Breakdown Before Breakthrough: Kelsea Ballerini Earns Grammy Nod For Post-Divorce Album

Kelsea Ballerini experienced a major breakdown before finally earning her long-awaited breakthrough when she was nominated for a Grammy for her album "Rolling Up the Welcome Mat."

"I think just this last year of my life has just changed everything about the way that I think about my career and my personal life," the 30-year-old singer-songwriter said after learning about her album receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album.

Elsewhere in her interview, the "Mountain with a View" singer also explained how writing "Rolling Up the Welcome Mat" taught her freedom as a songwriter.

"The thing that I learned that I just really hold closely now is there's no amount of truth-telling or detail that will make it not relatable," she continued.

Kelsea Ballerini Reflects on Making 'Rolling Up the Welcome Mat'

The album was inspired by Ballerini's life, which crumbled under public scrutiny following the breakdown of her marriage.

According to reports, the singer was married to Morgan Evans for nearly five years before they divorced in 2022.

"I think for a long time, even though I was writing about my life and my emotions, I would try to round the edges, because I'm like, 'I want everyone to feel themselves in this,' or see themselves in the story," Ballerini said.

And while she admitted that she wanted the songs to be relatable, the "If You Go Down" singer also admitted that she created it "very selfishly."

"I made it very selfishly ... quite literally emotionally because I had to," she said. "I put my dog's name and addresses and receipts, and all these things, and it connected more than anything else I've ever put out."

Kelsea Ballerini Earns Another Grammy Nomination

Ballerini and Evans met in 2016 after co-hosting Australia's Country Music Channe; Awards; a year and a half later, they tied the knot.

It has been quite a while since their divorce, and Ballerini has since moved on; she is currently dating "Outer Banks" star Chase Stokes.

"I swore I would never get married," the singer explained vaguely about the reason behind their divorce. "I think he loved me more at 23 and I love me more at 29."

The country-pop star was first recognized by the Recording Academy in 2017, the same year she was nominated Best New Artist, and her trajectory just kept going up.

She earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance for her hit song "Heartfirst" while her album "Unapologetically" received a Best Country Album not in 2019.

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Kelsea Ballerini, Grammys