Kelsea Ballerini: ‘Kenny Chesney Is Family Now’

From texting Kenny Chesney at 2 am with a demo of "Half Of My Hometown," to achieving a No. 1 hit on country radio, Kelsea Ballerini will always go for what she wants when it comes to her music. The song even garnered the pair two CMA Awards, Musical Event of the Year, and Video of the Year.

Ballerini's relatable country tune is featured on her self-titled third studio album, Kelsea, released in March 2020. It was the fourth single to be released from the project, following "Homecoming Queen," "The Other Girl," and "Hole In the Bottle."

"I'm a big proponent of [the idea] that you always have to shoot your shot, you know, and it's worked with Kenny. The worst thing that can happen is people say no whether they don't have the time or it's not the right time or whatever," Ballerini said.

She continued, "I think you just have to be willing to put yourself out there. And so I've always pushed myself to ask the question and, I think because there was already a friendship there, it makes it easier."

Ballerini, who is hosting Backstage Country this week, spoke on her relationship with Chesney since the release of "Half of My Hometown." The 30-year-old even revealed how it all began, with a text message that she'll never forget popping up on her phone.

"He immediately was like, 'This really touched me and I feel the same way.' [That's] The greatest gift that song gave me, truly, is that Kenny's family now, true family, comes over for Easter and Thanksgiving. Before that, he was just my hometown hero and so that's the that's the gift that that three minute and 12 second song gave me," Ballerini shared.

The duo has performed the song together on several stages, including her homecoming show last fall in Knoxville. If we've learned anything from this collaboration, it's that you never forget where you're from, even if you're a country superstar.

Click below to see more from Kelsea Ballerini on Backstage Country.

Kenny Chesney's best music videos have won awards and entertained country fans for over twenty years. Kenny just released his new album, Born, as he celebrates his 56th birthday today (3/26). He told us of the new project, "My new album, Born, has been about…almost three years in the making."

He continued, "Without even knowing it, there is a thread of breaking out of the mundane existence in our lives, you know, all these the same neural pathways we travel. Whether it's the same road to work or the same way we do certain things – you know that can create this mundane existence, and when I first cut the song 'Born,' the title track, I thought about that."

He shared how he connected with people on the album, "There's a song on the record called 'Just To Say We Did' that is truly about just that. It's more about connection, actually, and that's also a big theme of this record. I just felt like those two songs kind of started down that path. By the time I was done with it, I had four or five songs that felt in that space, you know, of just human connection, living your life to the fullest and breaking out of your mundane existence."

Chesney also told us that he didn't see the new album coming. He spent the time since the world shut down playing music with friends, writing, listening to songs he loved, and recording when the moment struck with longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon.

He noted, "I can't call it a 'process' because we never set out to make a record, just explore songs and moments for the sake of music. All of a sudden, time had passed, and somehow, we had all these songs that looked like different pieces of who I – and just about everyone in No Shoes Nation, too – am."

Chesney continued, "It wasn't a master plan. There was no theme we were singing about that held it together. But if you listen to all 15 songs, you'll get the high-energy fun, chasing adventures, don't let people get you down, and you'll get the more reflective thinking about someone who's died, the person you know you shouldn't call emotions that have always been in the music, too."

Throughout his twenty-plus career in country music, Chesney has always tried to make his music videos epic, like mini moves. As we celebrate Kenny's 56th birthday today (3/26), we take a look at five of his best music videos.

This song was co-written by Sam Hunt before he broke as an artist. It was released in May 2012 as the second single from Kenny's 2012 album Welcome to the Fishbowl.

The music video was filmed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with some ocean scenes near Miami Beach, Florida. Chesney has described the music video as a "classy booty call." It is entirely black-and-white and features a cameo from his dog, Poncho, standing on a paddleboard alongside Chesney.

Kenny's "Young" video won the very first CMT Music Awards Video of the Year honor in 2002. The video also won in the Male Video of the Year category. The song was released as the lead single from Chesney's 2002 album No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems. The song peaked at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and at number 35 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

The video was filmed in Sanford, Florida, at the old bridge over the St. Johns River and on the banks of the river.

This music video is like a mini-movie. It starts off with two teenage boys in a basketball practice and then cuts to Chesney's performance. Throughout the video, friends and couples are seen speaking to each other about life moments and tragedy. This creative video won the Male Video of The Year at CMT Music Awards.

The song was the first single from Kenny's 2005 album The Road and the Radio.

This music video won Male Video of The Year at the CMT Music Awards in 2007. The video took a total of 7 days to shoot and was filmed in Mexico City. The video begins with Chesney as a member of the police department, traveling to a criminal spot in Mexico with three local police agents, presumably to make a raid. During the car ride, Chesney thinks back on his time with a girl he met and fell in love with in Mexico and her attempts to persuade him not to go with them.

The video is over eight minutes long, with Kenny playing his part as the cop along with his Mexican counterparts.

"Setting the World on Fire" debuted at number 26 on the Australian Singles Chart, becoming Kenny's first ever song to chart in Australia. In the U.S. and on the Country Airplay chart, it debuted at number 22 and has reached number one. The song also debuted at number 35 on the Adult Pop Songs chart for the week of October 8, 2016, and was his first entry on the chart.

Neither Chesney nor Pink is featured in the music video, except for various posters and billboards displaying the collaboration. The black-and-white video tells the story of two young lovers who move to Los Angeles and have a romantic encounter, as described in the song's lyrics. It was filmed around Los Angeles and Riverside, California.