Everything We Know About Kelsea Ballerini’s Third Album, ‘Kelsea’
On Wednesday (Jan. 22), Kelsea Ballerini officially announced her third studio album, Kelsea. In the months leading up to sharing the news, Ballerini has hinted quite a bit at a new record in the works. She also dropped a small handful of new songs, including the vulnerable single "Homecoming Queen?"
On the afternoon of her big announcement, Ballerini broke the news to fans first in a secret pop-up show. Shortly thereafter, she revealed her plans for a new record via her social media, including the album's cover art. Read on to learn everything we know about the new record!
The Title
Ballerini's third studio album is a simple twist on a self-titled record. She's calling the new project Kelsea.
The Release Date
After announcing the new album in January, Ballerini isn't making fans wait too long before hearing the new batch of music. Kelsea is due out on March 20, and pre-order and pre-sales begin on Friday (Jan. 24).
The Record Label
Kelsea will be released via Black River Entertainment. Both of the previous full-length albums she's released to date, as well as a 2014 EP, were released via the label.
The Producer
There's no word yet on who produced Ballerini's forthcoming project. Stay tuned!
The Album Cover
Ballerini shared the cover art for Kelsea in an Instagram post on Wednesday (Jan. 22), along with the official announcement of her new album. The album's cover shows a photograph of the singer lying in a grassy field, wearing a ruffled, strapless pale pink outfit. The album's name is spelled out in all white, lower-case letters at the bottom of the frame.
The Single
"Homecoming Queen?", the first single off of the then-unnamed new project, came out in early September of 2019. The song delved into a more vulnerable, reflective side of the singer than she'd ever shared with fans before, and Ballerini said that the song was "definitely the most emotional song I've ever released."
Ballerini shares a beautifully simple, stripped-down message of self-love and acceptance in "Homecoming Queen?" the track attended sparsely by acoustic guitar. The singer co-wrote the song with Nicolle Galyon and Jimmy Robbins.
The Songs
After dropping "Homecoming Queen?", Ballerini subsequently shared "Club," a mid-tempo anthem for all those who have more fun staying in than going out; “LA,” which she calls “the most vulnerable thing I’ve publicly shared;" and her "first drinking song," "Hole in the Bottle."
In late February, she revealed the full track list of the project via a sneaky, cryptic Instagram post. What originally appeared to be a blank white square turned out to reveal Kelsea's list of songs in its entirety, once fans began to adjust the contrast on the image. The newly-announced details also included two big-name collaborators for the project: Kenny Chesney and Halsey.
Additionally, earlier on, Ballerini revealed that she'd been working with some out-of-genre A-Listers to write the songs on her new album. Among them are pop artists Ed Sheeran, Ryan Tedder and Julia Michaels.
Kelsea Ballerini, Kelsea Track Listing:
1. "Overshare"
2. "Club"
3. "Homecoming Queen?"
4. "The Other Girl" (with Halsey)
5. "Love Me Like a Girl"
6. "Love and Hate"
7. "Bragger"
8. "Hole in the Bottle"
9. "Half of My Hometown" (feat. Kenny Chesney)
10. "The Way I Used To"
11. "Needy"
12. "A Country Song"
13. "L.A."
The Tour
Ballerini hasn't yet announced a tour in support of her new album. The Boot will update this section when she does!
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