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Kelsea Ballerini revealed long-awaited answers about a requested unreleased ballad that did not appear on the track list of her fifth studio album.
Some of Balleriniās fans were shocked to discover that āTo The Men That Love Women After Heartbreakā would not be included on Patterns, which arrived on Friday (October 25). Ballerini teased the song on TikTok last year, and delivered the debut live performance on the legendary Grand Ole Opry stage with songwritersĀ Karen FairchildĀ andĀ Hillary Lindsey. The omission became a āhot topicā among fans eager to listen to the heartfelt ballad that the singer-songwriter wrote amid her romance with actor Chase Stokes. Ballerini hinted that something was in the works when she chatted with social media followers in a live streamed Q&A earlier this month.
āThis is a hot topic. āTo The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak.ā It is not on the record [Patterns],ā Ballerini said. āHowever, I had no idea how much that song, that little clip that I played on the TikTok, meant to a lot of people. So, Iām not gonna do you dirty. I definitely got you. I definitely got you. But itās not on the record. But I wouldnāt do you like that.ā
Ballerini confirmed on Monday (October 28) that she would release Patterns with two bonus tracks as a digital download on her website for a limited time. One of the bonus tracks is a stripped version of āTwo Things,ā which appeared on the originally-released version of Patterns, and the other is āTo The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak.ā
āThe reality is, Iāve been singing about a chapter of my life that is far past me now,ā Ballerini said on the Grand Ole Opry stage when she debuted the song for the first time. She referred to Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, a deeply personal EP that shared her story of heartache and healing after divorce. At that time, Ballerini had been dating Stokes for nearly a year. āAnd Iām writing about the chapter of life that Iām in, and it looks very different, and I kind of wanted to share a bit of it now. Iām very gently and slowly starting to make the next record. I really want to take the time to handle it with care. I couldnāt not sing this song for the first time with two of the women that I wrote it with, who happen to be two of the reasons that I am who I am as a songwriter and artist.ā
Ballerini is celebrating her albumās release with a sold-out show on Tuesday night (October 29) at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which also includes sister duosĀ Aly & AJĀ andĀ Tigirlily Gold. in 2025, Ballerini will kick off her first headlining arena tour with special guestsĀ Maisie PetersĀ andĀ Marynn Taylor. See the dates here.