At award shows, it’s always a bit odd to see the reactions of those who lost as the winner accepts a trophy. Many nominees graciously smile and applaud when someone else wins, and others have a straight face or a sad reaction. In Kelsea Ballerini’s case, when Lainey Wilson won over her at the Grammys, she stood up, applauded and smiled a bit. Well, many criticized her for that reaction, and now she’s clapped back, explaining what it’s like to be in that moment.
For some context, during the 2024 TV schedule’s telecast of the Grammys, it showed the announcement of Best Country Album. Kelsea Ballerini was up for it with her album Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. However, Lainey Wilson and her record Bell Bottom Country won, as you can see below:
Ballerini didn’t look mad to me. However, losing is never easy. So, some people criticized and analyzed her body language saying it was negative. Then, she took to Instagram stories (via Today) to address these folks, and she wrote about how she felt in the moment, explaining:
Ohhhh yall. You can be bummed for your loss and happy for somebody else’s win at the same time. Two things can be true and both hold valid and valuable space. The face reading and reaction analysis is unnecessary and hurtful to everyone. A woman’s win is a team win. Write about that instead? [white heart emoji]
She then went on to celebrate with the women at the Grammys, and for good reason. Along with Wilson being a powerful woman taking home an award, Miley Cyrus’ safety pin fashion moment was incredible, and more importantly, she took home her first Grammys. Plus, Taylor Swift announced a new project and won two trophies.
Ballerini was seen partying it up with Swift during the ceremony, and clearly they were having a blast. However, she was seemingly jokingly annoyed about how she looked in this fun photo of the two of them that Jack Antonoff posted:
While both Ballerini and Swift’s Grammy outfits were legendary, and they looked like they were having a blast in this photo, the country singer continued to poke fun at herself and her reaction, posting:
Overall, despite the criticism, Kelsea Ballerini seemed to have a great time at the biggest award show in music. While losing is never ideal, as she said, she was excited to support the other women in her category and at the show.
Now that we’ve got that all cleared up, let’s look ahead to what the “Heartfirst” singer has coming up. While we’d personally love to see Ballerini coach on The Voice, that’s simply a dream. In reality, she’s killing it in the music space, as she released the album Rolling up the Welcome Mat in 2023, and she performed all over the place as both a headliner for her own concert and as an opener for Kenny Chesney. While she currently doesn't have any dates planned, I'd assume she'll be performing and making more music in 2024.
I expect we’ll be seeing more of Kelsea Ballerini soon, because her star is shining brightly, and she just keeps getting bigger. So, now that she’s clapped back and clarified this Grammys situation, let’s get excited about what’s to come from this accomplished country singer.
