Commanding the stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Friday (8/24), it was a full-circle moment for Black River Entertainment’s KELSEA BALLERINI as she opened for KEITH URBAN on his GRAFFITI U WORLD TOUR stop. Urban’s “Stupid Boy” inspired Ballerini to begin songwriting over a decade ago.
“I moved to Nashville at 15 to do just this,” she shared with the packed house. “My first opportunity was as a songwriter, and I feel like I’ve learned the most by listening to and watching songwriters.” Ballerini also offered advice to all the songwriters in the room wondering if Nashville is the next step in their own journey, “It is. Do it,” she added. “It could change your entire world.”
During her dynamic set, the Country superstar performed tracks from her acclaimed sophomore album UNAPOLOGETICALLY, including the title track, “Roses,” “Miss Me More,” and chart-climbing current single “I Hate Love Songs.” In addition to her GOLD-certified, history-making #1 “Legends,” she also spanned her career-launching PLATINUM-certified, #1 smashes: “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs,” and “Peter Pan,” from her GOLD-certified breakout THE FIRST TIME. Ballerini remains the only female artist in Country music history, including female duos and groups, to claim #1 with her first three consecutive singles from a debut album.
As a “fan of a songwriter,” Ballerini also conducted an arena-sized sing-along with a heart-stirring cover of Fleetwood Mac’s iconic “Landslide.” In addition, she joined Urban later on in the show to duet on his hit “We Were Us.” Applauding her powerful “poise and sass,” The Tennessean claimed, “Ballerini proved she can work an arena crowd and only needs half of a song to make them fall in love.”
The GRAFFITI U WORLD TOUR continues next week with back-to-back shows at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, on Friday (9/7) and Saturday (9/8). Additional details on venues, cities, and dates running through November can be found here.
For more information on KELSEA BALLERINI, visit KelseaBallerini.com and reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT KELSEA BALLERINI: Applauded as GRAMMY nominee Kelsea Ballerini’s “grown-up statement” (Rolling Stone), the Black River Entertainment artist’s acclaimed sophomore album UNAPOLOGETICALLY takes listeners on an intimate journey of loss, life, and love. The 12-track compilation – all written or co-written by Ballerini – features the GOLD-certified, #1 hit “Legends” and current chart-rising single “I Hate Love Songs.” This summer, she’s Keith Urban’s featured artist on the GRAFFITI U WORLD TOUR, after wrapping her own sold-out headlining THE UNAPOLOGETICALLY TOUR. The record-breaker skyrocketed to stardom after releasing PLATINUM-certified, #1 smashes – “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs,” “Peter Pan” – from her GOLD-certified breakout THE FIRST TIME. Ballerini is the only female artist in Country music history, including female duos and groups, to go #1 with her first three consecutive singles from a debut album. As spotted on “Best Dressed” lists, the style maven appeared in a multi-page fashion spread in Cosmopolitan’s March 2018 issue, with several other high profile looks in 2017: Billboard Magazine’s GRAMMY preview issue; Forbes’ “30 Under 30” class; and People Magazine’s “Beauty at Every Age” list in their iconic World’s Most Beautiful issue. Praised by The New York Times as an “elegant songwriter,” Ballerini has received the esteemed ASCAP Vanguard Award, CMT Next Women of Country’s Impact Award, Nashville Business Journal’s Artist of the Year, ACM Honor’s Gene Weed Milestone Award, iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Country Artist, Billboard Women in Music’s Rising Star, multiple Radio Disney Music Awards plus several breakthrough female awards from ACM and CMT.
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