Kelsea Ballerini is stepping into one of the biggest nights of her career as a four-time nominee and performer at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. With her first-ever nod for Entertainer of the Year and a highly anticipated performance on deck, the songstress says this year feels especially meaningful to her and she’s going to make sure to mark the moment in style.
It will all begin when she walks down the ACM Awards red carpet at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on Thursday, May 8. The “Patterns” singer hinted that her look will be “timeless” and “classic” so that she can always look back on the photos and feel special about the night.
Later on, she will take the stage to showcase “Baggage,” a track that has become a fan-favorite off her latest album.
“I’m excited. I mean, this is our first big performance [of “Baggage”] other than being on tour and it feels like a performance that I can show up…being nominated for Entertainer of the Year, I feel like I’m delivering something that is maybe worthy of that nomination,” she told Country Now.
Ballerini On Her Full Circle Moment
In addition to receiving her first nod for Entertainer of the Year, she is also vying for a win in the categories of Female Artist of the Year and Music Event of the Year (“Cowboys Cry Too” with Noah Kahan) as an artist and producer. This marks her eighth time being nominated for Female Artist of the Year.
If Ballerini were to claim the Entertainer of the Year title, she would join an elite group of females who have previously won the title including Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, The Chicks, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson.
“I’m happy to just be in the same conversation,” she admitted.
This wildly impressive recognition comes hot on the heels of the East Tennessee native’s major headlining tour that came to an end in April. There’s no doubt that with all of her hard work over the years, Ballerini has earned her nomination in this category among fellow superstars like Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen.
“To me, entertainer is kind of looking at the scope of country music and saying, these are the people that we feel like are representing the genre, not just on touring fronts, but on all of it. The best and the most forward facing,” she explained.
“It’s been a very busy last couple of years and I’ve always really tried to be kind of a go-getter and do it for country. And it feels really beautiful to know that my peers and the town and the genre I love so much, it feels like are seeing that. And I am so proud of the tour that we did and it’s bittersweet that it’s done. But yeah, it feels like a full circle.”
Plans For A Quiet Summer In South Carolina
Now that her tour as well as her time as a coach on season 27 of The Voice is wrapping up, Kelsea Ballerini is preparing for a summer of down time. Following her appearance at the upcoming CMA Fest, she shared plans to hone in on her writing while enjoying a few warm months with her boyfriend, Chase Stokes in South Carolina.
“Anytime I have a big chunk of time just to not be busy, something comes up. So I’m very ready for that. But as of right now, my man goes back to filming soon and so I think he was able to be on tour with me a lot and I want to be able to be there for him. So I’m going to shift into real life for a bit and hopefully within doing that for a while, start to very slowly write again and figure out what’s next. But catch me in Charleston with the dogs. That’s where ill be for most of the summer.”
2025 ACM Award Performers
Kelsea Ballerini joins a slew of must-see performances set to appear during the 60th ACM Awards. The event will open with a special delivery celebrating ACM Songs of the Year from the past six decades, featuring Clint Black, Dan + Shay, Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, and Sugarland.
Also hitting the stage is Eric Church, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton, Zach Top, and Lainey Wilson.
Plus, fans can look forward to special collaborations from Backstreet Boys and Rascal Flatts, Jelly Roll with Shaboozey, and Brooks & Dunn with Cody Johnson.
How To Watch
Reba McEntire is gearing up to reclaim her hosting duties for the 18th time, which is more than any other artist in ACM history.
She will lead the 2025 ACM Awards broadcast that will be streamed live around the world on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT, exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. The show is expected to reach audiences in over 240 countries and territories.
More details can be found HERE.
The post Kelsea Ballerini Reflects On First ACM Entertainer Of The Year Nomination [Exclusive] appeared first on Country Now.
