“Under The Welcome Mat” Exclusive Fan Event in Nashville with Kelsea Ballerini at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
On August 8, Kelsea Ballerini held the second of three fan-forward events, coined “Under The Welcome Mat.” Prior to the intimate evening, Kelsea was honored by her record label Black River with a plaque celebrating her accomplishments from the beginning of her career to date, including her seven number ones, 31 RIAA certifications, and over six billion all-time streams in front of some of Nashville’s top industry gatekeepers outside of the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum.
After the surprise presentation, Kelsea offered a heartfelt thank you, surrounded by friends, family, and industry professionals.
Kelsea announced the expanded Rolling Up The Welcome Mat (For Good) at the first fan event at Los Angeles’ GRAMMY Museum. Released on 8/11 on Black River, the project includes a live version of “Penthouse (Healed Version),” the full rest-of-the-story “Interlude,” an updated “Blindsided (Yeah, Sure, Okay)” and the brand-new, put it out there “How Do I Do This,” where the East Tennessee songstress moves from surviving to thriving over the course of seven songs.
“The best part of Rolling Up The Welcome Mat (For Good) is knowing I don’t need to talk about this stuff anymore,” said Kelsea (8/7). “My whole life is ahead of me, so this expanded version is to let people know there’s real freedom in breaking down, in facing the emotions because it gets you to where your life can really shine.”
“Recording Rolling Up The Welcome Mat the way we did, was, in a lot of ways, catharsis,” continued Kelsea (8/7). “But with the updated version, I am asking from my fans that they help this be ours and simply let the music be the music. I don’t want to dig back into experiences that it was written about nearly a year ago. As a songwriter, producer, and artist, I am very proud and protective of this record. And as a woman and human, I am also proud and protective of the new, happy season of life I’m in. I’m happier than I’ve ever been... and anyone listening can be too.”
During the exclusive event, fans and industry were treated to behind-the-scenes insights into the projects following a screening of Kelsea’s award-winning short film Rolling Up The Welcome Mat. Her first time sitting in the director’s chair, Kelsea earned two Gold Telly Awards and a Silver award for her self-directed short film debut, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat.
In true Kelsea fashion, the self-proclaimed “overshare”(er) couldn’t let the night end without giving fans an early listen to “Interlude (Full Version)” before the vocalist shined in a vulnerable performance of “Leave Me Again.”
To encapsulate the energy from the three events, Kelsea created exclusive, limited-edition t-shirts specific to each market that reveals a new lyric from “Interlude.”
After hosting the final fan event in New York City on 8/10 at Whitby Theater, Kelsea launched the new record with a Citi Concert Series on TODAY performance LIVE on the Plaza at Rockefeller Center the following morning (8/11), Rolling Up The Welcome Mat (For Good)’s official release date.
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About Kelsea Ballerini
Kelsea Ballerini has consistently made history. With the release of her debut album The First Time (Black River), she became the "only female country artist to hit #1 with the first three consecutive singles from a debut album." This history-making feat helped earn the honeyed alto a Best New Artist GRAMMY nomination. She has logged five back-to-back Top 10 entries on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, including the platinum-selling The First Time [2015], gold-selling Unapologetically [2017], gold-selling kelsea [2020], ballerini [2020], and SUBJECT TO CHANGE [2022]. With seven #1 singles and 31 certifications from the RIAA to date, her catalog boasts a string of essential smashes such as the double-platinum "Miss Me More" and "Peter Pan," platinum-selling "half of my hometown" feat. Kenny Chesney and "hole in the bottle" with Shania Twain, and gold-selling "I Quit Drinking" with LANY. Among dozens of accolades thus far, she has garnered three GRAMMY® Award nominations, won two ACM Awards, picked up two CMA Awards, took home the iHeartRadio Music Awards honor for "Best New Artist," and received multiple career nominations from the ACM Awards, American Music Awards, CMA Awards, CMT Awards, and People's Choice Awards. Most recently, Kelsea earned a nomination for "Female Artist of the Year" for the 2023 ACM Awards and the video for her hit single "HEARTFIRST" received a nomination for "Visual Media Of The Year." She concluded 2021 as the "#3 most-played female artist on country radio" and CMT "Artist of the Year" in addition to picking up "Musical Event of the Year" and "Video of the Year" at the CMA Awards for "half of my hometown." Kelsea scored a nomination in the category of "Single of the Year" at the 2022 CMA Awards for "half of my hometown," and she notched a People's Choice Awards nomination for "Country Artist of 2022." Kelsea led the field for 2022 CMT Music Awards nominations with three nominations for "Video of The Year," "Collaborative Video of The Year" and "CMT Performance of The Year." Not to mention, she snagged a nomination for "Music Event of the Year" for the 2022 ACM Awards as both artist and producer of "half of my hometown." This marked Kelsea's first ACM nomination as a producer. Expanding her sphere of influence, she authored her first original book of poetry Feel Your Way Through, and Dolly Parton tapped her to star in the audiobook of Run, Rose, Run. In April 2022, Kelsea co-hosted the CMT Awards on CBS nationwide. On top of this, the multi-platinum country superstar was named the newest face of COVERGIRL. She has joined the brand in a multi-year partnership and is set to launch a cosmetic collaboration with the brand in 2023. She was inducted as a member of the famed Grand Ole Opry in 2019. At the time, she notably became the Opry's youngest member in its nearly 100-year history since being founded in 1925. With these accolades, it is no wonder NPR proclaimed, "Kelsea Ballerini is definitely one of the most influential women in country right now… she's defining the sound of the genre." Kelsea's fourth album, SUBJECT TO CHANGE, arrived on September 23, 2022. The first single "HEARTFIRST," quickly took over airwaves as the "most added song at country radio" the week of its release and was recently certified gold by the RIAA. Most recently, Kelsea earned a GRAMMY® nomination for "Best Country Solo Performance" for "HEARTFIRST." Kelsea surprised fans with the release of her intimate six-song Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (Black River) on February 14, 2023. Welcome Mat, along with an accompanying short film written and directed by Ballerini, marks the multi-platinum star's most intimate and honest work to date. The project became an instant hit with fans and debuted to universal acclaim from critics including The New York Times, Variety, Rolling Stone and more. On the heels of Welcome Mat's success, Kelsea made her Saturday Night Live debut on March 4, 2023. She recently wrapped a stint as special guest on Kenny Chesney's I Go Back 2023 Tour as well as the sold-out third leg of her exclusive headlining HEARTFIRST Tour. Kelsea Ballerini is ready to continue making history in 2023 and beyond.