Kelsea Ballerini never expected to hear her name among the list of nominees for Entertainer of the Year at the upcoming ACM Awards. Ballerini, who received a total of four nominations, shares her excitement over the surprising news on social media.
“I am absolutely speechless,” Ballerini writes. “Being nominated for ENTERTAINER OF THE FREAKING YEAR has been one of my biggest dreams and goals from the very start of this journey. I feel so incredibly grateful, and I feel seen by the genre and community I love so dearly. This continues to feel like my ten year town year and I can’t stop crying happy tears. Wow wow wow.”
Ballerini shaes the Entertainer of the Year category with Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson. She is also nominated for Female Artist of the Year and as both artist and producer for Music Event of the Year, the latter for her “Cowboys Cry Too” collaboration with Noah Kahan.
Ballerini released her Patterns album last October. The record includes “Cowboys Cry Too,” “Sorry Mom,” and 13 other songs, all co-written by Ballerini. In addition, all but one of the songs (“Cowboys Cry Too”), were written solely by women. The record was produced by Ballerini and Alysa Vanderheym. In a strange twist of fate, Ballerini, whose last ACM Award came in 2016, found a new level of reception in country music by no longer trying to fit within the lines of the genre
“I’ve always struggled with being palatable and being for everyone. I’ve slowly and gently started to realize that no one is for everyone,” Ballerini tells MusicRow. “I do have opinions and I do talk like this—the last thing I ever want to be as a human or an artist is fake. Being surrounded by these women [helped me be brave enough to share]. They not only let me lead in these rooms, they encouraged me and wanted the DNA of this album to be mine with them supporting it.”
Ballerini’s success extends far beyond country music. The Knoxville native is also serving as a coach on this season of The Voice. It’s a role Ballerini fought to have.
“The producers came to Nashville,” Ballerini recounts to Extra TV. “This was I think two years ago, and they were interviewing several country artists. That’s all I knew, and it was after Blake had retired. And so I was like, ‘I know the seat’s open. I really want it.’ So we had this dinner, and we’re talking about things coming up, all this stuff. And I just leaned across the table at the end, and I’m like, ‘Listen, I don’t know who else you’re talking to, and I’m sure you’re talking to legends and people who have way more hits and stuff than I do, but I really want this. And I can do it. I know I can do it. If you trust me, I promise I’ll do a good job.’
“I don’t really know what came over me, ’cause I’m very not like that,” she adds. “But I was very proud of myself for saying that. And two years later, here we are.”
Ballerini is currently headlining her Kelsea Ballerini: Live on Tour. Find music and tour dates at KelseaBallerini.com.
The 2025 ACM Awards will air live on May 8 on Amazon Prime. The show, hosted by Reba McEntire, will stream live on Amazon Prime from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Tickets for the general public are available now, via SeatGeek. More information is available at ACMCountry.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the ACM