Hey guys, Nikki Novak here for Young Hollywood in Los Angeles, outside the Troubadour. We are gonna go inside and talk to the gorgeous and talented Kelsea Ballerini. If you're gonna hold me, hold me like I'm leaving. If you're gonna kiss me, kiss me like I need it. Baby, if you're not, you're then get to leaving. If you're gonna love me, love me like you mean it. And she is performing tonight to a sold-out crowd. Nice to see you in L. A.

Oh, it's good to be here.

Country girl.

I know. I like being in California though.

So you're here. You've got so many great things going on. So I know there was a Grand Ole Opry performance.

There's been four.

Okay. I want to know, and there's gonna be a White House performance. So to you, what is more nerve-wracking? Performing at the White House or is it like the Grand Ole Opry?

It's those are both nerve-wracking for different reasons 'cause Opry is the place like that any country artist aspires to play at. You know, it's I was very nervous.

Were you?

I was very nervous. Um, and the White House, it's like that's the President. You know what I mean? Like I just my thing there is I just don't like embarrass myself. Like what do you say to the President? Hi, sir. I'm just gonna go in for the hug. Mr. Obama, like hug him. I don't know.

So, first of all, I wanna know about your dog named Dibs and then your song Dibs, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Was it the song or the dog came first?

The song. So the song came first. Okay. You know, I've been on the road so much this year and I needed something to to take care of and kind of feel like cozy and home on the road. Because if you're on the road all the time, you need those That thing that like keeps you very normal. So a teddy bear wasn't cutting it. I'm like, I want a real dog. I'm getting it. So the day that Dibs went to radio was the day that I got my dog.

Does Dibs have an Instagram account?

He doesn't, he needs one. I swear, he doesn't. So many dogs do and they have more followers than I do. Seriously. People wanna meet my dog more than they wanna meet me.

No, that's not true.

It's so true.

They wanna meet your dog too.

I'm like, I'm like, go go do your meet and greet Dibs. I'm gonna take a nap now. You do the red carpet for me. Yeah.

Speaking of red carpets, I wanna talk about the AMAs. Yes. Because I know this that when you were growing up there was a crush on Joe Jonas. And I hope I'm getting the right Jonas Brother. We were talking about this before. before we started rolling, getting them all straight and stuff. Um, and now there was it's more of an you're more of a Nick person? So what's happening with this and do they know of this and is Joe offended?

Okay. Whoa. Um, I totally had posters of the Jonas Brothers on my walls growing up. All three. The Jonas Brothers as a collective whole. Um, but yeah, no, Joe was always the one that I was like, I thought was so hot, but yeah, Nick's hot too. They're all.

That's a really diplomatic answer.

And you see him in person, you're like, I feel like I know you. And it was weird 'cause I like fanned out, but I can't 'cause now it's I'm an artist.

You're on the level.

I'm on the other side of it. So I have to like, I didn't have posters of you on my wall. I didn't. It's great. It's very cool though. Like to have people that you respect so much um, like what you do.

So, another song XO, such a cute name. Um, your first crush.

My first crush was a boy named Jonah Duran. Third grade, like it was the first boy that I'm like, he's cute. Um, yeah, I'm surprised I just remembered that actually, but he's my first crush.

He's thinking about it right now. He's getting a shout-out. Back in the day. Um, stilettos.

Stilettos. I'm a shoe freak. Shoes are my thing. Um, but I kinda think style is like dependent on your mood. I think that's the fun part of being a girl. You know what I mean? And so there are days where I get like all glittery and dressed up and then there are days where I'm just like in sweatpants all day. Um, but it just kinda depends on how you feel that day.

And then last but not least, the first time. So the first time I went, you realized you could sing?

Oh my gosh. Well, I was that kid that like on cruise ships when I was super little would go to karaoke and sing Amazing Grace. Um, but the first time I realized I could sing, um, I wrote this song for my mom for Mother's Day called Oh Mama. And I remember like singing it to her and she bawled. And part of it was like, the fact that I did something for my mom and moms just gonna cry at that. But part of it was also like, I felt like I did something that like invoked emotion out of her and I feel like that's kinda where you grab people with music. So that's when I was like, I like this feeling. So I wanna keep doing that.

Yeah. Peter Pan. I think that's my personal favorite.

Is my personal favorite too. Because I'm very immature. I refuse to grow up past the age of 16 mentally. That's okay. Um, and my one like Peter Pan thing that I'll never get rid of, which is really embarrassing to admit, but I like to sleep in those onesies with the feet in them.

I do too. So I wanna know what your thing is. Like if you have either a food,

I got it.

Or a clothing, or a behavior, something that you'll never grow up.

I got it. And this is embarrassing, but I still watch SpongeBob.

No, that's great.

I swear. There are times where I need to just like mentally unwind and I sit down and sometimes I'll even have like a little apple juice in the box like a little kid and I'll watch SpongeBob. Sorry.

With the juice box?

With my little apple juice box.

So Billboard Rising Star Award. Yeah. Wow.

That event, like my whole thing that I wanna be about is just women empowerment and like girls building up girls and just having that that confidence to share between us. Um, and so to be recognized that early with women like this, uh, this award before is last year went to Ariana Grande and before it's gone to Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj and these are all women that have changed the music industry and are are extremely, you know, empowered. And, um, it's a huge honor.

Um, you probably get to ask this, but uh, dream collaboration.

I love collaborations and I have this goal to do one on every record and we didn't do it on this one, but Gavin DeGraw, Drake, um, I mean so many people, Taylor, I would love to. I just love when you pick two people that you wouldn't necessarily put together and then it it's brilliant. Um, so yeah, hopefully down the road that will happen.

Um, great to have you in L. A.

Thank you.

Please come back again.

I will come back. I'll come back.