Kelsea Ballerini Reacts to Her Best Country Album Grammy Nom: ‘I Earned My Freedom as a Songwriter’ (Exclusive)

Kelsea Ballerini has felt like she’s been on top of “Mountain with a View” ever since she posted Roll out the welcome mat.

While speaking with PEOPLE for Pantene, the Pantene healthy hair ambassador and country music star opened up about her honor of having her 2023 EP Rolling Up the Welcome nominated for Best Country Album at the 2024 Grammy Awards and what she’s learned from positively the project was received.

“I think this last year of my life has changed everything about the way I think about my career and my personal life,” says Ballerini, 30.

Kelsea Ballerini performs in Nashville in December 2023.

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She explains that the success of the EP – in which she openly explores her divorce from country singer Morgan Evans – has inspired her to never shy away from being vulnerable in her songwriting going forward.

“I think I’ve earned my freedom as a songwriter,” the hitmaker declares as a result of the experience.

“The thing that I’ve learned and really hold on to now is that there’s no amount of truth-telling or detail that can’t make it relatable,” shares the CMA Award winner. “I think for a long time, even though I was writing about my life and my emotions, I would try to round off the edges, because I’m like, ‘I want everyone to feel themselves in this,’ or to see themselves in the stories.”

From Roll out the welcome matHowever, in the beginning, she says the project “wasn’t for anyone else”.

“I did it very selfishly… literally emotionally because I had to,” the singer-songwriter explains of the project, which includes songs like “Penthouse,” “Blindsided” and more. “I put in my dog’s name and addresses and bills and all that stuff, and it connected more than anything else I’ve ever posted.”

Kelsea Ballerini in Los Angeles in August 2023.

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Because of this, Ballerini continues to trust her heart and instincts while “actively working on a new album.” She adds, “Making a new record now and in a different place in my life with that freedom is so delicious.”

Ballerini’s nomination at the upcoming 66th Grammy Awards, which will air live on February 4 from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, marks her fourth nomination ever.

The country-pop artist was first recognized by the Recording Academy in 2017 when she was nominated for Best New Artist. The “If You Go Down” singer then returned to the awards in 2019 when her album No excuses she won the award for best country album, and last year she was in the competition for best country solo performance for her song “Heartfirst”.

Ballerini previously shared her immediate reaction to Roll out the welcome mat receiving the Grammys the day the nominations came out in November. She posted an adorable video on Instagram of her getting the news in real time, along with her boyfriend Chase Stokes, mom Carla and friends. She raised her hands in the air and burst into tears in the heartfelt video.

Kelsea Ballerini at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in February 2019.

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When the “Half of My Hometown” artist first dropped the EP and its accompanying visual album in February 2023, she shared a statement about how important it was to her to work on it and the growth she’s felt since releasing 2022. SUBJECT TO CHANGES.

“When I listen SUBJECT TO CHANGES, I hear a lot of self-reflection and turmoil. This is a deep dive into that turmoil,” the country star said. “I wrote most of the project myself and it was nice to trust myself again.”

Her statement continued: “The only way I could handle my life from the age of 12 was to write about it. Ironically, I started writing music because my parents divorced; it was my therapy.”

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“These are six songs I wish I had last year. It’s about the complexity of the feelings you go through during a big change in your youth,” she said of the project. “Roll out the welcome mat how I processed everything. It’s how I got my feelings out of my body and my heart and put them to music — which is the purest way I could handle it.”

In August of last year, the musician released an extended version of the critically acclaimed EP, dropping new track “How Do I Do This,” a live version of “Penthouse,” an extended rendition of “Interlude” and an updated version of “Blindsided” titled “Blindsided (Yes, of course, fine).”

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Source: HIS Education