Singer joined SoFi at CMA Fest to talk about their investment of $2 million in financial education and grants for young Tennesseans
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Kelsea Ballerini is ready to take a breather. The country star spent the weekend performing at CMA Fest and reflected on choosing to step away from the spotlight during an intimate Q&A for SoFi Plus members.
“The next right thing for me is to just be… be quiet for a bit,” she told SoFi CMO Lauren Stafford-Webb over the weekend. “I think I’m in this season of rest, where I start to find what actually excites me creatively and what I want to do. I’ve been in a sprint, and it’s been beautiful… but I’m going to [waves goodbye] for a while and see what happens.”
Ballerini recently linked up with SoFi to help empower the next generation of Tenneseans by investing $2 million in financial education and grants to support over 60,000 high school students in her home state. The initiative, titled the Rising Stars Program, grants between $5 and $1000 in stock to students in the state of Tennessee between [ages] 18 and 24.
“It’s so important to invest in your education or invest in your hobbies, and invest in your dreams, it’s also important to invest in yourself and in your future,” she told the intimate group before an acoustic, a cappella performance of “Baggage,” following her Nissan Stadium soundcheck.
She also caught up with Rolling Stone about taking a break, her first pair of Louboutin shoes, and why she’s talking about finances.
Why was it important for you to collaborate with SoFi on this Rising Stars program?
I love being able to talk about things that sometimes feel taboo to talk about for whatever reason. For me, understanding investment and even finances was something that was just not really talked about growing up. I think it’s really important for the younger generation to invest in themselves in every way that they can. The first step of that is just knowledge and understanding that it’s really important. The earlier you can, the better for you and your future. And then obviously, partnering with Tennessee Achieves, whether you get $5 or $1000, it will pay dividends in the long run. It’s just an amazing incentive to get our youth to be educated and do something good for themselves.
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What was the first thing you invested in?
It took me a minute! I was really scared because I didn’t understand it. I don’t share my investment portfolio, but I know the first thing that I invested in for myself was a pair of Louboutin shoes. And I’ll never forget it. I told myself that if I won a CMA one year that I would buy myself my first pair of red bottoms, and I lost that CMA. The next day, hungover, I went to the Green Hills Mall and I bought my first pair. They could have been my winner shoes, and instead, they’re my loser shoes, and I wear them all the time. I won in the shoe department!
As an artist, I’m wondering what advice you have for young artists in getting into the industry.
Ask a lot of questions, and ask questions to the right people. In that same breath, I think trusting yourself and your compass and your gut, whether that comes to artistic decisions for yourself, but also think in financial decisions. Even just navigating your personal and work life balance… That’s like the most important thing you can do. When you’re a new artist, especially if you’re young, you kind of have this ability to put blinders on and just get into the work. And I would say, don’t leave your real life behind.
You said you’re ready to peace out for a second and take a break. Why so?
It’s been a really busy last few years, and especially doing The Voice and coming off my first arena tour. I don’t want to keep going in a sprint and not take a breath after that and enjoy what that was, because I never knew if I’d get to do with either of those things, and the fact that we did them, and they were so wonderful, like, I just want to sit in that for a minute. And I also have no idea musically what I’m doing next, and I’m not gonna know that until I just park it for a second. I can’t make a shitty album. I need to take a breath and cook a meal and, like, learn to play tennis or something, and then pick up a guitar.
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Are there any artists that you’re really enjoying right now?
I think Carter Faith is such a badass. She has a song called “Grudge” that I’m obsessed with, and she just has this beautiful, angelic tone to her voice. But then her lyrics are so witty and sharp, and I just think she has such a really identifiable artistry. She’s really cool.
You had Aly & AJ out at your LA show!
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During that sound check, when they came up on that lift, I had to just be out of my body, I was so excited, because before I’m an artist, I’m a fan. That Disney Channel era was my childhood. That was right when I started falling in love with music. Just to have two incredible like artists and women and now friends show up for that was a big deal. And we sang “Potential Breakup Song.” Get real!
