Kelsea Ballerini Addresses Rumors She Is Dating ‘Outer Banks’ Actor

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

January 17th, 2023 1:33 PM

Rumors started to swirl on the internet after Kelsea Ballerini was seen in a photo with Outer Banks actor Chase Stokes at the College Football National Championship Game on January 9. Kelsea went on TikTok to squash the rumor.

Ballerini posted a video on TikTok yesterday of her with dating rumor headlines behind her. She said, “I know, I know, I know. Stop reading, stop reading. Stop looking. But what is happening, guys? What? Let’s not do this.”

She captioned the video, “I’m about to break up with the internet 5 sure,” with a laughing emoji.

Four days after the game, Chase posted a “Lil recap” of his life on Insta stories, which included a snapshot of him getting close to Kelsea in the stands. Kelsea commented, “Go vols,” on his post, along with a see-no-evil monkey emoji.

On August 29, Kelsea Ballerini announced that she was divorcing her husband of five years, Morgan Evans. On CBS This Morning in October, she talked about the aftermath of the decision to end her marriage announcement just weeks before she released her Subject To Change album (9/23).

Kelsea told CBS’s Anthony Mason, “I think when there’s a big life decision like [divorce], it’s not a sudden one, and there’s a lot that happens before that becomes public. So, I’m on my active healing journey, and a big part of that is showing up for this album and showing up for myself like I never have.” She noted, “It’s easy to shame yourself, and it’s easy to want to hide, and I just want to be proud of myself in 10 years on this season of my life. This is not just a heavy time in my life. This is also a celebratory time in my life. I don’t want to shade that because that’s important to feel.”

Ballerini also said she was really proud of herself for doing what makes her happy instead of everyone else. She said, “I’m a peacemaker, we’ve talked about this before, and I’m a people pleaser, so to do something that kind of goes against those two things is really difficult.”

12 Kelsea Ballerini Songs That Made Her A Star

• 12. “Yeah Boy” (2016)

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  Described as an ode to the 1990s, in the song's video, Kelsea is shown performing the song in a colorful bodysuit in front of a neon backdrop and a brick wall spray-painted with graffiti, with female backup dancers.

• 11. “Legends” (2017)

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  This song is a bit legendary as it topped the Hot Country Songs chart on Billboard. Ballerini performed the song at the 2017 CMA Awards with country legend Reba McEntire.

• 10. “I Hate Love Songs” (2018)

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  The song was originally not going to be recorded for her second album. Still, after receiving a standing ovation for her performance of it at the Grand Ole Opry in August 2017, Ballerini decided to include it on the record. She said at the time, "I called my label, I was like, 'I think we need to cut this song.'"
• 9. “Miss Me More” (2018)

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  A critically acclaimed song for Kelsea, she performed it many times on TV, including at the 52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards. Thirteen days later, she performed it on Season 15 of 'The Voice,' and then in June of 2019; she performed the song at the 2019 CMT Music Awards.

• 8. “Homecoming Queen?” (2019)

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  The lead single from her third studio album 'Kelsea,' which was released in March of 2020. In an interview with The Tennessean, Ballerini revealed that "Homecoming Queen?" heralded "a new, more emotionally vulnerable phase of her career."

• 7. “Dibs” (2015)

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  The name of her dog, which she got as a puppy when this song first came out. The song's video consists of footage Kelsea took herself while on tour in York, Pennsylvania, Greenville, South Carolina, and St. Leonard, Maryland, performing in front of live crowds, celebrating her 22nd birthday, and spending time with her dog.
• 6. “Love Me Like You Mean It” (2014)

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  Her debut single and the song that brought her to the country music dance. "Love Me Like You Mean It" peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, making Ballerini the first solo female to top that chart with her debut single since Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel" in 2006.

• 5. “The Other Girl” (with Halsey) (2020)

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  A solid collaboration. Ballerini and Halsey performed the song live on 'CMT Crossroads' on March 25, 2020. The song won a CMT Music Award for Performance of the Year, marking both artists' first CMT award.

• 4. “Peter Pan” (2016)

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  Another chart-topper for Kelsea, the song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold 672,000 copies in the US as of March 2017. Ballerini first performed the song live with Nick Jonas at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
• 3. “Heartfirst” (2022)

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  Her new single and already a hit with fans. Kelsea co-wrote the song with Alysa Vanderheym and Little Big Town member Karen Fairchild. She recently said it was the first song that she ever wrote where she did not come up with the title first; instead, the opening line "Met him at a party/ Accidentally brushed his body/ On the way to get a drink at the bar" was the first lyric she wrote for the song.

• 2. “Hole in the Bottle” (2020)

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  A catchy and fun drinking song. A remix of the song featuring Shania Twain was released on November 13, 2020. An alternate song recording is also included on Ballerini's fourth studio album, 'Ballerini.'

• 1. “Half of My Hometown” (featuring Kenny Chesney) (2021)

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  A classic sounding and much-loved country song with fellow native East Tennessean Kenny Chesney. The song won both Musical Event of the Year and Video of the Year at the 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards and is nominated for Single of the Year at the 56th CMA Awards.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

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Tags:

Chase Stokes,Kelsea Ballerini