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Kelsea Ballerini’s audience screamed when she revealed the name printed on the back of the jersey she wore during her arena show in Charleston, South Carolina.
A video recorded by a concertgoer and shared by fan account Kelsea Central on Wednesday night (April 9) shows Ballerini taking the stage with “How Do I Do This?” She released the song on Rolling Up The Welcome Mat (For Good), the extended edition of her deeply vulnerable EP sharing her story of heartbreak and the journey to healing after divorce. The added track sees the singer-songwriter questioning herself as she gets ready for a date.
As she sang the lyric, “sh*t, so where the hell is my dress?,” Balleirni turned her back to the crowd and dramatically tossed her high ponytail to reveal the name “STOKES” on the back of her jersey. Fans loudly screamed and continued singing along. Later, Ballerini introduced her friend Kelly to the stage and serenaded her with the lyric she inspired: “I'm calling Kelly for a talk.”
Ballerini started dating Outer Banks star Chase Stokes — who lives in Charleston — in January 2023. They began talking when the Patterns artist slid into his DMs on Instagram in December 2022. They sparked dating rumors the following month when Stokes shared a photo of the couple sitting closely together at the College Football Playoff National Championship at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Soon after that, Ballerini confirmed the budding romance in an interview on Call Her Daddy. Ballerini has since thanked Stokes “for making me write love songs,” among other sweet tributes throughout their relationship.
Ballerini was recently asked in an interview with PEOPLE, “do you still believe in marriage?”
She replied with a laugh: “I do. I do. I definitely do. I’ve learned so much, and I’ve grown up a lot. ...I love love, and I think different people have different goals and what it can look like, you know? I don’t know. I don’t know what the future holds, but I value partnership very heavily …I’m open, but who knows.”