If you are following Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman‘s divorce, you may have seen the name Kelsea Ballerini pop up here and there. So, who exactly is she, and what role does she play in the reports about the divorce? Let’s unpack.
After their separation became public news, Urban was immediately linked with two women – one being his guitarist, Maggie Baugh, and the other being Ballerini. Talking to Woman’s Day, an insider stated, “It’s true he and Maggie Baugh have been working closely together, but he’s also still very close to Kelsea Ballerini, who’s also newly single.“
The publication noted that Urban and Ballerini have crossed paths frequently over the years and have a very supportive friendship, before adding, “Keith has no shortage of shoulders to cry on.”
A Nashville-based music industry source dropped some scalding hot tea to the Daily Mail, claiming, “The rumor is that he’s with a younger woman in the business. It’s all everyone is talking about. Everyone wants to know who, but so far, that’s a mystery.“
While most believe that the “younger woman” in question could be Baugh, there are some who are even pointing the finger at Ballerini. Urban is 57 years old, turning 58 on October 26. Meanwhile, Ballerini has just turned 32.
On January 31, Ballerini was performing in Nashville when she dove into a story from her childhood about Urban and how his song, Stupid Boy, changed something in young Ballerini. As she went on and on, the crowd was shocked to see Urban walk onto the stage, surprising them. They went on to perform a duet version of Stupid Boy.
A post shared by Kelsea Ballerini (@kelseaballerini)
Needless to say, there’s a lot of speculation going on about what’s happening between the two singers, with no answers to the questions at all.
Here’s What You Need to Know About Kelsea Ballerini
Born on September 12, 1993, Kelsea Ballerini is a five-time Grammy-nominated singer from Mascot, Tennessee. She was awarded the Rising Star Award at the Billboard Women in Music in 2015. Her most recent Grammy nomination was this year, at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, for Cowboys Cry Too with Noah Kahan.
Ballerini was 15 years old when she began performing. She signed a deal with Black River Entertainment in 2013 when she was 19 years old. Her debut single was Love Me Like You Mean It (via NBC).
Writing songs was her way of coping with everything that had been going on around her, including her parents’ divorce. She told CMT in 2014, “I started coping with life through that way and never stopped.” She first started by writing poems and journals, before moving on to songwriting.
So far, Ballerini has released five studio albums:
The singer has come a long way from her poem-writing days. She was recently a judge on The Voice Season 27, along with Michael Bublé, John Legend, and Adam Levine. Unfortunately for her, her team didn’t win the season, and Bublé’s Adam David was crowned the winner.
Apart from singing, Ballerini recently dipped her toes into the television industry with a role in ABC’s short-lived medical drama, Doctor Odyssey. She played the role of bride-to-be, Lisa.
Kelsea Ballerini’s Recent Breakup and Dating History
Kelsea Ballerini and Outer Banks actor Chase Stokes seemed to be in a very happy and public relationship before they went their separate ways. A source told PEOPLE, “They’re two adults who gave it their all and tried to do everything they could to make it work, but ultimately couldn’t. It happens.”
Click here to read more about their romance.
On September 25, days after their breakup, Ballerini returned to the stage and apparently referenced their relationship in front of the crowd. Via PEOPLE, she stated that she had some “healing” to do that week. In her words,
I think there’s this beautiful healing connective thing that happens when I get to play music with you. Your girl needed it this week.
She also seemingly had a message for those hounding her and Stokes after the breakup. Ballerini took to TikTok to post a video of herself to Ariana Grande’s Shut Up. She captioned the video, “cc speculators, ‘sources’, and hidden cameras outside the hair salon. Let us be.” Could “us” mean she and Stokes?
Despite the breakup, both Stokes and Ballerini still have each other’s photos up on their Instagram, and she was also seen subtly supporting her ex-boyfriend. After Stokes posted a carousel of his collaboration with Zenni Optical, Stokes supported his feat by liking the post. A comment claims that Ballerini liked the post in under 12 minutes.
A post shared by Zenni (@zennioptical)
Prior to dating Stokes, Ballerini was married to Australian country singer Morgan Evans. They tied the knot in 2017 and were divorced in 2022. As per Elle, they first met while co-hosting Australia’s Country Music Channel Awards in early 2016.
These are the basics of what you should know about the young woman who has unfortunately become entangled in the Kidman-Urban divorce saga. What are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments section below!
