Photo courtesy Grand Ole Opry LLC/Chris HolloKelsea Ballerini will become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, thanks to a special invitation Tuesday night from Little Big Town.
Kelsea and Little Big Town were both performing on the Opry on Tuesday night, and as LBT closed out the show, they asked Kelsea to join them onstage to sing “Girl Crush.” But the group then changed the song’s final lyrics to, “Kelsea Ballerini, do you wanna join the Opry?”
A shocked Kelsea couldn’t even respond until LBT’s Karen Fairchild said, “Really! It’s true! Do you wanna be a member of the Grand Ole Opry!’ “Yes!” sobbed Kelsea.
She then talked about having first visited the Opry with her mom when she was 13, and realizing what a great institution it is. “To be on this stage is the greatest gift in the world,” she said. “This is the home of country music, and I get to be a part of it, which is crazy!”
“For the rest of your life, girl!” Karen added.
Kelsea will formally be inducted on April 16.
In a statement, Opry General Manager Sally Williams said, “We are thrilled at the thought of Kelsea Ballerini joining the Opry family…Having grown to know her personally in the years since, we love and respect her just as much as a person as an artist. We look so forward to her Opry induction in April and to all the years of great music we’ll share.”
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