Photo: Trae Patton/NBC
Kelsea Ballerini said it was “scary for me” when a singer on the upcoming season of The Voice chose one of the country star’s songs during her blind audition.
Ballerini appeared on the TODAY show on Monday morning (January 27), and served as a co-host on TODAY with Jenna & Friends, alongside Jenna Bush Hager. Ballerini appeared in a brief teaser for the NBC competition show while catching up with Savannah Guthrie and Carson Daly, who also hosts The Voice.
“That’s scary for me! Because you’re hitting notes that I don’t hit in that song,” Ballerini said as she shared feedback after the audition. It wasn’t immediately clear which song the contestant performed. “Thank you so much for singing that song. I could tell you were nervous. It’s a nerve wracking industry to get into, but when you beat it, it’s fine.”
Ballerini said “it’s been so much fun” serving s a coach for the first time, alongside Adam Levine, John Legend and Michael Bublé. She filled in for Kelly Clarkson in 2021, when Clarkson was sick and unable to appear on the show. Ballerini said on TODAY that she was making pasta with a friend at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, and she received a call from Clarkson. Ballerini hopped on a plane and was in her seat on The Voice the following morning in L.A.
“I feel like you have to bet on yourself,” she said of her decision to go after what became her “dream job.” “And after I filled in for Kelly, I have this group text with all my girlfriends, and I was like, ‘I really wanna do this one day.’ So, when the producers came to Nashville after Blake (Shelton) left, I didn’t know who else they were talking to, but I just, I had dinner with them and I leaned across the table and I said, ‘listen, I know I’m newer. I’m sure you’re interviewing legends. But I really want this job, and I promise I can do it.’ So, divine timing, a couple years later, it worked out and here we are.”
Ballerini also said she “bet on” herself when Daly and Guthrie brought up her relationship with actor Chase Stokes. Ballerini slid into his DMs in December 2022. They began dating in January 2023, and recently celebrated their two-year anniversary. Ballerini said of her decision to send Stokes a message for the first time: “it’s the same thing with leaning across the table to the producers (of The Voice). I just — I really believe in shooting your shot because why not, you know? If you don’t put yourself out there, you’ll never know.”
The Patterns artist has been a pro at betting on herself throughout her career. She recalled during her appearance on TODAY — and during a chat with her fellow Voice coaches — how Clarkson inspired her to pursue a career as an artist and move to Nashville, Tennessee. Now, Ballerini is on her first-ever arena tour and playing the same venues where she watched some of her favorite artists play (she even plans to bring her beloved dog, Dibs, to a few upcoming shows amid his cancer battle).
“I’m just giddy,” Ballerini said of her first-ever headlining arena tour. “I really am. I’m really giddy.”
The next season of The Voice will premiere on February 3. Watch Ballerini’s TODAY interview here: