Kelsea Ballerini’s New Album Patterns Explores an Honest Journey of Love and Personal Growth
By Website Content Manager
Patterns delves into the complexities of love, self-reflection, and personal growth.
With her previous project, Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, Kelsea Ballerini became more vulnerable than ever, sharing the stages of grief from her recent divorce. Since then, she has found love again with Outer Banks star Chase Stokes. While she seems to be in a new chapter of happiness, fans may be surprised to learn that her newly released album, Patterns, isn’t a collection of joyful love songs.
The songstress has openly admitted that she’s never been a big fan of sappy love songs, as evidenced by her 2018 single, “I Hate Love Songs.” While that sentiment still rings true for Ballerini, her fifth studio album Patterns does explore love—but in a more grounded, realistic way. The album addresses not only her experiences with romantic relationships but also her connections with friends, family, and, most importantly, herself.
“I feel like this record, in particular, coming off of Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, I thought there might be some ideas that were very mushy, gushy, heart-eye emoji, and pop-leaning. But I was really intentional about making it honest—definitely love-filled, but honest love and the nuance of love,” Ballerini shared during her recent appearance on the TODAY Show.
When Kelsea Ballerini turned 30 on September 12, 2023, she decided it was time to take a deep look at her life. Through some introspection, she began asking herself key questions: “What in my life right now do I love? What feels uncomfortable? What have I contributed to both of those things? What are my patterns? And then what do I want to work on and edit in myself? And in my closest, most interpersonal relationships, what do I want to edit, challenge, and celebrate also?” she shared with PEOPLE.
This self-reflection led to the creation of Patterns, a 15-track album that Ballerini describes as making her feel almost “naked” due to the rawness of her emotions in every song. To bring her story to life, she enlisted an all-female team, including producer and longtime collaborator Alysa Vanderheym, Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee Hillary Lindsey, GRAMMY Songwriter of the Year nominee Jessie Jo Dillon, and Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild.