- 2022-09-24
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MUSIC
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Donate to support families affected by the crisis in Ukraine ➔ Kelsea Ballerini Releases New Album “SUBJECT TO CHANGE”: Streaming
American country music singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini released her fourth studio album “SUBJECT TO CHANGE” on September 23, 2022 via Black River Entertainment.
It is her first album in two years since the 2020 album “Kelsea”.
The album comprises 15-track, featuring guest appearances from Kelly Clarkson and Carly Pearce.
She recorded the album over two one-week sessions in Nashville studios including Blackbird and Starstruck.
Produced by Kelsea Ballerini, Julian Bunetta, Jesse Frasure, Shane McAnally, and Alyssa Vanderheym.
Kelsea Ballerini told Apple Music about the album, “The theme was change and evolution and growing up, and a lot of contrast within that and juxtaposition within that. And I loved the idea that we've all been really challenged by change the last several years, and by change that's really out of our control, that's kept us at home and all of that stuff. And so, I loved the idea of that being such a relatable, universal topic.”- She shared on social media, “In my younger years, the idea of change scared me. It had proven to be a faceless force that patterned my past with uncertainty. Only in the gift of growth have I learned that in the stark and constant juxtaposition of life, living happens. That when I unclench my fists, undig my heels and unravel the architecture built by youth, a true metamorphosis can happen.”
She continued, “I've been searching somewhere between the broadness of the universe, and the simplicity in the little things, reflecting through wiser perspectives, leaning with body weight into matters of the heart, and finding blissful acceptance in the inner cracks I once cursed, but now let the light in to grow taller within myself. This is a season of becoming, healing, loving, dancing, and feeling. And like everything, it is subject to change.”
She added, “if i'm honest, growing up it kinda hurts like hell…and for me, it sounds like this. internal observations, drunken conversations, diehard friendships, jumping in hopeful, owning the cringe, doing my best, discovering the good stuff isn't always grandiose, falling on my face, being a show pony, taking inventory of what i have…and ultimately welcoming change when it comes. i'm proud of this record and the story it tells. here's my last two years, and here's the turning of a page.” -
Kelsea Ballerini explained of some tracks for the album via Apple Music.
“SUBJECT TO CHANGE”
“I've always been really scared of change because it's been something that has influenced my life in ways that I don't always love or that I'm not always ready for. And I liked the idea of making a record, and especially starting a record, with a song that says, 'But what if we take the power away from change?' And whether it's bad change or good change, it's meant to happen for me in my life and where I'm supposed to get to. And when you take the power away from it and the fear of change away from it, and you just open your arms up to it, you start living.”
“IF YOU GO DOWN (I'M GOIN' DOWN TOO)”
“One of the things that I've really realized in the last few years is how important female friendship is. 'IF YOU GO DOWN' is the last song we wrote for the record. And I was sitting around with Shane [McAnally] and Julian [Bunetta], and we had already cut most of the songs, so we called it the Hail Mary day. We're like, 'Just in case there's anything else in the tank.' I also wanted there to be what 'hole in the bottle' brought to my last record. It was this performance element where I got to be silly, and I got to just play a little bit more. So, with 'IF YOU GO DOWN,' I was like, 'I want there to be this witty Thelma & Louise anthem where, when people come to my show with their girl gang, they can scream it with each other, and I can honor my friends, and I can also have a tinge of, 'Oh, she listens to the Crime Junkie [podcast].'”
“YOU'RE DRUNK, GO HOME” (feat. Kelly Clarkson & Carly Pearce)
“I loved the idea of having not one but two different voices that have power and wit and sass. And I was looking at my friendships because I love collaborating with friends, and my first call was Carly. Without even hearing it, she said yes because we just go so far back, and we just have so much respect for each other. We're 'sweatpants friends'—that's how I categorize it now. And then, I texted Kelly Clarkson the song, and she did vocals that night. We were just talking about women friendship in the industry. I'm offline friends with these two women, and they both inspire me so much in different ways and also in similar ways. And now I get to have this moment with them, and I just feel so proud to be able to be a part of that.”
“DOIN' MY BEST”
“'DOIN' MY BEST' is a celebration of taking ownership of cringe, because I think when you're just like, 'These are the things in my life that you've seen that are chaotic, and I understand they're chaotic. Trust me, I'm experiencing it. It's more chaotic than you'll ever know, but here it is, and I'm truly just doing my best.' I think just taking ownership of that and just going, 'I'm a human, here it is'—there's something that was so freeing writing that song.”
“MARILYN”
“'MARILYN' is the first song I wrote for this album. I wrote it in the summer of 2020, during the unraveling of all of our lives, of just taking the inventory, stepping back, being in the stillness. And to me, [Marilyn Monroe] is such a metaphor for—I can only speak for myself, but I feel like a very universal thought for us of just going like, 'Man, we are conditioned, and we get met with a more celebratory response when we present beautifully.' And there is always so much more going on. To me, she is just that metaphor, and it's kind of the bigger sister to 'homecoming queen?'. I wrote the song by myself.”
“HEARTFIRST”
“It's not often that I start a song without a hook. This is the first song that maybe I've ever written that's been out into the world that I didn't start with the title.” - source : Apple Music
