Photo: Getty Images
TikTok commenters likened Kelsea Ballerini to Taylor Swift when the “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” artist teased her highly-anticipated new chapter of music on Tuesday (July 30).
Ballerini hinted that she’s already revealed the title of the next song she plans to release. She’s been subtly sharing the title in interviews, in conversations and on her social media channels “for a while now,” she said, which reminded some TikTokers of the “Easter eggs” that Swift famously drops ahead of big announcements. Some commenters wrote: “Love this! Dropping Easter eggs like Taylor Swift!,” “OKAY MS SWIFTIE I SEE YOU GURL,” and “Being a swiftie has trained me for this. Brb, going to watch EVERYTHING,” among others.
“If there were to be a song release, an upcoming track to come out soon-esque, the title of it would be something that I have worked into every interview, every conversation, every Instagram ‘ask me anything’ for a while now. I’ve really just been sprinkling this title everywhere available to me of this hypothetical song. Any guesses?” Ballerini said in the 44-second clip on TikTok, which she confirmed does not contain the song title. She wrote in a comment about an hour after originally posting the video, “no one has guessed it yet muahaha.”
Ballerini added an update in the comments on Wednesday (July 31), however, to confirm: “a few of you sleuthed correctly.”
Ballerini appeared to hint at the album’s release date on her Instagram story earlier this month. When one Instagram user asked whether the album would arrive before or after the singer’s September 12 birthday, she replied only with the constellations that represent Libra and Scorpio astrological signs. Those signs fall between September 23 and October 22, and October 23 and November 21, respectively. She also said at that time that she’s “proud of the entire next album, first lyric to last strum,” and noted a few personal highlights: Track 2 is “my personal favorite,” track 4 is “an emotional cornerstone,” and 9 is a “bop.”
Ballerini’s upcoming project will follow her latest full-length album, Subject To Change, and Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, a surprise EP and accompanying short film she released to share her story of heartache and healing after divorce. Ballerini has shared a few teasers ahead of her upcoming chapter, including the debut live performance of “To The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak” at the Grand Ole Opry in November 2023. That ballad was widely requested among TikTok commenters on Tuesday afternoon. Most recently, Ballerini released “Cowboys Cry Too,” a duet with Noah Kahan.
In June, Ballerini hosted a performance and Q&A with her mom on a rooftop in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Her mom, Carla, confirmed there are “some incredible love songs” appearing on the highly-anticipated new record. Ballerini said of her new album during that show that she’s “never handled anything with so much care in my life.”