2023 CMA Awards

Kelsea Ballerini Is ‘Obsessed’ With The Brothers Osborne’s New Album

Author Lauren Hoffman

November 6th, 2023 7:31 PM

Kelsea Ballerini is a force to be reckoned with in Nashville and beyond. The country superstar stopped by to see us ahead of the CMA Awards this week to talk about well, a little bit of everything.

Not only did Ballerini receive her sixth CMA Award nomination this year for Female Vocalist of the Year but she also received a prestigious Album of the Year nomination for Rolling Up The Welcome Mat which she wrote, recorded, and produced.

RELATED: Kelsea Ballerini: ‘Your 20s Are For Self-Discovery’

Ballerini’s EP Rolling Up The Welcome Mat featuring the tracks “Blindsided” and “Penthouse” alongside her short film, is her most personal and impactful work to date. The singer-songwriter left her work behind for a few minutes to answer some fun listener questions.

As you watch our interview above, host Jeff Kurkjian receives some fashion advice from Ballerini, she reveals her favorite spot in Nashville (they have the best margaritas), says she is now a “supplement girly,” and has one word to say about Brothers Osborne: “obsessed.”

The country duo consisting of T.J. Osborne and John Osborne released their self-titled fourth studio album on September 15. The eleven-track collection includes Brothers Osborne’s current single, “Nobody’s Nobody,” and Ballerini just couldn’t get enough between their vocals and guitar playing.

I think we can all agree that as of right now, together we will put this dreamy collaboration between Ballerini and Brothers Osborne out in the universe. You never know; maybe we will see them hit the stage together next year at the CMA Awards.

Ballerini will hit the stage at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday night during the CMA Awards to perform “Leave Me Again.” The live performance will follow the 30-year-old’s headlining (and sold-out) show at the Thompson-Boiling Arena in Knoxville.

The 57th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville on Wednesday, November 8 at 8/7c on ABC hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning.

Top Five Fun Kelsea Ballerini Songs

"Yeah Boy" (2016)
A fun song found on her debut album, “The First Time.” The music video for the song is an ode to the 1990s. Ballerini is shown performing the song in a colorful bodysuit in front of a neon backdrop and a brick wall spray-painted with graffiti, with female backup dancers. When the song came out, Kelsea was touring with Rascal Flatts and headlining her own “The FirstTime Tour.”
"Heartfirst" (2022)
This is a song on Ballerini’s “Subject To Change” album, which seemed to catapult her to a new level of fame. Kelsea wrote the song with Alysa Vanderheym and Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild in July 2021. According to Ballerini, it was the first song that she ever wrote where she did not come up with the title first; instead, the opening line, “Met him at a party / Accidentally brushed his body / On the way to get a drink at the bar” was the first lyric she wrote for the song.
"Dibs" (2015)
The fun song she named her dog after. The official music video for “Dibs” premiered on October 22, 2015. The video consists of footage Ballerini took while on tour in York, Pennsylvania, Greenville, South Carolina, and St. Leonard, Maryland, performing in front of live crowds, celebrating her 22nd birthday, and spending time with her dog. The chorus sings, Yeah, I’m callin’ dibs / On your lips / On your kiss / On your time / Boy, I’m callin’ dibs / On your hand / On your heart / All mine.”
"Hole in the Bottle" (2020)
Kelsea happily joins the country music ranks with a drinking song; a remix of the song featuring Shania Twain was released five months after the original single came out. The music video begins with a vintage black-and-white style with Ballerini dressed in flapper wardrobe reminiscent of the 1920s. Once the first chorus hits, colored scenes are introduced, and she is shown in a house painting a portrait of her dog Dibs in a field with a couple of friends who join her in lounging on a bed and performing a dance routine with the singer and playing chess with herself.
"If You Go Down (I'm Goin' Down Too)" (2022)
This song is a gem and puts Kelsea in the same company of “fun” murder songs like the Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl.” Ballerini said when the song came out, it was actually to evoke thoughts of the 1991 film “Thelma & Louise” and The Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl.” She told us then, “We really wanted to lean into a very ’90s country feel, and so we brought in fiddle for the song, which I think to me makes it. That’s also why there’s a Chicks reference to it, which everyone picks up on, which was absolutely intentional. I didn’t want to make it sound like anything else on the record. I wanted it to be its own moment.”