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Kelsea Ballerini Gets Hit On Stage, Walks Off To ‘Calm Down’

Kelsea Ballerini is playing shows out West this week, and at a show last night (6/28) in Boise, Idaho, at Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden, she was hit…

Kelsea Ballerini Gets Hit On Stage, Walks Off To 'Calm Down'
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Kelsea Ballerini is playing shows out West this week, and at a show last night (6/28) in Boise, Idaho, at Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden, she was hit in the face with an object and stopped the song she was singing and the show.

In a video of the moment that a fan posted to Twitter, Kelsea is singing in a yellow dress and playing her white guitar when she is struck with something in the face. She quickly backs up and appears to touch her eye when her fiddle player stops playing, goes to Ballerini, and touches her face to check if she is okay. She says something to Kelsea, who continues to play her guitar, waves to fans, then stands still momentarily, takes off her guitar, and leaves the stage.

The fan posted, along with a video of the incident, "Guys. I know we all mean well. We all want to show Kelsea love the best way we know how and shower her with all the gifts. But throwing things on stage where artists are already so vulnerable is NOT the move. If you can't hand it to her, there are so many other options. Lord, give it to us! We will make sure it gets to her. But PLEASE don't put her in danger like this. Again, I know you all mean well, but this is becoming a safety issue. We love you guys. We do. But please make it stop."

See that post and the video clip here.

Just minutes ago (6/29), Kelsea posted to her Insta Stories, "Hi, I'm fine. Someone threw a bracelet. It hit me in the eye, and it scared me more than it hurt me. We all have triggers and payers of fear deeper than what is shown, and that's why I walked off stage to calm down and make sure myself, the band and crew, and the crowd all felt safe to continue."

She added, "That's all I ever want is for shows to feel like a safe place for us all. I love you and appreciate all of your concern. Let's make the last two shows of the Heartfirst tour the best yet."

Kelsea Ballerini celebrates her 29th birthday today (9/12). While she is currently going through some challenging life changes (she recently filed for divorce from her husband of five years, Morgan Evans), she is also going through an exciting time in her career. She recently made headlines wearing Shania Twain's Grammy dress at the ACM Honors, where she paid tribute to Twain by singing her biggest song, "Man, I Feel Like A Woman."

Also, this month (9/23), she will be releasing a new album called 'Subject To Change' featuring her current hit single, "Heartfirst."

As we celebrate all things, Kelsea today, we look at 12 of her biggest songs that made her the budding country superstar she is today.

12. "Yeah Boy" (2016)

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Described as an ode to the 1990s, in the song's video, Kelsea is shown performing the song in a colorful bodysuit in front of a neon backdrop and a brick wall spray-painted with graffiti, with female backup dancers.


11. "Legends" (2017)

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This song is a bit legendary as it topped the Hot Country Songs chart on Billboard. Ballerini performed the song at the 2017 CMA Awards with country legend Reba McEntire.


10. "I Hate Love Songs" (2018)

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The song was originally not going to be recorded for her second album. Still, after receiving a standing ovation for her performance of it at the Grand Ole Opry in August 2017, Ballerini decided to include it on the record. She said at the time, "I called my label, I was like, 'I think we need to cut this song.'"


9. "Miss Me More" (2018)

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A critically acclaimed song for Kelsea, she performed it many times on TV, including at the 52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards. Thirteen days later, she performed it on Season 15 of 'The Voice,' and then in June of 2019; she performed the song at the 2019 CMT Music Awards.


8. "Homecoming Queen?" (2019)

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The lead single from her third studio album 'Kelsea,' which was released in March of 2020. In an interview with The Tennessean, Ballerini revealed that "Homecoming Queen?" heralded "a new, more emotionally vulnerable phase of her career."


7. "Dibs" (2015)

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The name of her dog, which she got as a puppy when this song first came out. The song's video consists of footage Kelsea took herself while on tour in York, Pennsylvania, Greenville, South Carolina, and St. Leonard, Maryland, performing in front of live crowds, celebrating her 22nd birthday, and spending time with her dog.


6. "Love Me Like You Mean It" (2014)

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Her debut single and the song that brought her to the country music dance. "Love Me Like You Mean It" peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, making Ballerini the first solo female to top that chart with her debut single since Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel" in 2006.


5. "The Other Girl" (with Halsey) (2020)

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A solid collaboration. Ballerini and Halsey performed the song live on 'CMT Crossroads' on March 25, 2020. The song won a CMT Music Award for Performance of the Year, marking both artists' first CMT award.


4. "Peter Pan" (2016)

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Another chart-topper for Kelsea, the song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold 672,000 copies in the US as of March 2017. Ballerini first performed the song live with Nick Jonas at the Academy of Country Music Awards.


3. "Heartfirst" (2022)

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Her new single and already a hit with fans. Kelsea co-wrote the song with Alysa Vanderheym and Little Big Town member Karen Fairchild. She recently said it was the first song that she ever wrote where she did not come up with the title first; instead, the opening line "Met him at a party/ Accidentally brushed his body/ On the way to get a drink at the bar" was the first lyric she wrote for the song.


2. "Hole in the Bottle" (2020)

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A catchy and fun drinking song. A remix of the song featuring Shania Twain was released on November 13, 2020. An alternate song recording is also included on Ballerini's fourth studio album, 'Ballerini.'


1. "Half of My Hometown" (featuring Kenny Chesney) (2021)

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A classic sounding and much-loved country song with fellow native East Tennessean Kenny Chesney. The song won both Musical Event of the Year and Video of the Year at the 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards and is nominated for Single of the Year at the 56th CMA Awards.

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.