Kelsea Ballerini has rerecorded the songs on her March release Kelsea for a new stripped-down album. Ballerini removes the polish and production of the original versions to center the focus on the songwriter’s lyrics and voice.
Set for release next week on September 11th, Ballerini arrives with a starkly different recording of her single “Club.” While the 2019 treatment was an ebullient, radio-ready affair that masked the song’s mournful undertones, the Ballerini interpretation emphasizes those notions of detachment and depression. “I don’t want to go to the club,” she objects, exasperated, over a lone piano. “I don’t wanna watch everybody around me trying to hook up.”
“Kelsea is glitter: bold and effervescent and dreams that are boundless. She’s who I want to be. While Ballerini is emotional, vulnerable, soft: observes her surroundings and chooses her words carefully. She’s who I am,” Ballerini said in a statement, calling the new album “the other side of the same story.”
Ballerini is set to promote the record with an appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden on September 14th. She’ll also provide a performance of her current single “Hole in the Bottle” for the Ryman Auditorium portion of September 16th’s ACM Awards, at which she’ll compete for Female Artist of the Year.