Kelsea Ballerini is dropping major teasers about her (“hypothetical”) upcoming album as eager fans beg for more details. The “Miss Me More” singer fielded some questions about her new music on TikTok on Sunday (July 10), and on Monday (July 11), she followed up with a couple emails that many recipients deemed brutal teasers.
“I’ve been super hesitant to share anything before it’s super ready because things have just been so subject to change the last few years, but it’s ready!” Ballerini gushed on TikTok, later explaining that the sound of “this ‘hypothetical record’” is “different than anything I’ve ever done, and it’s heavily influenced by… ‘90s female country.”
Naturally, TikTok users couldn’t wait to find out when Ballerini would release the highly-anticipated album — and she might have dropped a major hint.
“It’s hard to say, but if I had to pick a month, um… yeah. I don’t know!” Ballerini teased as she zoomed in on a charm on her necklace. Eagle-eyed fans — noting that Ballerini’s birthday is approaching in September — guessed that the necklace indicated either August or September, based on the Virgo Zodiac sign.
Still, Ballerini hasn’t officially announced a release date, even in an email that some say is “spilling tea without spilling tea,” and starting “some chaos.” Initially, Ballerini sent one with a subject line reading, “[Test] KB4,” with yellow and blue heart emojis. The email seemingly was meant to announce Ballerini’s fourth full-length studio album, but only included “[PLACEHOLDER-SUBJECT TO CHANGE]” in a space that could contain album cover art. It also includes a “pre-order” option that isn’t clickable.
Ballerini sent a second email, with an all-caps subject line reading, “RECALL: PLEASE DISREGARD PREVIOUS EMAIL ⚠️.” Addressed to Legends, the text reads that the previous email was erroneously sent. “The announcement may not be coming soon, then again, maybe it might be,” Team KB wrote with a playful reference to Ballerini’s latest single, “HEARTFIRST.”
Ballerini released “HEARTFIRST” earlier this year, and premiered the metaphor-packed music video on Thursday (July 7). The song seemingly sets the tone for Ballerini’s forthcoming project. She explained: “I will say, the sound of this ‘hypothetical record’ is…different than anything I’ve ever done, and it is heavily influenced by — I would say ‘90s music in general, but definitely ‘90s female country. …There’s still some pop flavor, obviously. But I’m really excited for you to hear the influence that this thing has all over it. Hypothetically, of course. What album? We don’t know her.”
When asked whether another single could release soon, Ballerini paused to think before responding on TikTok: “Not ‘no.’ Not ‘yes,’ but not ‘no.’ And not after this time next week. K bye!”