{"id":2446529,"date":"2026-06-05T16:32:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2446529"},"modified":"2026-06-05T16:32:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:32:31","slug":"kelsea-ballerini-is-reconnecting-with-her-independence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/kelsea-ballerini-is-reconnecting-with-her-independence\/","title":{"rendered":"Kelsea Ballerini Is ‘Reconnecting’ With Her ‘Independence’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Kelsea Ballerini<\/strong><\/a> isn\u2019t afraid of reinventing herself \u2014 both on stage and off \u2014 and her current chapter in New York City is just the latest example.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to have a little New York moment,\u201d Ballerini, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> at the Amplify Your Ambitions Singing Concert & Competition, presented by SoFi, in Nashville on Thursday, June 4, while kicking off the 2026 CMA Fest<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ve always romanticized that, and I never knew if music would bring me up there or some part of my job, but \u2026 after putting out [my album] Patterns and then the Mount Pleasant EP, I was like, \u2018OK, I\u2019m gonna just step away for a second. I need a shift.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Ballerini added that she was ready to have her \u201cCarrie Bradshaw moment\u201d \u2014 and city life is living up to her wildest expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a stoop!\u201d she gushed. \u201cI sit out on it every night. Glass of wine, and I\u2019m just people watching with my little podcast. It\u2019s so nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ballerini noted that her time in NYC will only end up being a \u201clittle chapter,\u201d but it\u2019s already \u201cbeen really fun.\u201d She\u2019s also learned a few valuable lessons since settling in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s reminding me to stay really open in life, that you never know when you can make a new friend, and you never know when you can reconnect to your independence, and what that can look like in different seasons,\u201d she told Us<\/em>. \u201cAnd I think I\u2019m still on my journey to find the best dirty martini in the city, so I have two months left to find it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Kelsea Ballerini<\/span> Ryan Northrop \/ BFA.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Ballerini, the move from Nashville marked a special milestone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in Nashville since I was 15, and so all my friends are here, my family is here in Knoxville,\u201d she said, \u201cso this is the first time that I\u2019ve kind of done something truly on my own, and it feels exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her inner circle, of course, includes other women taking the country music scene by storm. When asked which fellow artist will always be there for her no matter what, Ballerini named Carly Pearce<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s such [a] beautiful camaraderie between all the women [in country], there really is, and I can say that genuinely,\u201d she explained. \u201cBut Carly and I are sweatpants friends, like, we kick it, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Last month, fans saw rising star Ella Langley<\/strong><\/a> thank Ballerini on stage at the 2026 ACM Awards<\/a> while accepting her Female Artist of the Year trophy. Looking back at her own career, Ballerini opened up about the importance of paying it forward to other artists.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Where Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes Stand After Hanging Out in NYC<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tKelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are \u201cnot back together\u201d despite a recent hangout in New York City, multiple sources tell Us Weekly exclusively. \u201cThere\u2019s always a feeling of unfinished business with them, and both feel it\u2019s hard to fully close the door on the relationship,\u201d one source explains to Us, noting that there haven\u2019t been [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI think in every stage of your career \u2014 in every career, but I can speak to mine \u2014 it is so important to ask questions and find mentors and people that just can come alongside you and grab onto you and hold you up and push you forward,\u201d she told Us<\/em> on Thursday. \u201cFor me, I remember \u2026 God, this was, like, 12 years ago now. \u2018Love Me Like You Mean It,\u2019 my first single was not even top 40 yet, and Taylor Swift<\/strong> tweeted about it, and it changed my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ballerini continued, \u201cSince then, Faith Hill<\/strong> has become such a warm voice to me, and Wynonna<\/strong> [Judd<\/strong>] has let me truly sit on her couch, and be like, \u2018What am I doing with my life?\u2019 And Karen Fairchild<\/strong>, and Alison Krauss<\/strong>, and Trisha Yearwood<\/strong>. They have carved such a path in this industry, and to be able to have them to look forward to really excites me to hopefully do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for her own next steps, Ballerini teased that she\u2019s \u201clucky enough to be a part of quite a few collaborations\u201d in \u201ca couple different genres\u201d that she\u2019s \u201creally excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like always, fans can expect to hear Ballerini share her vulnerable side<\/a> through her lyrics \u2014 but maybe less so online following her split from ex Chase Stokes<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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