See Kelsea Ballerini Photos From Girl-Powered Nashville Tour Stop
Playing the CMT Next Women of Country Tour stop in Nashville — her first-ever headlining gig in her adopted hometown — was a surreal experience for Kelsea Ballerini. Tuesday's show came less than a week before her debut album, The First Time, hits stores (on May 18th).
"I heard people sing [the LP's first single] 'Love Me Like You Mean It' so loud that I put up my microphone on the second line into the song," the singer-songwriter tells Rolling Stone Country. "I put my head down so I wouldn't start bawling. I looked over to the side stage at everyone from my label and my management [team], and it was just this moment. . . Those are the moments that you work so hard for."
The 21-year-old talent invited us behind the scenes of the show to capture intimate backstage and electrifying onstage moments — including one that turned this promising solo act into a trio. All photos by Joseph Llanes and captions as told to Rolling Stone Country by Kelsea Ballerini.
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Brotherly Love
"I love these guys [bass player Scott Jones, drummer Jacob Simmons and guitar player Reid Johnson]. They look after me like big brothers and are so talented. It's been fun to be in a full band; that's a pretty big thing for us."
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Dixie Trio
"Since this was the CMT Next Women [of Country] tour, I wanted to bring up some of the other 'next women.' So I texted [Maddie and Tae] asking them to do this with me, and said, 'We should do a Dixie Chicks song! But you guys pick it.' So they picked 'There's Your Trouble,' and it was so much fun. I didn't tell anyone they were coming, so I started singing [Maddie and Tae's] 'Girl in a Country Song' and brought them up, and people lost it! I always want to be a surprise-giver."
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xil9c0fGGtY]
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Plugged In
"I really want to show people that I can play [guitar] and I can write songs. That's part of my story as an artist. . . actually, it's the whole reason I am an artist."
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Golden Ticket
"That was the first time I'd ever seen my name on a ticket! I should get one. This is at [a meet-and-greet]. This guy named Joseph, who I went to high school with, brought a yearbook. He opened it for me to sign, and under my picture said, 'Most Likely to Be a Singer.'"
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Kindred Spirits
"The girls there in the front row — those are the ones connecting the most, and I love it so much. That's me! That's where I was a year ago."
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Dancing Shoes
"I do a lot of dancing on stage, but I also wear unrealistic shoes. . . At this point, I was good to go. I only get really anxious until about the first chorus."
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Full House Jitters
"Before the show, I was getting my hair and makeup done and CMT and CoverGirl were filming. That was when Carly [Pearce] had just gone on stage, so I was trying to hear the crowd's reaction to her. I was starting to get nervous, because I could tell it was a full house. Hometown shows, especially in Nashville. . . those are your peers, so I really wanted to do a good job."
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Lights, Camera, Closeup
"It was very, 'Lights, camera, action!' while we were doing our makeup. But usually, that's my get-in-game mode — when I'm doing my hair and makeup, I'm listening to music and it's my 'me time,' my time to think about the show and what I want to say. But it's so funny, I made a list about two years ago of my dream tour, dream partnership and all these things. . . And CoverGirl was at the top of my list for sponsorships. It's so cool to see how dreams come true. It reassures me that I'm where I'm supposed to be."
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Model Subject
"I love being in front of a camera, but I also love being behind a camera. In high school, we'd do photo shoots and sometimes I was the one being photographed and sometimes I was the photographer. I just love pictures. . . capturing the moment, capturing the milestone."
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Surprise!
"I had a friend spend the night at my apartment [Tuesday] night, and she ran into my room and jumped on my bed and said, 'You're nominated for a CMT Award!' Want to know something crazy? Last year, I bought a ticket and went to the CMT Awards as a fan." [Ballerini's "Love Me Like You Mean It" is up for Breakthrough Video of the Year.]