Receiving four nods — nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for “Cowboys Cry Too” (featuring Noah Kahan) as an artist AND a producer — at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Kelsea Ballerini is gearing up for one of the biggest nights of her country music career thus far.
Ahead of the ACM Awards — which will take place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas tomorrow (May 8) — Ballerini stopped by media row to tease what we can expect from her. While speaking with Country Now, she delved into the details of her soon-to-be spectacular red carpet look, as well as what fans will see when she takes the stage, joining the prestigious list of performers at the 2025 ACM Awards: Eric Church, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton, Zach Top, Lainey Wilson and more.
As far as her red carpet look goes, Ballerini teased, “This is, as an artist, my biggest ACMs that I’ve gotten to attend, and so I wanted to find a carpet outfit that felt kinda timeless and classic, so that I could always look back at these photos and this night and feel good about it.” While we don’t know what her dress will look like exactly, we are hopeful that she will have her go-to accessory by her side: her boyfriend, Outer Banks and Uglies star Chase Stokes.
Now, as far as her performance goes, the Tennessee native revealed that she will be performing “Baggage,” a fan-favorite tune from her fifth studio album: PATTERNS.
For those who need a refresher, the 31-year-old has had a whirlwind of success in the country music scene ever since her oh-so public split from fellow country star Morgan Evans. The beginning of said success stemmed from her 2023 EP titled Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, covering the gut-wrenching heartbreak that stemmed from her divorce. To follow, the talented singer/songwriter put out her her 2024 album titled PATTERNS — which featured smash hits like “Baggage,””Sorry Mom,””Cowboys Cry Too” (featuring Noah Kahan) and more — covering the healing and overall happiness that came afterwards instead.
“I’m excited. I mean, this is our first big performance of it — other than being on tour — and it just feels like a performance that I can show up, being nominated for Entertainer of the Year, and feel like I’m delivering something that is maybe worthy of that nomination,” she spilled.
Nevertheless, to see Ballerini take the stage to perform “Baggage,” tune into the the 2025 ACM Awards tomorrow at 8pm ET/5pm PT via Prime Video, as well as the Amazon Music channel via Twitch. With Reba McEntire hosting the show for 18th time — making history as the longest-running host in ACM history — it is sure to be an evening to remember!
