Kelsea Ballerini stopped by the Audacy Studios at the Hard Rock in Nashville to talk with Katie Neal!
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00:00It always is so weird when you're here because I know I see you I want to just
00:04talk to you I have to interview you and it's like a weird we're very
00:07professional this is amazing first of all not to hijack the interview but I
00:13just I remember when you told me about this space being built out and like you
00:18having this upgrade I mean serious upgrade it's a serious upgrade we're
00:23literally laughing because at one point you were at my house and I was like I
00:25need you to record something and my studio was like in a closet in a spare
00:28bedroom and you like sat in there recorded it for me and now we're here
00:31which is why I mean you deserve this and everything it's just amazing to see it
00:35really is we get to sit down I was thinking like we haven't done an
00:39in-person interview no like maybe since 2018 like we did something in March but
00:46that was really fast yep every other time it's been over zoom I know well
00:49and candidly we were supposed to do this over zoom or like with a producer
00:54and remember we rescheduled it so we could actually hang in person I'm so
00:58happy yeah me too we've still had to be this way it had to be this way we have
01:01so many things catch up up first I just want to know like how you are because
01:05you've been like jet-setting back and forth between Nashville and LA
01:08everywhere else yeah I I'm good I mean I'm in it right now you know like I feel
01:13like I'm in in the sprint and I'm sprinting until CMA Awards and then I
01:17shall go to the house and lock the doors and and you know you'll never see me
01:24but until then we're in it but it's fun I mean I'm doing a lot of different
01:29things so I feel like I'm getting to wear a lot of different hats and so
01:32there's no day that I'm like this feels repetitive I feel bored you know I'm
01:36like yes the voice or doing this or promo or like talking to friends or
01:40awards show so it's always something it's something different but then I
01:44don't know about you that it's always fun but then that to me is always hard
01:47because then I'm it's not the same muscle so I'm extra tired last night for
01:51the People's Choice Awards I was so nervous because I haven't been singing
01:56like I made my record but I haven't been touring and I turned in the record like
02:01a month and a half two months ago and I've been doing everything else except
02:04for singing like every other part of my job and so I sounded amazing thanks I
02:08was I was so happy with it but I was nervous it looked great it looks great I
02:12was like I literally in the video that I was taking I like gasped when the
02:15curtain fell and it was like city lights and the smoke billowed out and sunflowers
02:18it was beautiful I was happy with it wait so speaking of all these different
02:21things you've going out like I will talk so much about patterns but first I want
02:24to know like how is voice stuff going I know that you can't really talk about it
02:27okay good it's so fun I mean I I knew John legends from when I filled in for
02:32Kelly but I had never met buble and I had never met Adam Levine and so I was
02:37nervous you know I grew up on their music so yeah being up there with them
02:42and knowing that I had to fight with them to get certain artists for my team
02:45was I mean that is such a head trip to be like I understand that you probably
02:50want to go to the lead singer of maroon 5 but here's why you should pick me
02:53instead pick me choose me love me pick me because I'm the most competitive
02:57person and I will win I mean you've played games with me it I I'm pretty
03:02ruthless to have the guys realize that or even like playing it a little coy I
03:06mean I'm I'm definitely little sister vibes which is is nice so I feel like
03:10they're like oh she's like she's the young country girl and I'm like totally
03:13totally what I don't think they understand is like I'm in my mind I'm
03:17like you will win because I know how competitive there's no way that you're
03:20not it's it's so weird though because we're almost done with playoffs and then
03:25we go to live in March so such a way yeah there's so much pre-tape you know
03:31these artists just they there's they can't tell anyone that they're on the
03:35show or how far they've made it or anything it's really crazy it's so wild
03:38cuz yeah the season that's airing now they're probably in lives right they're
03:42about to be in lives Michael's doing both so he'll do he did blinds one week
03:46for 26 and then blinds are weak for 27 like back-to-back it's crazy that's so
03:51wild but I'm like so excited to see it fun it's really fun cuz you always like
03:56when you filled in for when you Kelly yeah yeah like that was just I'm so
04:00excited for everyone to get to see you cuz like I know you know this and like
04:03you're like at the height of your career but everyone always says like once the
04:06TV thing hits it just like yeah it's on another level it's and it's a different
04:11muscle cuz I'm I'm just I'm talking there's no everyone thinks it's scripted
04:17there's no script and so it requires so much like presence you know like you are
04:22just there the cameras on you 12 hours a day and you are just you are coaching
04:28you are available the whole time and so it's just yeah it's it's a lot of
04:33presence it's a lot of like okay in my 10 years what advice can I give this
04:38person and then like also where can I just step back and and listen to exactly
04:44it's been nice good yeah and then also like speaking of more TV things the
04:48doctor odyssey thing I was like screaming in my living room when I saw
04:51this same okay so your guest starring I also another thing I'm sure that you
04:56can't see a ton about yeah like how did this happen what was it like I mean you
05:00know like I I've been dabbling with the idea of getting into the acting space
05:05for a couple years now because I said the hardest no to it for so long but I
05:09was just scared of sucking I'm scared of failing especially publicly like on a on
05:13a TV film situation that's very terrifying to me especially now digging
05:18someone who is in that world and like seeing it is so high octane I mean like
05:22it is it's a lot and so I was open to it and then I was in LA doing the voice and
05:29I got the offer I didn't have to audition they were just like will you
05:32play this character so basically it's it's a show about a medical team on this
05:39luxurious like sexy cruise ship and every episode different guest stars come
05:45in to like lead that episode basically and so yeah I got to do it for are you
05:50playing yourself no no oh wait that's even more fun it was so fun and it's
05:56like quite literally I am screaming crying or throwing up the entire hour
06:04the entire hour like day one my first scene is just me vomiting over and over
06:11and over again so it was it was fun it was an experience and I I will do it
06:15again if I can I would that was gonna be my next question it's like wait this is
06:19great and you mentioned like dating chasing like it's obviously like it
06:23feels I'm sure like more nerve-wracking when you're dating someone in that world
06:26was he like helpful as far as like I mean I mean it's hard to be helpful in
06:30that yeah I'm sure he was but you know me I'm so independent well that's the
06:36other things I'm sure that if he had tried to offer help you probably like no
06:39no just let me do it just let me do it so I was very I mean the only time I had
06:42seen like a call sheet before was when I would go visit him on set at our bank so
06:47it was just it was new so I would like ask him logistical questions of like
06:52yeah what does this mean crew call like where do I fit in here but as far as
06:56like helping me I was like I want to do it on my own and then show you you know
07:00exactly has he seen it were you nervous to show him I I recorded the screens a
07:04lot and so I like showed him clips and stuff but I haven't seen the episode oh
07:08my god yeah I'm nervous this is gonna be so fun
07:11let's have a watch party I want to you want to yes okay that'd be fun it's
07:16gonna be so fun and I just wait speaking of chase how is he he's good yeah good
07:20it's loving his short do right now I know me too me too it's such a fun
07:25chapter for us because like he just put out a movie he's about to put out
07:29Outerbanks I'm putting out the record like it's just like very fruitful for
07:34both of us in our careers right now but two things can be true and like we also
07:39have some real life stuff like really grounding us you know with with dibs and
07:43so it's like I mean I adore him so much and like you know I'll go to work and
07:50he'll take dips to chemo or vice versa and it's just like very much so like a
07:53very grounding thing in the middle of all the chaos of our careers right now
07:59yeah it is what how is to be doing he's okay he's okay I mean he he's home which
08:04is like the best thing for me the doctors here are great he's in he's in
08:09chemo and he's he's like he's happy he doesn't know he's sick good how are you
08:13doing with it that's my bigger concern it's fine I'm okay yeah yeah like it's
08:19just it's hard and anybody who's like been through this knows this it's just
08:22a lot of babies okay okay deep breath yes we'll take a beat let's talk about
08:27pattern Oh patterns yay okay patterns I want to know like story behind title
08:32track patterns and how patterns ends up as the yeah well okay so I I am crazy
08:41and I am a control freak no and every single album I always do like the Hail
08:47Mary thing where it's like the albums done but I still have like three weeks
08:50of wiggle room what else can I fit in and so we added like five songs in like
08:55the very last home stretch and patterns was one of those the album was called
09:01did you make it home and then we wrote patterns I was like man listening to it
09:06with kind of the pillar tracks like first rodeo and two things and sorry mom
09:10I just felt like that thematically fit the whole record better because I think
09:14the whole thing all 14 songs are like okay I'm 30 here's my life what what
09:22about it do I love what about it do I want to change what about it have I
09:26contributed to and then in my closest circle like what do I need to mirror
09:31with the people that I love the most and and kind of assess and the whole thing
09:35is just self-assessment and some of it is really boppy and some of it's really
09:41kind of introspective and heady and I'm really proud of it I love this record
09:45you should be really proud of it and like I'm so glad you described it that
09:48way cuz when I was listening to it like it was like my second or third time
09:51through that I was like this just as the follow-up to rolling up the welcome mat
09:55like it still feels so true to you and it's so authentic like I'm like here's
10:00this glimpse at a woman like this Glenn so like this moment of your life we're
10:04like you've been through this hard thing yeah being really vulnerable jumping
10:07into something else and like remaining just like so authentic and real like
10:13I'm trying to think of the best way to put it because like it feels like we're
10:18seeing like you were like here my flaws I'm very aware of them uh-huh I'm
10:23embracing them and I'm also like sticking to my guns on the things that
10:26matter uh-huh and that just like made me so proud of you cuz I like I know you're
10:31going through all of those things but also like sharing them with the world
10:34yeah like I said this is Keith Urban recently I was like I always appreciate
10:37when someone shares an experience once they're on the other side of it and they
10:40can speak to it but like I think it's even more beautiful and vulnerable when
10:42someone's like I'm still in the middle of figuring all this out and here ever
10:45and ever yeah like forever and ever we will be I just think that's like the
10:50human experience but I think I also think that just reading comments for a
10:55long time like I think people expected me to make this like really sunshiny
10:59happy-go-lucky mushy gushy album and I just I don't think that's in me like
11:04that's just not that's not how I make music anyway but I really wanted to make
11:09sure that I kept that that honesty that I found and welcome that because that
11:14worked I mean more than anything else I've ever put out and so I was like man
11:17okay obviously very different phase in my life but how do I keep that that just
11:23like I don't know just really really bare bones of the good and the bad and
11:30how do I pivot that into my life right now and and I feel like we did that and
11:35I'm proud of that and there is love throughout the whole thing whether it's
11:39love like self-love love to my mother love to my friends love to chase but
11:44it's like the nuance of it it's like the the grit of it the whole album to me is
11:49like two things can be true 100% and I liked you have said that to me for years
11:52and years and it's always been like such a good reminder like I was actually
11:56thinking my way to work this morning I was like I am so tired and I just need
11:58to sleep but I was like but so many amazing things are happening like that's
12:01right I can be grateful for that and really sleepy at the same and there's
12:03space for both all the time yes yeah and it's so important I feel like for people
12:07to hear that when you say when you should they say the we of making this
12:10album you made this with like a very close-knit group of women that I really
12:15want you to talk I could honestly cry I just honestly I didn't know where to
12:21start after welcome at I was like sure because I didn't make that album to be
12:26what it became and I'm so grateful but I was like how what do I do now like how
12:31do I how do I make a record to follow this up I don't know and so I I took a
12:36retreat and I just asked my friends that I felt safe with mm-hmm that happened to
12:42be stupidly talented so Elisa van der Heim Jesse Joe Dylan Karen Fairchild and
12:48Hilary Lindsey we all went to this beautiful house in st. Louis and I just
12:53knew if there was a way to like dip my toe in it was there and if we didn't get
12:57anything that was also okay because like we would have like sisterhood time yeah
13:00we should spend time with the girls yeah every day week and we wrote two things
13:05sorry mom and baggage on that trip and I was like I think I'm just gonna lock the
13:09door I was like well you guys make this record with me can we think tank it and
13:12the whole record is like some of it's the five of us some of it's just mean
13:16Alisa some of its me Alisa JJ it's all kind of like a collage but it's just us
13:21it's five women producing writing that's it and I'm so proud of that and you
13:26should be and it's so beautiful and like what a fun thing for all of you to have
13:30forever yeah like I know how important female friendship is to you and I feel
13:34like to have that this album wrapped in that is yeah it's womanhood and I think
13:38I think even though that's not like a theme of the record I do think there's
13:42like this this energy of womanhood as a thread throughout every song for sure
13:47on that no I definitely I feel that what are you most excited for people to hear
13:51what are you most nervous for people to hear oh my gosh um I think I'm most
13:56excited the songs that I put out before the record are not the songs that I
14:02think are like the smashiest they're not the songs that I think are gonna like
14:06pop off on tick-tock which normally that's how you promo a record and I'm
14:10not doing that because I wanted to put out like the storytelling before the
14:14album comes out mm-hmm so the bops are in the reserve they're there and they're
14:19ready it's just not what I'm leading with and I think it's interesting people
14:23are like is everything mid-tempo I'm like well no but just wait a second what
14:27a nice question to ask I'm like no just give me give me a sec but I think I'm
14:31excited for people to hear the bops because I just from love me like you
14:35mean it you know like I just yeah that side of me is it will always be a part
14:40of me I love writing like those fun upbeat fun to play live songs so I think
14:46maybe like we broke up and wait are the two that I am really excited for people
14:51to hear as far as nervous I mean I think the most like vulnerable song on the
14:57record is beg for your love I think that one is you know I wrote it one morning
15:02and I had my long nails on and I literally bit my nails down so I could
15:09play guitar because I just woke up and I had to write that song and all the
15:14girls were waking up we were on a retreat and coming into the living room
15:17and I was playing it you can hear the fire in the background yeah and I had
15:21one mic just like this and I put it down so I could have a guitar and the vocal
15:25and just played it down through a harmony on it and didn't touch it and
15:29that's what's on the record and it's so imperfect but that song is literally
15:33it's about that and so I'm proud of that one I'm proud of the the sentiment of it
15:39I think it's really important I mean gosh we've talked so much but for women
15:43that have gone through a life change or a breakup or whatever and have grown so
15:49much and have understood like what what you deserve and what you will and won't
15:53tolerate and to hold that line even when it's hard yeah I'm proud of that message
15:59for women I really am I think you should be like I'm also very proud to be in a
16:05relationship that you know I'm I'm also I'm with an artist and so it's it's
16:10really nice to be able to even though yes this is very much so like my story
16:15and and our story to feel supported and telling the truth you know and the
16:21truth-telling of that I think is really beautiful I think it's such a beautiful
16:24song I first of all I just I love when you do like a stripped-down and guitar I
16:28think that that will be like such a beautiful moment live should it make it
16:31at MSG but I also like when I listen to that because you and I have talked a lot
16:36about this like that is a really important message for women to hear
16:38because I feel like you know after going through like something like a heartache
16:41yeah the thing that you feel most nervous about after you've done some
16:45healing is like seeing that in action and like that's what I mean like
16:48sticking to your guns being like no I have been through this and I'm actually
16:51not gonna make I'm not gonna make the same mistake again right and I just the
16:55evaluating the pattern yeah I do see um what have been like some of your mom's
17:02favorites from this other than I'm sure sorry mom my mom loves sorry mom she
17:08loves this time last year which is like the closing track before the outro can I
17:12tell you that's the one that wrecked me really mm-hmm well okay yeah yeah it's
17:17like I like I yes this makes sense but I also like it made me think of my story
17:21but it also made me think of your story because like even every year you can
17:25look back and be like wow yeah but like yeah for me particularly this year I was
17:29like that's the oldest song I wrote that it was about this time two years ago by
17:34time the album comes out and it was track one for the longest time now it's
17:38the closing track because I do feel like after you go through the roller coaster
17:41of the whole record yeah it's like we made it it was messy but look at us now
17:46look at me now we're good like look at that tangible growth you know but that
17:51she loves that one because I think she also has walked my whole life with me
17:56you know so I think watching me from her perspective grow up and grow out of some
18:02patterns and habits has been good it's been so good I also wanted to talk about
18:06because I feel like people probably don't realize this on the outside but a
18:10lot of times an artist can turn in an album they walk away they're done
18:14there's like an entire marketing team that handles everything for them but you
18:18are in every single detail mm-hmm talk about like why that's important with you
18:23and like some of the little details that were you were like no this has to be
18:26this way well I'm just I'm really particular but it's it's because I care
18:30you know like I care about all of it not just the songwriting even though I think
18:34I kid glove that the most but like how it's presented and and where it's
18:39presented and how it's communicated how it looks everything like I it's all like
18:44a part of the art to me and that's that's fun that's like playtime you
18:48know it's so fun I will say it was not my idea to do Madison Square Garden and
18:53when it was pitched to me I was like okay I haven't toured this year I've
18:58only headlined one other arena uh-huh we're gonna put this on sale for an
19:03album that's not even out yet that feels a little gutsy and I'm like a swing for
19:08the fence girl and even that for me I was like I don't know if we can pull
19:11this off and so to see it work like it has and to sell out on your birthday I'm
19:16sorry on my birthday I was like oh it was like very I'm right where I need to
19:20be this is gonna work okay we're good I love those like yeah
19:24kismet universe like just like you're like I am see it like I'm exactly where
19:28I'm supposed to be yeah and I am I am so happy like I'm so excited to see that
19:33show it's gonna be so fun what are you I know that like there's no tour
19:36announcement yet eventually there'll be a tour for this album but like what are
19:38you already visualizing in your head is like moments of the show well I mean
19:42it's my first arena tour so it's like I remember when I signed my record deal I
19:48was like 19 or 20 and Gordon Kerr he was like what what's your dream what's your
19:54goal and I just said I want to come up on a hydraulic lift in an arena and I
19:59was so dead serious and I think I think what that meant is like I just grew up
20:05going to arena shows whether it was Knoxville or here in Nashville and that
20:08moment to me is always just so powerful where you like break that fourth wall
20:13and like you just get in that room and you're all together it's like a little
20:16love fest you know and I've always wanted to do that and so I just we're
20:21going all out with like production and content and it's it's it's a lot I'm
20:28very over budget very over budget I also want to make sure we talk about the
20:36single because I actually don't know like the story behind like how Noah got
20:41involved with this like he is he isn't he's an angel he is an angel human you
20:47always hope when you meet people that you're a fan of that they're lovely he's
20:50like the most he's like on the farthest end of that like he's the most lovely I
20:54met him at the Grammys and I was just like I I never I never shy away from
21:01being a fangirl if I love someone everyone knows it I'm very loud about it
21:05and I really wanted to meet him I just went up to him I was like man I love
21:09your record stick season it's amazing and he was like I love Peter Pan how
21:13long ago did you put that out I was like oh my god you know me so maybe like
21:16eight years ago he was like I heard that hook and I thought man I wish I would
21:19have thought of that and so we just had this like songwriting synergy immediately
21:22and a couple months later I knew Cowboys was like a contender to release as a
21:27single and I just thought it would be more impactful if the idea of toxic
21:34masculinity was covered by a woman and a man yes and so I did I just I shot my
21:39shot I just texted it to him I was like I if this resonates let's talk about it
21:44if not you're busy and we're friends and it's all good and he immediately was
21:48just like I so resonate with this and I would love to write the verse so he
21:53added so much to it so much I was just like where how did like initial idea
21:56start and like writing that with girls I mean so I started it on my back porch
22:01alone last October and then he wrote his verse I just I sent him the track with
22:09an open verse he wrote it and then we got in the studio in Nashville and he
22:12just sang it down work forward oh my god unreal unreal so good I we haven't done
22:16it live I'm dying to do it live yeah yeah I am just I'm so happy for you
22:26thank you I love this album thank you I can't wait for you to be home I know I
22:30know you're dying to be home after CMA I know everyone is that everyone in
22:34Nashville is in a dead sprint to like CMA I feel that what are you like what
22:38are you looking forward to like once you're home I know you said like lock
22:40the door lock the door I mean I just want time with like like core team core
22:45team you know and especially with dibs right now so yeah I just want to be home
22:49I want to put up a Christmas tree obscenely early yeah like I'm like
22:53looking at like November 4 yeah just like way too early I want to have game
22:58nights I just I want to cook I just want to be in it I can't not talk about you
23:02cooking because like you're someone who could like barely make a bag of popcorn
23:05when I first met you and now I think you're gonna get any steaks like I would
23:09never even a cherry steak Katie it is right like what switched I don't know I
23:18think when I go into a busy season where I know it's gonna be head down go into
23:22the sprint I like try to find things that feel really like grounding and
23:27normal and even in LA like we rented a house got the dogs out there stocked the
23:33fridge and we're cooking you know just like things that just feel normal even
23:37if I'm not home so yeah I will make you a really good chimichurri steak really
23:42good or spicy rigatoni I've nailed it I've nailed it it will burn your tongue
23:46I remember like watching you try to cook before and you'd be like I know I can't
23:50even know what to do their hand like and I just really now I'm so proud I feel
23:54like I'm I'm 31 it was time it was time it was time okay MasterChef
24:01ballerina perfect album thank you I love you so much doing this I'm just any time
24:06face okay well after CMAs game night pasta steak we'll do movies sweatpants
24:14dogs all the things okay