Kelsea Ballerini had a big year in 2023. She earned her fourth career Grammy nomination for her EP Rolling up the Welcome Mat. She also headlined her first arena show at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. Additionally, she made her Saturday Night Live Debut. Now, she’s looking to carry that momentum into 2024. Recently, she confirmed that she’s working on a new album. However, she is taking her time on the project to make sure it’s perfect.
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Recently, Ballerini attended Audacy’s Leading Ladies to perform. Before the show, she sat down with Katy Neal for a quick chat about what her future holds. Much is still uncertain for the East Tennessee native. However, she knows that new music is coming as soon as it’s ready for the world.
Kelsea Ballerini Is Taking Her Time on New Music
In the past, Ballerini has created new music and pushed it out as fast as possible. This time around, though, she wants to give her new project time to breathe and mature before sharing it with the world. “It’s been a process this time—in the best way—so I’m allowing it to have the time that I think it deserves,” she explained. “I think for a long time, in my whole career, since my first record, I’ve been like ‘Okay. Keep pushing it out, keep it going.’ And I just want to honor the music. I want to do it right,” she added. “It’s still in the pod, in the incubator. It just needs a minute.”
Ballerini then expanded on why she is choosing to take her time with her next project. “I still want to have that pureness and that intention of making something that I’m proud of that reflects the truth of my life right now,” she said. “It’s getting there.”
Later in the discussion, Ballerini talked about the benefits of the long wait and how the new album is shaping up. “It’ll be worth the wait,” she promised. “It’s something I’m really proud of. It’s taking shape in a way that’s different than how I anticipated even and that’s why I want to give it the time and space it deserves to really make sure that it’s the record that it needs to be,” she added.
Featured Image by Manny Carabel/Getty Images for Audacy’s Leading Ladies 2024
