Kelsea Ballerini Announces New Album ‘Patterns’: Expect the Unexpected

NEW YORK (AP) — Kelsea Ballerini is beaming with excitement and a touch of nervousness. On October 25, the world will finally get to hear her fifth full-length album, “Patterns.” This collection of songs is an “accurate snapshot” of her life, and she wants listeners to know that it’s not the story they’re expecting.

“I think that people probably expect this really happy-go-lucky, love, mushy, gushy record from me. That’s not the case,” she tells The Associated Press. “And I’m really proud of that. It would have been easy to, I think, just collect the really beautiful parts of my life that I’ve dusted off and found the last couple of years. But that’s not the fullness of my experience.”

Ballerini refers in part to her previous EP and short film from 2023, “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat,” which focused on the end of a marriage. This referenced her own life, as she divorced Australian country singer Morgan Evans in 2022. Now, she’s happily partnered with “Outer Banks” star Chase Stokes, but her love life isn’t the core of “Patterns.”

“There’s a lot of narrative of learning how to go from fighting with something or with someone, to fighting for something or for someone. And there’s a lot of that journey for the whole record,” she says.

Unlike the reflective nature of “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat,” Ballerini explains that “Patterns” is active and in-the-moment. The driving force of the album revolves around self-analysis and personal growth, particularly within the context of her close relationships.

This theme shines in the previously released track “Cowboys Cry Too,” featuring Noah Kahan, which is the only collaboration on the album. This song empathetically examines toxic masculinity from a female perspective. Another noteworthy track, “Sorry Mom,” will drop on Friday. It’s a heartfelt, guitar-pop confessional that many listeners will find relatable.

“It’s an intimate song,” Ballerini says. “The first line is, ‘Sorry, mom, I smelled like cigarettes.’ You know, it’s the things that your mom doesn’t really want to hear. But then you get to the chorus and the meat of it and the heart of it, and it’s a letter of thanks to my mom for raising me the way she did.”

“Sorry Mom” is among many love songs on the album. Whether it’s “Cowboys Cry Too,” which addresses the men in her life, or a song like “First Rodeo” that focuses on self-preservation and celebration, these tracks benefit from being created in a secure writing and recording setting.

For “Patterns,” Ballerini assembled an all-women team. She co-produced and co-wrote the album with Alysa Vanderheym and collaborated with songwriters Jessie Jo Dillon, Karen Fairchild from Little Big Town, and Hillary Lindsey. “I’ve never felt so safe making an album before, top to bottom. There was more pressure on this record just because of all the ears and eyeballs that ‘Welcome Mat’ got,” Ballerini notes. “And so, I wanted to safely make this one where I didn’t feel the pressure from the inside.”

The team went on writing retreats, which produced a streamlined but not monotonous project filled with warmth, empathy, and heart. “That’s what we do as women,” Ballerini says.

This comfortable environment also allowed for creative risks. Though she identifies as a country musician, Ballerini isn’t afraid to cross genre lines. “To me, what makes me undoubtedly country is my storytelling and my songwriting. And that will never waver or change. But, per usual, I didn’t overthink whether there was a banjo or a beat drop. And there are both on this record, as there have been on my other ones,” she says. “I think lyrically and content-wise, I really just was team no rules. Nothing’s off limits.”

“Patterns” contains lighter songs and darker ones, exploring themes of self-discovery, insecurity, and different geographical settings. New York and South Carolina become characters in the album, embodying Ballerini’s dual public and private personas.

“It’s my job to make a record that has something for everyone. But that comes from making a record that’s true to me, and that’s what I did,” Ballerini concludes. “And so, I just hope people feel something,” while listening. “Whatever it is.”

Source: Associated Press