There are artists who are traditional and artists who are experimental — and then you’ve got Kelsea Ballerini, who is both.
An East Tennessee native who was raised on Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney, Ballerini entered into the country music world as a devotee of the genre.
She even once stood in line to meet Urban at CMA Fest when she was 14 years old…and then toured with him 10 years later!
But Ballerini has also never been shy about expanding country music’s frontiers. That’s a big part of the reason why she qualifies as one of country music’s most important modern hitmakers.
We’ve seen her release a book of poetry, appear onscreen and even star in a short-film-length music video, all while putting out some of the most lyric-focused, honest music in the genre today.
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This Top 10 Kelsea Ballerini Songs list clocks in at No. 24 in Taste of Country’s daily rollout of the 25 most important modern artists working in the genre today. That ranking began 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 solo female artist since Carrie Underwood to achieve the chart-topping spot with a debut.
She entered the country genre as a fan first, and even well on her way to superstardom, Ballerini made it clear how much she reveres institutions like the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
But even as a faithful student of the genre’s history, she never stopped looking toward its future. With each album, Ballerini has grown increasingly more confident in stepping outside the genre’s boxes. She did things that weren’t part of the normal country star career trajectory, like releasing a book of poetry in 2021.
READ MORE: 8 Brutally Honest Divorce Lyrics From Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘Rolling Up the Welcome Mat’
In 2023, her Rolling Up the Welcome Mat album — a project heavily inspired by her divorce from Morgan Evans — leveled Ballerini’s superstardom up again, in a whole new way.
During a time when a few career-changing, fourth-wall-breaking divorce albums from female artists had recently come out (Carly Pearce‘s 29 and Kacey Musgraves‘ Star-Crossed, for two), Ballerini’s was notable for the ways in which it extended her artistic reach in all directions.
She made a short film, which she starred in and co-directed, for her album which doubled as connected music videos spanning across all six tracks.
Ballerini tried acting in 2024 (with a guest role on ABC’s Doctor Odyssey) and coached The Voice in 2025; she hosted awards shows, partnered with Cover Girl and eventually moved to New York City.
She’s also become one of country’s most artful and intentional singers when it comes to cover artwork and stage visuals.
And she’s embraced all those experimental callings without wavering from the brand of country music she established early on in her career.
Kelsea Ballerini’s Best Songs
Kelsea Ballerini may not be a traditionalist, but she’s been deeply country-centered from the start, always finding new ways to blend and marry experimentation with a simple three-chords-and-the-truth basis.
She started out with three big radio hits — “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs” and “Peter Pan” — that were singalongs. Bops are key to Ballerini’s discography, but ballads have turned out to be even more essential.
As her career has unfolded, we’ve gotten incredible, open-hearted 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 25 Most Important Modern Country Artists was curated by Taste of Country staff, who considered hard data (charts, streaming numbers, ticket sales etc. …), perceived influence, awards and recognition and (most important) recent releases. We zoomed in on who is shaping country music with popular releases today.
Artists who’ve not released an album or notched a hit song on airplay or streaming charts in the last three years need to show their influence in other ways. An example is Carrie Underwood, who’s not released a new album in four years but is the most influential voice on America’s most popular singing reality show.
Top 10 Kelsea Ballerini Songs: Ballads + Bops That Show Her Versatility
There are country artists who are traditional and country artists who are experimental, but Kelsea Ballerini is both.
These 10 songs show the range Ballerini has grown into over the course of her decade-plus-long career. During that time, she’s released earnest, pop-friendly earworms, and she’s also penned some of the sharpest lyrics out there 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 Deep Cuts That Every Country Fan Should Know
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
