Kelsea Ballerini is back in the saddle.
The country music star, 30, has turned the page to a new chapter in her career today, beginning with her new single, “Cowboys Cry Too,” featuring Noah Kahan. The emotional new release comes just weeks after Ballerini subtly announced her upcoming album via Instagram.
“Album: recorded mind: lost dibs: unimpressed,” the singer captioned a collection of photos and videos of her in the recording studio. The upcoming LP is her fifth studio album and follows her 2022 release, Subject to Change.
The new single with Kahan, 27, is an emotional ballad combating the culture of toxic masculinity. Singing from two perspectives of a man and woman, Ballerini and Kahan address the struggles of living “in a world that says ‘saddle up and be a man.’”
“When he’s showing his skin, letting me in, that’s when he’s toughest to me,” Ballerini says in the chorus. “I never knew cowboys cry too.”
The release comes almost two months after the stars joined forces on the stage of the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards, where they collaborated by singing her 2023 single “Mountain With a View” and Kahan’s 2022 hit “Stick Season.”
Kahan teased the new song ahead of its release, posting a sneak peek of his verse on the single via Instagram on Wednesday, June 27. “This entire verse is just❤️🩹🥺,” Ballerini commented. “Can’t wait for y’all to hear it.
Ballerini has been hinting at new music since January. The single is her first release since her 2023 EP, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. The singer’s boyfriend, Outer Banks star Chase Stokes, has also been sharing his support for her new tunes. The actor replied in the comments section of Ballerini’s Instagram announcement saying, “Ooooh yes. The teases of teases. I can’t wait I can’t wait.”
The couple was first linked in January 2023 after Ballerini’s split from ex-husband Morgan Evans in August 2022. Ballerini confirmed her relationship with Stokes, 31, in February 2023, and the duo made their red carpet debut in April 2023 at the CMT Music Awards in Austin, Texas.
Ballerini has been open about her new phase of life in the years following her divorce. Now with a new relationship, a new gig as a coach on NBC’s The Voice and new music on the way, the country singer is reminding fans “this ain’t [her] first rodeo.”
