8 February 2017

Hard to believe that the acclaimed, award winning singer, songwriter Kelsea Ballerini is still just 23 years old. Without doubt she’s the most exciting new voice in contemporary American country music, the obvious heir apparent to Taylor Swift’s crown. On March 10th Sony Music Commercial Group UK, in conjunction with Black River Entertainment will release ‘The First Time,’ the phenomenally successful debut album from the exciting rising star. This special UK edition will feature 4 bonus acoustic tracks. “After having the opportunity to launch Kelsea’s career, we’re thrilled to take these additional steps to further it by introducing her to the global marketplace,” said Black River Entertainment CEO Gordon Kerr. “We look forward to a strong and successful partnership with Sony Music Commercial Group.” The RIAA Gold-certified album features the smash #1 US singles; the Platinum-certified “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Peter Pan” and Gold-certified ‘Dibs,’ along with current hit single “Yeah Boy,” and fan-favourite “XO.” Each of the 12 tracks are delivered in her remarkable voice, a voice that belies her youth with a passion and spirit that make you sit up and take notice. Kelsea has sold over 300,000 albums in the USA, over 2 million singles, has 80 million YouTube hits, and is coming up for 250 million streams. Her life went into a tailspin when her parents divorced and she turned to songwriting for salvation after hearing Keith Urban’s ‘Stupid Boy’. Attracted by the gut-wrenching lyrics and raw story, she started to write her own songs, drawing inspiration from Kelly Clarkson, Shania Twain and Taylor Swift. At 15 she and her mother moved to Nashville from East Tennessee and the rest is fast becoming history. In 2015 Kelsea received Billboard’s prestigious ‘Rising Star’ at their Women In Music event while last year she received CMT’s Breakout Artist of the Year. This year she is nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy Award, as well as Best New Country Artist at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. She has also established herself as an incredible live performer, having opened for Lady Antebellum, Rascall Flatts, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban in addition to a sold out headline US tour last autumn. Rolling Stone called Kelsea Ballerini “one of the most unique new talents the genre has seen in a long time” and who are we to argue. Kelsea Ballerini is currently in the studio working on a new record due for release later this year. In the meantime the UK can enjoy this wonderful debut album and look forward to her touching down on UK soil later this Spring.