Kelsea Ballerini

“I used to walk around trying to do the Britney Spears growl: 'Oh, baby, baby.'”

“My first artist bus was Jason Aldean's old bus, with deer antlers over the lights and cowhide on the back of the couches. It was such an absolute dude bus.”

“As a fan, I connect with realness. Whether it's strong or vulnerable, if it's real, I can connect with it.”

“Always wash your face before you go to bed - skin care is key.”

“Sometimes, if I really just need to unwind and kind of watch something that isn't gonna stress me out or have drama in it, I watch 'Spongebob.'”

“I was writing country songs, but I wasn't listening to country yet. I grew up on a farm in East Tennessee, so my roots are country, you know? But I didn't know where those songs came from or where they fit.”

“There's a YouTube video of these two kittens that just fall over and pass out. My blood sugar's crazy, so I would pass out sometimes, like the fainting kittens.”

“I feel like it's been so crazy to get to open for people like Rascal Flatts, Lady A, Billy Currington.”

“I also grew up on a farm in east Tennessee, so my roots are just naturally super southern, so I've always had that southern country lifestyle.”

“On stage, you can get away with more, so I definitely use that to my advantage and go bolder with fashion, hair, and makeup. I love a smoky eye and long lashes.”

“My biggest dream is to headline an arena tour.”

“As a young woman, I just think there's something really confident and empowering about being able to flirt back.”

“My favorite songwriting trick is writing something like 'XO.' In my brain, I thought, 'This is probably going to be a love song. How can I change that and find ways to twist that.' As a songwriter, it's your job for the song to take twists and turns that people don't expect.”

“I love Taylor Swift, and I've always been such a fan of her.”

“I love that on country radio, you can hear a George Strait song, and the next is Sam Hunt. I love that there's such a variety.”

“I've always wanted to dye my hair a bright color.”

“When I was 15, my mom and I packed everything up and moved to Nashville so I could pursue my dream in music.”

“I'm basically always writing. Why wouldn't I? I love it.”

“Songwriting was a gift that came to me when I needed it the most.”

“I love having that conversation with someone I've never met before who's enjoying something that I wrote and being able to connect and share that.”