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‘I Really Enjoy It': Kelsea Ballerini Talks About Hosting CMT Music Awards Fourth And Final Time
The 30-year-old singer disclosed that hosting and co-hosting the CMT Awards for four years has got her many other hosting gigs.
The 2024 CMT Music Awards had pop singer Kelsea Ballerini host the show for the fourth time. But the singer reveals this is the final one. Talking to Variety just a day before the spectacle unraveled, the Peter Pan singer opened up about her experience hosting one of the biggest nights of country music consecutively four times, even during the pandemic. She began her emcee duties alongside Kane Brown, co-hosting the CMT Awards since 2021.
This year, Ballerini took over the stage single-handedly. In the interview, the four-time Grammy-nominated singer reminisced about her long association with the show. However, she also revealed her excitement for the next chapters of her career as she moves on to explore other opportunities. More specifically, Ballerini is seeking to re-establish herself in the music industry by collaborating with newer artists.
Kelsea Ballerini’s final stint at the CMT Music Awards
The 30-year-old singer disclosed that hosting and co-hosting the CMT Awards for four years has got her many other hosting gigs. After confirming this is her final year, Ballerini said, “I’ve hosted or co-hosted this show for four years now, and I’ve gotten to host a lot of different kinds of ventures over the last decade — and I really enjoy it.”
Speaking of hosting the show solo this year, Ballerini claimed there is only one thing that terrified her. She noted, “I wear a lot of very large heels, and now I don’t have a friendly arm next to me to help me not trip.” The singer has co-hosted the CMT Awards with Kane Brown but not having him this year wasn’t a matter of concern for Ballerini as she feels she has “gotten enough experience” under her belt.
Out of all the years she’s hosted CMT, Ballerini shared that 2023 was her top favorite because of a riveting performance she got to put together. “As far as my opening statement, my performance, hosting with Kane, being in a new city, I feel like we really did bring a new breath of life to the show that was really fun to watch happen in real-time. So I think that, for me, is the bar,” the singer said. Ballerini’s musical performance involved drag queens making a statement to the Tennessee legislators enacting the anti-drag bill at the time.
What’s next for Kelsea Ballerini?
Simply enjoying hosting shows does not fulfill the I Quit Drinking singer’s creative standards. The Tennessee native noted that since she’s explored hosting after years of making music, it has urged her to traverse through other projects. “It was the first thing that I did outside of music really, that allowed me to ask myself the question: What else? Like, what else can I do? And I’m ready to ask myself that question again, and I really want to give myself the space to see what else there is,” Ballerina told Variety on Sunday.
The 5’6 singer is reported to be focused on renewing her record deal while also eyeing projects in film and TV, which she marked as “just pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.” “I’m really creatively fulfilled by the idea of finding a way to get involved with newer artists and find a way to creatively collaborate,” Ballerini divulged.
Yet, Ballerini, who won the Rising Star Award at the Billboard Women in Music, admitted that there’s a possibility she might circle back to hosting again in the future.
ALSO READ: CMT Music Awards 2024: Dan And Shay Wins Duo Or Group Video Of The Year For Save Me The Trouble
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