At only 22 years old, Kelsea Ballerini has already accomplished so much in her short career, and we’re certain that what the world of country music has seen is only the tip of the iceberg. With a knack for infectious songs and memorable lyrics, the adorable “Peter Pan” singer is our pick for this week’s #WCW!
1. Record Talent: Ballerini made a big splash into the country music scene in 2014 with a catchy tune called “Love Me Like You Mean It,” but just exactly how big of a splash wouldn’t be determined until 2015 when she became the first female artist since Carrie Underwood (2006) to have her debut single hit #1, joining an elite group of female country music artists to accomplish such an achievement. But the records didn’t stop there, as her second single “Dibs” also went #1, making her the first female artist in 15 years do so! She’s also won Billboard’s Women In Music Rising Star award as well the ACM Award for New Female Vocalist of the Year. And most recently at this year’s CMA Fest, Ballerini was alerted as she took the stage in front of her largest crowd yet that “Love Me Like You Mean It” went platinum.
Big News! @KelseaBallerini just announced that #lovemelikeyoumeanit went #platinum!! #congrats! #CMAFest pic.twitter.com/vvv7BsbZcZ
— The Country Note (@thecountrynote) June 10, 2016
2. Mature Beyond Her Years: Dealing with your parents’ divorce in your pre-teens can cause a girl to grow up fast, and Ballerini, who started writing at age 12, shows that maturity in her lyrics. Take the raw and honest words of “Secondhand Smoke” – Am I the product of a problem that I couldn’t change? / Got his eyes, got her hair / So do I get their mistakes?. She always presents herself like a seasoned veteran, so much so that ABC tapped her to co-host their recent summer series “Greatest Hits” with TV veteran Arsenio Hall. And we will never forget how she performed a classic rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” with such poise during last year’s CMA Christmas Special.
3. Pays Tribute to All of Her Influences: In a time when today’s country artists have grown up with a variety of influences from genres besides the country greats of yesteryear, Ballerini is no different. Her live shows include a 90’s/2000’s pop mashup including songs from *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child, and Backstreet Boys to name a few. But she also pays homage to those in the genre that she has admired, such as Shania Twain and Alison Krauss. Listen to Ballerini’s hauntingly beautiful cover of Krauss’ “Ghost In This House” from her performance at the Grand Ole Opry.
4. Charity – Ballerini has performed for the ACM Lifting Lives charity concert, and recently hosted “In The Round with Kelsea Ballerini & Friends,” a pop-up concert at the legendary Bluebird Café. The concert benefited Music Makes Us, a local Nashville charity that aims to be a national model for high quality music education programs in schools, and raised $5,000, including $2,100 for an autographed guitar by Ballerini’s friends in attendance: Dave Barnes, Luke Laird, Ingrid Michaelson, Trent Dabbs, Tegan Marie, Tristan McIntosh and Amelia Eisenhauer, both of whom attended Nashville School of the Arts and were contestants on American Idol.
5. Supports Our Military – Despite only being in year three of her career, Ballerini has made sure to give back to the men and women in our Armed Forces, performing at last year’s Six String Salute To the Champs at Fort Benning, GA as well as this year’s 45th Annual 4th of July Spectacular at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. She also performed “Amazing Grace” on Fox & Friends in 2015, in tribute to those military members lost during the terrorist attack on two military stations in Chattanooga, TN.