Finding his fresh start. Morgan Evans released a new song reflecting on big life changes in the wake of his divorce from Kelsea Ballerini.
The Australian singer, 37, dropped “On My Own Again” on Friday, March 17, as a follow-up to his 2022 single “Over For You.” His latest track explores the beginning of a new chapter — and paints a picture of leaving an old home behind.
“Pictures in my head are all of her I’m taking with me / Rest of it I left back in that house,” he croons. “Tomorrow when she wakes up, I wonder if she’ll miss me / This time I ain’t hanging ’round to find out.”
Elsewhere in the song, Evans looks forward to what the future holds. “I could turn left to California, ride to New York City / And I could go to Mexico right now, if I want to / And I know it might get lonely on my way out of here / But as long as the windshield’s bigger than the rear view mirror / I’m gonna drive until the wheels fall off this old truck in my heart.”
In the bridge, he describes feeling “young, wild and free” on his new journey. “Riding like the wind / Learning how to be on my own again,” he sings.
The ARIA Music Award winner and Ballerini, 29, were married for nearly five years before announcing their split in August 2022. Ballerini filed for divorce that same month, and the twosome reached a settlement in November 2022. Since calling it quits, both Evans and his ex-wife have reflected on their new normals through their music.
Evans released his initial breakup anthem, “Over For You,” in September 2022 and hinted that he was blindsided when Ballerini filed for divorce. She called out her former spouse’s “opportunistic” songwriting during a recent interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
“I felt really used in that moment. … His healing journey is his healing journey and I respect that, but publicly exploiting it feels a little nasty to me — before it’s final,” she said in February, noting that the duo were “still going through the legalities of getting divorced” when the song dropped.
The Grammy nominee released her own set of post-split songs on Valentine’s Day on an EP titled Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. “Now, we’re, like, months passed it,” she explained of writing the six new tracks. “I’ve taken the time to, like, actually sit in my feelings and, like, go through that grieving process and take ownership of what I brought to the table too.”
Ballerini directly responded to Evans’ lyrics on the emotional record. “And now you’re saying that you’re lost, and that’s lost on me / Years of sitting across from me in therapy,” she sings on “Blindsided.” The lyrics continue: “I know the truth is hard to hear, but it wasn’t hard to find / Baby, were you blindsided or were you just blind?”
When she made her debut as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live earlier this month, the Tennessee native included a shady new verse at the end of the song. “Now you’re singing it loud on the radio / You couldn’t say it to my face / You would have searched the whole world over? Yeah, sure, OK,” she teased. “Now you’re singing it loud on the radio / Like you’re the only heart that breaks / You would have searched the whole world over? Yeah, sure, OK.”
In the wake of her divorce, the “Half of My Hometown” artist sparked a romance with Chase Stokes. When it comes to what Evans thinks about her moving on, Ballerini isn’t concerned.
“I’m not married to him anymore,” she explained on “Call Her Daddy” last month. “I don’t need to care about his feelings anymore. I mean that with all the respect in the world, but his journey is not mine. I hope that he is protected from what he needs to be protected from seeing … [but] that is not my job.”
