting against this person. It’s really about fighting for yourself. I just think it’s a really important message, not just for girls, but for everyone to realize you’re worth fighting for.

Photo Credit: Getty / Kevin Winter