When Kelsea Ballerini wrote and recorded Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, it was her own way of coping with her divorce from fellow singer, Morgan Evans. At first, Ballerini wasn’t even sure she would release the collection of songs, never imagining that the six-song record would change the entire trajectory of her career. Instead, fans quickly latched onto the album, prompting Ballerini to release Rolling Up The Welcome Mat (For Good).
Now, the deeply personal project has been nominated for a Grammy Award, for Best Country Album, an industry recognition that Ballerini never anticipated.
“Making this record was simply my way of making sense of a really emotionally complicated place in my life,” Ballerini, who shared her reaction on social media when the news was announced, says. “I went to one of my best friends and collaborators, Alysa Vanderheym, and she quietly and diligently helped me write my truth.
LOOK AT OUR ALBUM GO, alysa vanderheym pic.twitter.com/XSkFnksZnj
— Kelsea Ballerini (@KelseaBallerini) November 10, 2023
“I really don’t have the words for the pride I feel for this music and the way that it’s connected with people,” she continues. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I’m deeply grateful to the Recording Academy for this honor. I am truly beaming.”
The Grand Ole Opry member created a series of videos for all of the songs on Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, which she anticipated would be a small blurb in her career, while she continued to promote her single, “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too),” from her 2022 Subject to Change record.
“The intention was truly to drop it,” Ballerini explained on Apple Music Country’s Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen. “I wanted to make the short film, drop the short film on the same day and just walk away. I never wanted to play these songs.”
“I thought it was going to be a thing on Valentine’s Day. … Move right on back to ‘If you go down, I’m going down too,’ and it’s not going to disrupt anything because why would it?” she added.
When Ballerini dropped the surprise project, she made it clear that the story and perspective was hers and hers alone, separate from anything her now-former husband might be experiencing.
“Here’s my healing journey,” Ballerini said at the time. “Here’s my heart. Here’s my truth. i’ve never been this open, I’ve never been this bold, and I’ve never been this proud of my art. So with love and respect, I’m rolling up the welcome mat. Six song story and short film out now. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
See a complete list of the country artists nominated for a Grammy here.
