Kelsea BalleriniStella Lefty made her Grand Ole Opry debut on Tuesday (1 September).
Following her performance, the Opry Instagram account shared a special moment from the green room, in which Lefty sang her hit single, Boston, with two young girls from the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The sweet video drew positive comments about Lefty brightening the two girls’ days, but it also attracted criticism from commenters who claimed she has a career only because of her multi-billionaire father, Eric Lefkofsky. He’s the co-founder of Groupon, as well as the founder and CEO of Tempus AI and Mediaocean.
Comments toward Lefty included describing her as a “nepo baby” and “industry plant” and accusing her father of paying for her music career to be successful. Kelsea Ballerini, it seems, doesn’t share the same outlook.
Ballerini, who became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2019, came to Lefty’s defence in the comments section.
“opry member chiming in,” she began. “yes, the opry is about honoring the legacies and the people that have inspired both me and her.”
Ballerini continued, “but, from different backgrounds and hometowns and generations, we can find ways to say and sing things that resonate with people that fill the seats…and that is always the goal right?”
She then described Lefty’s backstage moment with the girls as “beautiful” and discussed the Grand Ole Opry’s reputation for honouring “all kinds of country music.”
Ballerini wrote, “this backstage moment is beautiful. and y’all in the comments continue to not honor the people the actual opry house opens its arms to. it’s about celebration of all kinds of country music…new, old, traditional, current, however you wanna say it. it’s all important, and it should all be able to be shared in our safest and most sacred stage in country music.”
She concluded the post, “celebrate music like the opry does.”
Despite backlash against Lefty and her single, Boston, the track remains a massive hit. It’s peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the ARIA Singles Chart in Australia and previously hit #1 on the Countrytown Hot 50.
