Kelsea Ballerini Gears Up For Her Australian Tour This December - And She’s Taking Requests
“There are songs we didn’t even play on the US tour that I want to play in Australia.”
Kelsea Ballerini (Nyk Allen)
It’s been six years since Kelsea Ballerini last performed in Australia, and for fans, the wait has been long enough. The country-pop superstar is finally returning down under, and it’s safe to say that both she and her fans are equally excited about what’s to come.
“I think the last time was 2019,” she recalls. “So much life and music has happened since then, and I’ve always loved playing in Australia. I feel like I had the luxury of going really early in my career to play CMC, and I just remember being so glittery-eyed about how the fans over there dive into every song, even verse two of track seven. Everything matters. It’s not just the hit, and I loved feeling that.”
And it’s not just the fans she’s missed. “I also really am excited for some halloumi,” she laughs. “I daydream about it, and we don’t do it the same here. It’s not the same.”
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Since her last visit, Ballerini’s catalogue has expanded significantly, with multiple albums and EPs capturing different seasons of her life, and showcasing her growth not just as a musician, but as a woman navigating change, heartbreak, and reinvention in real-time.
“I’ve definitely gone through a shift in how I create,” she explains. “I think especially with SUBJECT TO CHANGE, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, and Patterns, I really let go of worrying where I fit. I knew songwriting and storytelling would always be my roots, but I wanted to play. I wanted to write with other artists, but also really write for myself.”
That freedom has been key to her evolution, and Ballerini notes that it’s been both intentional and instinctive. “I’ve always tiptoed on the line of vulnerability, but I think part of it is just growing up into who I am. That confidence comes with time. Rolling Up the Welcome Mat was a bit of an anomaly, it was the first time I made a project where I didn’t care about anything except writing my guts out. I didn’t care if it rhymed or if a song was a minute and twenty seconds. It was what it needed to be, and I think the way people connected with it has changed the way I’ll make music forever.”
That sense of boldness isn’t just reflected in her lyrics, it’s part of a broader wave in country music we’re seeing right now. Women are owning their narratives and supporting each other more publicly than ever before, Ballerini is often seen championing fellow artists like Carly Pearce and Maren Morris, both collaborators and close friends.
“I’ve always been drawn to women’s voices on the radio, and I think growing up whether it was Britney Spears or Shania Twain, or growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, like Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, because I find myself in what they’re saying,” she says. “And when I got lucky enough to be in this space, I knew it was important to lean in and support each other. Sometimes that’s sharing your stage, Shania did that with me, Taylor did that with me. Then other times it's like those really quiet moments where you need advice on something, and you you call someone, or you quietly encourage someone. Those friendships are so unique, there’s nothing like bonding with other women going through the same experiences. Carly is my girl, we were texting yesterday. And Maren and I just wrote some songs together that was so fun and girly and and spicy.”
As her Australian tour approaches, Ballerini admits one of the hardest parts has been figuring out which songs to play. “There’s a lot of music now,” she laughs. “And there are songs we didn’t even play on the US tour that I want to play in Australia. I want it to feel different and special because it’s been five or six years. Honestly, I might just do an Instagram poll and let people tell me what they want to hear. Songs hit differently there. I’m open to suggestions.”
She promises a fresh take on the show, building off the tour she just wrapped in the US, but bringing her own twist. “We’ll definitely use the visual blueprint of what we just did, but I’ll have new outfits, because I’m a girl and I can and it’s fun, and I’m excited about that,” she says with a grin. “But more than anything, I want to hold space for just either getting out into the crowd every night or making sure that there's a lot of touch points. That became such a beautiful, unplanned part of the shows here in the States, and I think in Australia, even more so, I want to be open to wherever the crowd takes me. Whether it’s a kid’s first concert or someone’s anniversary song, I want to have those moments again.”
When asked to sum up the current chapter of her life in three words, she doesn’t hesitate: “Slow Girl Summer.” It’s a fitting motto for someone who’s spent the last few years working relentlessly, emotionally and creatively. Now, she’s learning to move with intention, to savour the calm, and let herself just be.
Of course, fans have questions like whether she’ll release the updated version of Peter Pan that she’s performed live. “That’s such a good idea,” she says, lighting up. “It’s kind of tied to another song I sing in the set called Beg For Your Love. They really go together. But I guess I could slice and dice them. Maybe I’ll do a “live-from-Sydney” version or something. Let’s manifest it!”
Another fan-favourite that comes up is Better Luck Next Time, which originally aired on the TV series Songland. But despite the track’s popularity, Ballerini explains why it never really made it into her setlists. “I love that people connected with it, but I’m someone who likes to bring the idea into the room. I want to have the title, the chorus, the chord progression, I want it to come from me. Even though we co-wrote that song, it didn’t come from my guts. So I didn’t feel as connected to it.”
That connection is everything for her and it’s why, moving forward, she’s more focused than ever on keeping her writing circle small and intentional. “I’ve always written everything, whether it’s a solo write or with one or two others. I just started writing again, and I think this time around, I want it to be even smaller. Like, just me and one other person. That’s where I feel most like myself.”
Still, she acknowledges how valuable those big co-writing experiences have been. “Writing with people like Ed Sheeran, Ryan Tedder, Jon Bellion, it’s amazing, but sometimes you’re just soaking it all in. You’re learning. And when you’re in a room with your heroes, like Hillary Lindsey or Shane McAnally, you kind of go, ‘Whatever you think is right!’” she laughs. “But I’ve learned that sometimes, I lose a bit of my own tone in that process.”
As for the songs that longtime fans are dying to hear like deep cuts from the kelsea album she’s totally open. “Yes! That’s good to know, because I’m taking requests. The kelsea album came out at the beginning of COVID, so I never really got to tour it. I’ve played Hole in the Bottle and Half of My Hometown, but there’s so much on that record I love. I’ll definitely dust some of those off.”
And while it’s clear that Kelsea Ballerini has grown into an artist who’s unafraid to write with vulnerability and take control of her story, it’s her openness with fans, with herself, with the creative process that continues to make her one of the most compelling voices in country music today.
Australia, get ready. The tour is coming, the setlist’s (partly) in your hands, and halloumi is definitely on the menu.
KELSEA BALLERINI AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
Saturday 6 December
ICC Sydney Theatre | Sydney, NSW
Sunday 7 December *NEW SHOW
ICC Sydney Theatre | Sydney, NSW
Wednesday 10 December
Margaret Court Arena | Melbourne, VIC
Thursday 11 December *NEW SHOW
Margaret Court Arena | Melbourne, VIC
Saturday 13 December
Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Brisbane, QLD
All tickets on sale now via ticketek.com.au
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