Kelsea Ballerini Calls ‘CMA Fest’ TV Special a ‘Big Hang’ With Thomas Rhett

Kelsea Ballerini and Thomas Rhett returned for the second year to host the three-hour CMA Fest TV special, capturing all the highlights from the four-day event, which occurred in June. Although both singers are relatively new to hosting a televised show, Ballerini promises they definitely upped their game since last year.

“It’s funny. This year before we started filming, they sat me and Thomas down, and they were like, ‘We want you to watch what you did last year, and just kinda critique yourselves,’” Ballerini recalls to ABC News Radio. “And we watched it, and we were like, ‘Oh, my goodness. We were super stiff.’”

“We were I think both new to hosting,” she adds, “and we promised each other that this year we would just have fun with it. And I think that we really did, and I hope that comes across that way.”

Ballerini and Rhett are good friends in real life, which makes the experience all the more fun, for both of them.

“I really enjoy it,” says Ballerini. “And we’re buddies in real life, so it’s just like a big hang.”

The 24-year-old is currently crossing the country, serving as the opening act on Keith Urban‘s Graffiti U Tour, but she’s also working on a new album, the follow-up to her sophomore Unapologetically record.

“I’m so in that mindset when I’m on the road,” Ballerini admits. “I’m thinking about what’s working, what they react to, what they don’t, what I’m feeling, what I’m going through. It’s like I’m in this bubble headspace of music. So it’s a good time for me to get it all done at once.”

Ballerini is also inviting fellow tunesmiths to join her while she’s on tour.

“I’m having some of my fave writers come out and ride the bus,” Ballerini adds. “During the day, we write songs and at night, I go open up for Keith.”

Ballerini’s latest single, “I Hate Love Songs,” is rapidly climbing the charts – a testament to Ballerini’s ability to find airplay on the radio at a time when female artists struggle to be heard.

“I credit a lot of my career to radio,” Ballerini notes. “They jumped on board with my stuff at a time where there weren’t a lot of females on the radio. They decided to champion me. They’re patient with me, I’m patient with them. We have a really good working relationship. We’ll definitely get a couple more singles off this record.”

CMA Fest will air on Wednesday, Aug. 8, at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.

Photo Credit: Getty images/C Flanigan