Kelsea Ballerini Teases New Tattoo As She Shares Candid Tribute To Her Mom

Photo: Getty Images

Kelsea Ballerini “walked in slippers through New York, and got another tattoo,” in the newly-premiered music video for the candid ballad she wrote for her mom.

The visual also includes “lil hints all over for what’s next,” Ballerini confirmed when the video premiered on Monday morning (August 12).

“Sorry Mom” is the second track to release from Ballerini’s highly-anticipated fifth studio album, Patterns, set to arrive in late October. The first song the East Tennessee-born artist debuted from the 15-track record is “Cowboys Cry Too,” a duet with Noah Kahan. Ballerini wrote the tribute to her mom, Carla Denham, with Alysa Vanderheym, Karen Fairchild, Jessie Jo Dillon and Hillary Lindsey. She described “Sorry Mom” as “a love letter to the growth of mother and daughter to woman and woman,” and said she “couldn’t be more proud to share this song with you.” Ballerini teased “lil hints” in the music video, and tagged tattoo artist Michelle Santana on her Instagram story on Monday.

Ballerini’s latest full-length album is Subject To Change, which arrived in September 2022 with “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too),” “Love Is A Cowboy,” “HEARTFIRST” and other highlights. She quickly followed that project with a surprise EP and accompanying short film, Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, which shared Ballerini’s story of heartache and her journey of healing after divorce. Ballerini said during a Grand Ole Opry performance in November that she was “singing about a chapter of my life that is far past me now.” She introduced Fairchild and Lindsey to the stage to deliver the debut live performance of her unreleased ballad, “To The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak.” Ballerini said during a performance in Nashville in June that she’s “never handled anything with so much care in my life,” while talking about her new album.

Patterns will release on October 25. Watch “Sorry Mom” here: