There are artists who are traditional and artists who are experimental – and then there are Kelsea Balleriniwho is both.
An East Tennessee native who grew up Keith Urban And Kenny ChesneyBallerini entered the country music world as a lover of the genre.
Even her once stood in line to meet Urban at CMA Fest when she was 14 years old… and toured with him 10 years later!
But Ballerini has also never been shy about pushing the boundaries of country music. That’s a big part of why she qualifies as one of country music’s most important modern hitmakers.
We’ve seen her release a book of poetry, appear on screen, and even star in a short music video, all while releasing some of the most lyrically focused, honest music in the genre.
READ MORE: Top 10 Riley Green Songs – Country Music’s Most Important Modern Artists (No. 25)
This Top 10 Kelsea Ballerini Songs list ranks at number 24 in Taste of Country’s daily rollout of the top 25 modern artists currently active in the genre. That ranking started on Saturday (June 13) with the Top 10 Riley Green Songs.
Who is Kelsea Ballerini?
Ballerini’s debut single and first No. 1 hit was “Love Me Like You Mean It”, released in 2015. She became the first female solo artist since Carrie Underwood to reach the hit parade with a debut.
She first entered the country genre as a fan, and even well on her way to superstardom, Ballerini made it clear how much she reveres institutions like the Big Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
But even as a faithful student of the genre’s history, she continued to look to the future. With each album, Ballerini has become more and more confident in stepping outside the boundaries of the genre. She did things that weren’t part of the normal career trajectory of a country star, like releasing a book of poetry in 2021.
READ MORE: 8 brutally honest divorce lyrics from ‘Rolling Up the Welcome Mat’ by Kelsea Ballerini
In 2023, her Rolling up the welcome mat album – a project heavily inspired by her divorce from Morgan Evans – revived Ballerini’s superstardom in a whole new way.
At a time when a pair of career-changing, fourth-wall-breaking breakup albums from female artists had recently been released (Carly Pearce’S 29 And Kacey Musgraves’ Star crossed, for two), Ballerini’s stood out for the ways in which it expanded her artistic range in all directions.
She made a short film, in which she starred and co-directed, for her album, which also served as interconnected music videos covering all six songs.
Ballerini tried his hand at acting in 2024 (with a guest role on ABC’s Doctor Odyssey) and coached The voice in 2025; she hosted awards shows, worked with Cover Girl and eventually moved to New York City.
She has also become one of the country’s most artistic and purposeful singers when it comes to covers and stage performances.
And she’s embraced all those experimental callings without straying from the brand of country music she put out early in her career.
Kelsea Ballerini’s best songs
Kelsea Ballerini may not be a traditionalist, but she has been deeply focused on the country from the start, always finding new ways to combine and combine experimentation with a simple foundation of three chords and the truth.
She started with three big radio hits – ‘Love Me Like You Mean It’, ‘Dibs’ and ‘Peter Pan’ – which were sing-alongs. Bops are key to Ballerini’s discography, but ballads have proven even more important.
As her career has unfolded, we’ve gotten incredible, candid, sad songs from her, including “Homecoming Queen?”, “Mountain With a View” and “Half of My Hometown.”
Ballerini checks in at No. 2 on Taste of Country’s Countdown of Country Music’s Most Important Artists. Keep scrolling for our roundup of her best songs.
Criteria: This list of the top 25 modern country artists was compiled by Taste of Country staff, who took into account hard data (chart charts, streaming numbers, ticket sales, etc….), perceived influence, awards and recognition, and (key) recent releases. We zoomed in on who is shaping country music today with popular releases.
Artists who haven’t released an album or hit the airplay or streaming charts in the past three years need to show their influence in other ways. An example is Carrie Underwood, who hasn’t released a new album in four years, but is the most influential voice on America’s most popular singing reality show.
No: 25 Riley Green’s best songs | No. 24 Kelsea Ballerini’s best songs | No. 23 Tim McGraw’s best songs | No. 22 June 16 | No. 21 June 17 | No. 20 June 18 | No. 19 June 19 | No. 18 June 20 | No. 17 June 21 | No. 16 June 22 | No. 15 June 23 | No. 14 June 24 | No. 13 June 25 | No. 12 June 26 | No. 11 June 27 | No. 10 June 28 | No. 9 June 29 | No. 8 June 30 | No. 7 July 1 | No. 6 July 2 | No. 5 July 3 | No. 4 July 4 | No. 3 July 5 | No. 2 July 6 | No. 1 July 7
Top 10 Kelsea Ballerini Songs: Ballads + Bops That Showcase Her Versatility
There are country artists who are traditional and country artists who are experimental, but Kelsea Ballerini is both.
These ten songs show the scope to which Ballerini has grown over the course of her more than ten-year career. During that time, she’s released some serious, pop-friendly earworms, and she’s also written some of the sharpest lyrics available in the genre today. Keep reading for a look back at 10 songs that show how Kelsea Ballerini shaped the country genre.
Gallery credit: Carena Liptak
Top 10 Riley Green Songs: Hits and Deeps Every Country Fan Should Know
Gallery credit: Billy Dukes
Leave a Reply