Kelsea Ballerini is in her healing (and love) era — thanks Chase Stokes — and she’s ready to share all the details.
“He’s the most emotionally intelligent man I’ve ever met in my life,” Ballerini, 30, said of her boyfriend during her Wednesday, November 29 appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “I keep telling him he’s a man written by a woman.”
Ballerini started dating Stokes, 31, in January, months after finalizing her divorce from her ex-husband, Morgan Evans, in November 2022.
One of the biggest changes between her marriage and current relationship is the sex.
“My experience with it was very performative and for the other person,” Ballerini said. “It don’t be like that anymore.”
Ballerini said she’s having “a nice time,” alluding to what goes down between her and Stokes behind closed doors.
“I didn’t understand how [sex] could be a real connector in a relationship,” she said. “I always thought it was just something that you did. … Now, I realize it’s a connector for people.”
Keep scrolling for more major revelations from Ballerini’s “Call Her Daddy” interview:
Ballerini Bought Nashville ‘Healing Home’ From Kacey Musgraves
“I just bought the house that we saw / You said it was wrong / But I wanted it all along,” Ballerini sings in her song “Penthouse,” but these aren’t just lyrics.
Ballerini explained that she attempted to buy her current home, a “1920s cottage” in 2020 while she was still living in “the penthouse” with her ex-husband, Morgan Evans. However, the sale fell through.
“Another wonderful, amazing artist bought it. She was going through a divorce at the time. I moved 0.9 miles down the road to a house that I never really loved,” Ballerini recalled. “Whenever I got divorced, I texted Kacey — who bought this house. … Within like a month, she was like, ‘I think I found my dream home.’”
The two musicians “didn’t use real estate agents,” Ballerini said, calling it a “woman to woman” house sale with Musgraves referring to the home as her “healing house” before passing the homeowner torch.
Ballerini Survived a Shooting at Her High School
Ballerini spent two years at a high school in her native Knoxville, Tennessee before moving to Nashville at age 15.
“It was the two most impressionable years of my life,” Ballerini said of her experience. “Also, there was a school shooting at my high school. I know that’s really heavy. To throw into the mix but it was one of those things that really altered my life. … It was one of, obviously, the most traumatic things I have ever experienced.”
She continued, “I didn’t talk about it for the longest time because it’s so heavy and it’s so common. Also, people immediately go into a gun conversation, which I’m not comfortable with.”
Ballerini Feels ‘Nothing’ When She Drives Past Old Nashville Penthouse
Ballerini took podcast host Cooper on a tour of Nashville, which included a drive past the penthouse where she lived with Evans. Ballerini noted that she feels “nothing” when driving past her old home.
“I really feel nothing,” she said. “Now, I just think about the song [‘Penthouse’] and how many women have related to it and told me their journey. … I’m proud of this chapter now, but it is interesting to drive by.”
Ballerini Details 1st Date With Stokes
The couple had their first date in January, and things progressed quickly. At the time, Ballerini was performing in Los Angeles and sent Stokes her location.
“I walked out of his car and he got out of his Bronco — hot,” Ballerini recalled. “He did not say a word to me. He grabbed my face and his kissed me. He pulled my face away and said, ‘Thank God you’re real.’ … It was so redeeming for my experience of men in relationships.”
The pair have since gotten matching tattoos to represent their zodiac signs. (Both Ballerini and Stokes are Virgos.)
Ballerini Has a Relationship with Stokes’ Ex-Girlfriend
Ballerini called Stokes’ ex-girlfriend Madelyn Cline “lovely,” confirming they met before.
“I’m stoked to be on set and vibe with everyone,” she said, referring to Stokes’ show Outer Banks. “At the end of the day, I’m a girls’ girl. I don’t buy into the bulls—t. … I think they have a beautiful working relationship and I’m excited to hang with her.”
