Kelsea Ballerini Strikes a Balance With Thomas Rhett to Host CMA Fest TV Special

Kelsea Ballerini is returning for the third year to host the CMA Fest TV special with Thomas Rhett, with the pair joined by Bobby Bones for the first time this year. With three seasons under her belt, the 25-year-old thinks that she may have finally found the perfect balance when sharing hosting duties with Rhett.

“We watched ourselves again yesterday before we started and we decided the first year we were a little too casual about it,” Ballerini recalled to PopCulture.com and other media backstage at CMA Fest. “Last year we were like, ‘Oh my God! Welcome to the stage!’ It’s too extra. So we decided this year just to talk like we normally would talk at a festival. We’ll see how it works next year.”

The 25-year-old just announced she had completed her third studio album, the follow-up to her 2017 Unapologetically record. Ballerini shared the good news on social media, along with a photo of herself with producers and songwriters Shane McAnally and Ross Copperman, and songwriter Nicolle Galyon at a beach.

Ballerini hasn’t revealed much about her third project, but she did divulge that she has a few special guests on her next set of tunes.

“It’s been so much fun to get in the room with people that I’ve looked up to forever, like Ryan Tedder and Julia Michaels, and Ed Sheeran,” Ballerini previously stated. “It’s really fun to be able to write with other artists too. I haven’t really done that before and so you’re in the room and they have the perspective of what it’s going to be like on stage, and how you’re going to be able to communicate it in interviews, and all that stuff.

“They have that knowledge, so it’s a different perspective writing with them,” she continued. “But it’s been really fun and just different. I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a songwriter from that.”

Ballerini will also take the stage twice during the special, both for her hit single, “Miss Me More,” and her collaboration with The Chainsmokers on “This Feeling.” Other performers scheduled to appear include Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Jason Aldean and more. The CMA Fest TV special will air on Sunday, Aug. 4, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo Credit: Getty images / C Flanigan