Kelsea Ballerini Opens up About Musicians Transitioning to Country Music: “Why Wouldn’t We Give a Welcome to Someone Else?”

Interview: Kelsea Ballerini on Finding Herself and Her Voice on New Album, 'SUBJECT TO CHANGE' - Atwood Magazine

The country music industry is in an unprecedented phase. This is due to a culmination of different factors, however, the reason that seemingly brought the genre to this point is the musicians transitioning into it. Beyoncé, Post Malone, and Machine Gun Kelly are just a few who did it in 2024.

Though in 2025, artists such as Chappell Roan and Lana Del Rey have also done so. Consequently, country fans are pushing back on this phenomenon. However, Kelsea Ballerini recently called those people out in an exclusive interview with Elle.

Since Beyoncé and Post Malone made country music history with their debut albums, certain country fans have been pushing back on similar career pivots from other artists.

The mutual claim that these country fans are seemingly making is that music such as Malone’s and Beyoncé’s is not “real country.” That claim does not resonate with Ballerini, and she gave some very transparent comments on the matter in her exclusive interview.

Why Kelsea Ballerini Believes Country Music is For Everyone

Kelsea Ballerini told Elle, “If we, as country artists, feel like we can have a collab on top 40 or have a collab with an R&B artist, why wouldn’t we give a welcome to someone else?” She continued, “I think that’s where people who are pushing back really need to check themselves, because music is for everybody. And specifically country music, the marquee of it is the people’s story.”

Ballerini’s inclusive mindset does not just pertain to this industry event. In addition to believing that everyone belongs in country music, Ballerini also chimed in on supporting LGBTQ rights, all while maintaining a broad audience.

Ballerini stated, “I had to shift my mindset from wanting to speak to a wide audience to wanting to speak to my audience. I had to get out of my head, because I’m such a chronic people pleaser: Any element of turmoil or people being mad at me feels crippling to me.” “At the end of the day, I want the people who listen to my music to know what I stand for and hopefully align with it,” concluded Kelsea Ballerini.