Kelsey Ballerini leads a new generation of Southern starlets who grew up with both the pop glitz of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and the country roots of Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain. Born in rural Tennessee, she started out singing in church choirs and began writing songs at the age of 12 as a way of dealing with her parents' divorce. Impressed by her talent, her mother took her to a local studio to record demos, where the producer helped her move to Nashville and eventually land a publishing deal with Black River Entertainment. Releasing a self-titled EP in 2014, Ballerini's early singles 'Dibs' and 'Love Me Like You Mean It' further marked her out as a rising star and her debut album 'The First Time' (2015) reached number four on the Country Charts thanks to its wealth of upbeat, glistening, teenage pop gems. Chronicling growing pains and adolescent romance, her breezy, rousing lullaby 'Peter Pan' became a crossover hit and she went on to play the Grand Ole Opry, open shows for her idol and new-found friend Taylor Swift, duet with Reba McIntyre and perform at the Grammy Awards with Lukas Graham. She returned in 2017 as a more confident and mature artist with the soaring single 'Legends' and an arena-pop sound on new album 'Unapologetically'. After appearing as a judge on reality TV show 'The Voice' and touring in support of 'Unapologetically', in 2020 she released her third studio album 'Kelsea'.
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