Kelsea Ballerini photographed at Gramercy Theater on July 16, 2015 by Nina Small.
If you're at all interested in country music, you've probably heard two things: about the lack of females getting radio play, and about newcomer Kelsea Ballerini who is ready to change that statistic. Ballerini got her start in the industry by focusing on songwriting, and later signed a deal as an artist so she could showcase her own music. Since then she has built up a lot of buzz - she's released her debut album, been featured in Billboard and Rolling Stone Country, co-headlined CMT's Next Women of Country tour, earned a #1 country single, and garnered support from the likes of Taylor Swift and major country acts. Also - as of today - she has earned 2 CMA Award nominations for New Artist of the Year & Female Vocalist of the Year. We caught up with Kelsea after her first headlining gig in NYC at Gramercy Theater and asked her about her crazy year.
How was that to see the response in New York?
I was interested to see the fans showing up versus the people in the industry showing up - who was going to react how. It was cool to see [how many people were there versus fans].
It must be different than playing in Nashville, right?
I feel like Nashville, New York, and anywhere in California, you're going to get that solid mix of fans and people that are there to check you out. It's good pressure!
Your new single is called "Dibs" - what was the songwriting process like for that song?
Basically, for songwriting it always happens different ways. I had the title "Dibs" in my phone for awhile, and I just loved the flirty-ness of it. I was in a [writing] room with three of my guy friends - kind of how I wrote "Love You Like You Mean It" and we were just jamming. I threw out this title, and within forty five minutes we had the song done. What was cool about it was I wrote it with Josh Kerr (who I wrote "Love You" with), Jason Duke, and Ryan Griffin (who's a Sony artist), so we wrote the song from a girl's perspective and from a guy's perspective - we wrote it two different ways, and that was something I had never done before. It made us think a little differently, which is a challenge, and we liked it.
What is your favorite song off of your album?
My favorite song off my record is probably "Peter Pan." I just feel like as a songwriter that's probably the one I'm most proud of, and that's the one that girls keep mentioning quickest. It's just so cool to watch that song - as soon as the album came out - to take off at shows. All these girls just already knowing it and singing it has been exciting.
You recently were on CMT's Next Women of Country tour. I think what CMT is doing is awesome - I interviewed Leslie Fram before and she's great. What was that experience like? Being on the tour and being a part of that group of women?
It was so cool. CMT started the group The Next Women of Country a couple of years ago, so I wasn't even signed as an artist yet when they started it. [It had people involved] like Ashley Monroe and Kacey Musgraves and Brandy Clark, and I just remember thinking "I want to be a part of that group." ... I got to co-headline the tour with Jana - and it was so cool to go out and represent women. There's so many of us right now.
People always say "where are the women in country music?" and it was so awesome to be able to show them "we are RIGHT here!"
What has it been like being constantly named one of the next women of country? Do you feel any pressure?
It's been exciting! I wouldn't even be an artist if I didn't have people like Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, Jo Dee Messina to look up to and watch their careers. To be named one of the 'next women of country' [makes me] so excited, because I know how much they've influenced me and influenced my dreams. I really hope to be able to do that for people one day. I love country music and it makes me excited that people are embracing [it].
Things like the CMT tour are all about women supporting each other - something that my magazine is all about - and you've received a lot of support from Taylor Swift recently. What has that been like?
It's been so cool to watch people that I am truly such a fan of become friends, and become people that support me and encourage me and love me 'cause they've walked through it before.
It's such a weird, exciting, nerve-wrecking, anxious time in my life - to have people like Hilary Scott or Taylor Swift be there and support you is a) really crazy because I'm such a fan of theirs and b) really important because they get it. It's important to have people around you that get it.
The past year has been pretty crazy for you - with an album coming out, a number one - what has been one of your highlights of it so far?
So many things. Gosh. I mean like even little things like moving from a twelve passenger van to a tour bus, that's a huge highlight for me. It's probably little for most people, but that was big. Grand Ole Opry debut. #1 was still, honestly huge. I got a puppy about a week ago - that's one of the biggest highlights of my life right now! He's literally sitting here playing with a toy. It is so adorable, I wish you could see it. Even just watching it grow - it has been so cool to start at twelve years old, writing songs and watch it grow into what it's become right now. It's just a really fun thing to see.
What are your goals for your career?
I have so many goals! It's funny - when I signed with a booking agency, I signed with CAA, and they go "Kelsea, what's your goal?" and
I looked at them, so dead serious, and I go "I just want to come up on a hydraulic lift." They all started cracking up, and I go "guys, no I'm so serious!"
Touring is probably my favorite thing - touring and songwriting. So I just hope to keep growing both and keep doing both more and bigger.