Kelsea Ballerini.Photo:Terry Wyatt/Getty
Terry Wyatt/Getty
Kelsea Balleriniis sure to have made more than a few viewers shed tears at the 2023CMA Awards.
The country music star, 30, took the stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena as a part of the 57th annual CMA Awards on Wednesday. The singer-songwriter, who isnominated in two categories,performeda rendition of herRolling Up the WelcomeMatstand-out “Leave Me Again.”
The Grammy-nominated artist offered a stripped-down performance of the somber break-up song about wishing one’s ex well and learning to love and stay true to oneself.
Emerging onstage in a gold gown, all eyes were on Ballerini as she strummed her guitar and sang the heart-tugging lyrics.
“Leave Me Again” appears on Ballerini’s album of the year contender,Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. The six-song EP arrived in February to acclaim and she followed it up with a deluxe version,Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good), in August.
In addition to being up for the coveted album of the year prize, the “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” singer is also nominated in the esteemed female vocalist of the year category. With her two nods from the Country Music Association this year, she’s now received a total of 12 CMA Awards nominations.
Check out PEOPLE’s full CMA Awards coverage to get the latest news on country music’s biggest night.
Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes.
Ahead of her performance, the hitmakerstepped out on the red carpetwith herboyfriend of 11 months,Outer BanksstarChase Stokes,
Upon the release ofRolling Up the Welcome Mat— which sees the “Penthouse” singer opening up about herdivorcefrom fellow country singerMorgan Evans— Ballerini explained in a statement that she saw the project as the next chapter to her last full-length album, 2022’sSUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Kelsea Ballerini.
The singer continued, “The only way I’ve been able to handle my life since I was 12 was to write about it. Ironically, I started writing music because my parents got divorced; that was my therapy.”
“These are six songs I wish I had last year. It’s about the complexities of the feelings you go through during a massive shift at a young age,” the performer revealed of the project. “Rolling Up the Welcome Matwas how I processed everything. It’s the way I got my feelings out of my body and heart and put them to music — which is the purest way I could’ve handled it.”
source: people.com
