A country-pop star and songwriter from the United States, Kelsea Ballerini has released several albums. She began writing songs at a young age, and in 2015, after signing with Black River Entertainment, she released her first full-length album, titled The First Time.
Unapologetically, her second studio album, came out the following year, in 2017. Seven songs from Ballerini’s first two albums have reached the charts, including the Hot Country Songs and the Country Airplay charts.
She has four number-one singles on the latter, beginning with her debut single “Love Me Like You Mean It,” which made her the first female artist to have a debut single reach the top of that chart since Carrie Underwood in 2006.
Her subsequent singles, “Dibs” and “Peter Pan,” also peaked at the top of their respective country music charts, making her the first female country artist to do so since Wynonna Judd. ‘Legends’ is Ballerini’s fourth top-charting song. Both Kelsea and Ballerini, her third and fourth studio albums, came out that year.
Early Life
On September 12, 1993, Kelsea Nicole Ballerini entered this world. She was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. Ed, her father, and a former sales manager at a country radio station have some Italian blood in him. Carla’s mom has a background in marketing and has done work for Thomas Nelson Bible Publishing and a sponsorship firm.
She was born into a childless family. At age three, she enrolled in dance classes at Premiere Dance Studio in Seymour, Tennessee, where she remained for a total of ten years. She was a member of the choirs at both her school and church.
Before relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, she composed her first song at the age of 12 for her mom. Prior to pursuing a career in music, she studied for two years at Lipscomb University after graduating from Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Centennial High School in Franklin, Tennessee.
Kelsea Ballerini Is Co-Hosting The 2022 CMT Music Awards
The CMT (Country Music Television) Awards, where country singers are honored for their television appearances and music videos, will take place on Monday, April 11. Kelsea Ballerini will co-host the event. Variety reports that 2022 will be the first year the previously cable-only awards presentation would air on CBS.
Kelsea Ballerini has an impressive net worth! Find out how much the country hitmaker has earned during her career. https://t.co/j0gFO5ikWT
— Life & Style (@Life_and_Style) August 29, 2022
For the second year in a row, Ballerini will serve as the host after partnering with country music icon Kane Brown in 2021. Anthony Mackie, an actor most recognized for his work in the Marvel Avengers films, will co-host this year’s event with Ballerini.
Executive producers Margaret Comeaux, Leslie Fram, and John Hamlin said in a joint statement that they “couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pair one of the biggest names in country music with one of the world’s most thrilling superheroes to host our biggest CMT Music Awards ever.”
“Kelsea and Anthony are both enormously successful individuals in their own right, and when they come together, they bring colossal star power that transcends the worlds of music, movies, and pop culture with a huge fan following.” Although country music celebrities normally host the CMT Music Awards, Mackie is not the first actor to do so.
In addition to Sarah Hyland, Kristen Bell, Pamela Anderson, and Brittany Snow, other movie stars have emceed the event. “We feel this dynamic team is the perfect pairing to push our show to the next level as we reach our largest global audience ever live on CBS,” the executive producers continued.
The Country Music Star Is Nominated For Multiple CMT Music Awards
Multiple categories for the 2022 CMT Music Awards have been nominated to Kelsea Ballerini. She may win Video of the Year and Collaborative Video of the Year for her work with Kenny Chesney on “half of my hometown,” as well as CMT Performance of the Year for her work with Paul Klein of LANY on “I Quit Drinking” from the 2021 CMT Music Awards, as reported by Rolling Stone.
Fans can tune in to CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET on June 2 to see Ballerini host the CMT Music Awards. Paramount+ will also be streaming the ceremony live at the same time. Fans who are unable to watch the show live can catch an “Extended Cut” broadcast on CMT on April 15 that includes 30 minutes of bonus material.
