Photo: Getty Images
Kelsea Ballerini shared during a recent performance that she moved to New York City.
The East Tennessee-born country star, who moved to Nashville when she was 15, took the stage at Carnegie Hall on Friday evening (March 20) for An Evening with the Grand Ole Opry. Scotty McCreery, Rhonda Vincent, and Henry Cho, plus special guests Wyatt Flores and The War and Treaty also performed during the one-night-only event, which was part of the Opry’s ongoing centennial celebrations and part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival, per a press release issued Monday morning (March 23).
“Can I give you some tea as the kids say? I just moved here,” Ballerini, 32, reportedly announced during the show. “Ever since I was a little kid and I got to come here for the first time I always promised myself that I would do a season or a chapter of life in the city and that season and chapter is right now. I don’t know how long that’s gonna last, but I’m really loving it.” Though she's embarking on a new chapter in the city, the country artist isn't forgetting where she came from. She added later, “you can take the girl out of Nashville, but you can’t take the Nashville out of the girl.”
Ballerini has shared glimpses of her new city life on TikTok and Instagram. Earlier this month, she posted snapshots of “spring in the city,” posed for photos as rays of sunlight shine through the wind (set to Olivia Dean’s “Lady Lady,” and captioned, “I like it here”), and paid tribute to one of her latest singles. Ballerini played “I Sit In Parks” as she perched on a park bench near mothers with their children. She released the vulnerable ballad on her latest EP, Mount Pleasant, opening up about wanting a family. See some of her latest posts below.