Kelsea Ballerini has a new EP, out now. The East Tennessee native just released Mount Pleasant, a six-track project, all written or co-written by Ballerini, which includes her current single, “I Sit in Parks.
“I feel like EPs seem to come out of nowhere,” shares Ballerini. “But they’re the most inspired, always, because it’s like this really condensed period of time that’s being documented, and you get to put it out really close to while you’re feeling it. And I think for me, I’ve always had a bit of dopamine dump after something big in life, whether it be a career moment or whatever.”
Indeed, 2025 was a big year for Ballerini, including her debut as a coach on The Voice, headlining her first arena tour, Kelsea Ballerini – Live On Tour, and more.
“I think after having this epic Spring, of doing my first arena tour, and doing The Voice, and doing all these bucket list things, I had burnout,” Ballerini admits. “And then I had a dopamine dump, and I was just like, ‘Whoa. Now I have all this time to figure out what this chapter in my life looks like now.. And what’s a pulse check on myself at 32 if I have nothing to busy myself out of feeling it?’ And I think also just coming to the terms of acknowledging that what I want in my life now is different than what I wanted at 25. And also acknowledging that I’m not 25 anymore.”
Fortunately, Ballerini boldly shares those feelings in all of the songs on Mount Pleasant, including “I Sit in Parks.”
“Having all these feelings come up to the surface, and having all this time and space to not run from it,” Ballerini says. “And so I think for me, the safest place to capture those feelings and escort them on their way, is to write. I think I felt so satisfied with the story Patterns, but that again, it wasn’t up to date with what I was experiencing, and what I am. And so, I just started writing, and it started with ‘I Sit in Parks.’”
What Kelsea Ballerini Says About ‘Mount Pleasant’
Mount Pleasant follows Patterns, Ballerini’s fifth studio album, released in 2024. With Mount Pleasant, Ballerini is eager to give fans a glimpse of what her next record will sound like, while also revealing very personal look into her own life.
“Mount Pleasant is a collection of six songs that I’ve written throughout the summer, marking a chapter of heavy self-examination, longing, and stepping further into who I am as a 32-year-old woman, “ Ballerini says. “After Patterns and my first arena tour, I had the biggest dopamine dump of my adult life, and months ‘off’ to really sit in the feelings that were coming up in the stillness and quiet. While I love to be sparkly and confident, I was feeling heavy waves of insecurity that I hadn’t really taken pen to paper about before.
“In feeling so seen by fans and music lovers in my more recent music that has felt more emotionally peeled back and sometimes uncomfortably honest, I felt encouraged to let it all out in the safest way I know how,” she adds.
‘Mount Pleasant’ Track List
1. “I Sit in Parks” (Ballerini)
2. “People Pleaser” (Ballerini, Jessie Jo Dillon, Alysa Vanderheym
3. “Emerald City” (Ballerini, Vanderheym, Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds)
4.”587″ (Ballerini, Vanderheym, Mikky Ekko)
5. “The Revisionist” (Ballerini, Galyon, Reynolds, Vanderheym)
6. “Check on Your Friends” (Ballerini, Vanderheym)
Photo Credit: Nyk Allen