How New York Inspired Kelsea Ballerini’s Album ‘Patterns’

Kelsea Ballerini found some surprising inspiration for her new album, Patterns. The singer-songwriter recently opened up to Wide Open Country about working on the project and revealed that New York City made a big impression on how the music came together.

“I’ve always loved New York. I feel like there’s going to be a chapter of my life for some reason where I just spend a little more time up there,” she told WOC. “There’s just a real energy that happens there. Creatively and I don’t know — I just really feel alive up there.”

“But that city’s landmarks are throughout the album Patterns,” Ballerini went on to say of NYC, where she also held a kick-off performance of the project at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

“A lot of the moments and inspiration happened while I was spending time there,” she continued. “And so I wanted to honor that throughout the visuals of the record. Then really bring it there to kick it off — kick off the live element of it at Madison Square Garden. Wild!”

In addition to dishing on her love of New York, Ballerini also opened up to WOC about the impact that the legendary Frank Sinatra had on her life. “I don’t think I am as a songwriter or vocalist the most aligned with Frank Sinatra. But I just grew up on his music,” she said. “I have these very fond, beautiful memories of my dad making pasta, and he would always blast the Rat Pack and Frank specifically throughout the house. So that was like this warm, comfortable, familiar voice in my life.”

Ballerini went on to confess, “And I still feel that way. Whenever I’m at home cooking pasta or whatever I often listen to Frank just because the nostalgia of him.”

Watch the video interview above, and check out Ballerini’s new album, Patterns, out now and available to stream at all major music services.