ABC/Image Group LA Kelsea Ballerini scored her first pop hit this past year by teaming up The Chainsmokers on “This Feeling.” That’s now paved the way for the “Miss Me More” hitmaker to collaborate with some other big non-country names for her upcoming third album.
“It’s been so much fun to get in the room with people that I’ve looked up to forever like Ryan Tedder and Julia Michaels and Ed Sheeran,” Kelsea reveals.
Ryan Tedder, frontman of the band OneRepublic, has also written a string of pop hits, as well as “Beer Can’t Fix” on Thomas Rhett‘s Center Point Road album. Julia Michaels, a solo artist and top pop songwriter, hit #1 on the country chart with her Keith Urban collaboration “Coming Home.”
Ed Sheeran presently has several country collabos: One of his new songs, “Blow,” features Chris Stapleton, and he also co-wrote Kenny Chesney‘s new release, “Tip of My Tongue,” which is out today.
“It’s really fun to be able to write with other artists too. I haven’t really done that before,” Kelsea continues. “You’re in the room, and they have the perspective of what it’s gonna be like onstage, and how you’re gonna be able to communicate it in interviews. And all that stuff…they had that knowledge.”
“So it’s a different perspective writing with them,” she adds. “But it’s been really fun and just different. I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a songwriter from that.”
Kelsea says we can expect the lead single from her follow-up to Unapologetically “fall-ish,” with the full album coming sometime in 2020. She’s been listening to mixes during her vacation in Greece, and has one more writing retreat to attend before the track list for the new record is finalized.
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