Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes won’t be able to put their hearts first this Valentine’s Day.
“I’m working, sweet man is working,” Ballerini, 29, told Entertainment Tonight in a Tuesday, February 13, interview when asked why the couple won’t be spending the romantic holiday together. “We are across the world from each other.”
The country star is currently in New York City for Fashion Week, while Stokes, 31, is filming season 4 of his Netflix series Outer Banks in Wilmington, North Carolina and Morocco. Despite the distance between them, Ballerini told ET that the pair are “feeding our souls” by taking time to work on their respective goals.
“It’s so nice to have a career that we both love, so whenever we’re not together, we’re still feeding that love tank,” she said, sharing that the twosome have set aside time for a “Facetime date” in between their busy schedules.
Just because Ballerini won’t be with her partner on Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean she isn’t trying to get others in the mood. The singer took to social media on Tuesday to try and create a playlist from her own discography — before quickly realizing that her songs don’t all scream “romance.”
“So tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and I thought since I make music, I could give you a playlist,” Ballerini said via an Instagram video before launching into breakup ballads like “I Hate Love Songs,” “Blindsided (Yeah, Sure, Okay)” and “Miss Me More.”
While she couldn’t seem to find a track that fit the occasion, she hinted that the tone of her music may look different in the future. “Here to soundtrack your valentine’s day, lovebirds,” she wrote captioned the post, adding, “Just kidding, maybe next year? ❤️.”
Ballerini’s personal life has been filled with ups and downs over the past few years. She and ex-husband Morgan Evans finalized their divorce in November 2022, and Ballerini released her EP about the split, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, three months later in February 2023. She and Stokes confirmed their romance later that month.
The two have been open about their admiration for one another ever since. While celebrating their first anniversary earlier this month, the duo penned sweet and silly tributes to each other in honor of their love.
“A whole trip around the sun with my bestie,” Ballerini captioned a carousel of Instagram videos and snaps of the twosome. “@hichasestokes thanks for making me write love songs.” Stokes shared his own collection of pictures and clips to Instagram, writing, “One year of lovin you. P.s. told ya I wouldn’t embarrass you.”
Since sparking a romance last year, the pair have shown up to support each other at various award shows, events and projects, often gushing about one another’s accomplishments. In December 2023, Stokes praised Ballerini and her talent, calling the singer the “best person on planet earth.”
“Every day together is either a comedy show or a life talk that I didn’t know I needed to have that ended up being something I’ll never forget,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “I just love the girl to pieces and I’m so f—king proud of her.”
