\n<\/p>\n
Kelsea Ballerini<\/a> is leaning on the one constant that\u2019s always helped her navigate life\u2019s hardest moments \u2014 her music.<\/p>\n On Thursday (Sept. 25), during an intimate live performance in Chicago<\/a>, the country star connected with fans in a raw and vulnerable way.<\/p>\n She covered Fleetwood Mac\u2019s \u201cDreams\u201d and opened up about how performing is helping her process a new chapter.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s this beautiful, healing, connective thing that happens when I get to play music with you,\u201d the 32-year-old told the SiriusXM crowd<\/a>. \u201cYour girl needed that this week.\u201d<\/p>\n Ballerini and actor Chase Stokes recently ended their nearly three-year relationship<\/a>. And while there\u2019s no scandal behind the split, sources close to the couple say it wasn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n Life, distance, and timing ultimately caught up with them.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were both traveling so much and trying to juggle everything,\u201d Taste of Country<\/em> previously reported<\/a>. \u201cThe arguments piled up.\u201d<\/p>\n Ballerini reportedly initiated the conversation, but both she and the Outer Banks<\/em> star agreed the relationship had run its course.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is still a lot of love between them,\u201d the source added. \u201cThey were trying to make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n Read More: <\/i><\/b>Here Are the 21 Saddest Country Songs by Women, Ranked [Photos]<\/a><\/p>\n The couple first went public in early 2023 and made their red carpet debut at the CMT Music Awards. For the most part, though, they kept things low-key<\/a> \u2014 quietly showing up for each other in the background.<\/p>\n The breakup comes a few years after Ballerini\u2019s divorce from fellow country artist Morgan Evans<\/a> \u2014 a life change she\u2019s still moving through.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough it\u2019s been a few years, Kelsea is still coming out of a divorce and figuring out what she really wants,\u201d a source explained. \u201cShe\u2019s not in a place where she\u2019s going to just settle.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s also been managing another emotional weight: her dog, Dibs, is facing unexpected health issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cBaby boy has a [surprise] surgery today,\u201d she recently wrote on Instagram. \u201cWe would appreciate all of the big love, prayers, and healing energy you can send his way.\u201d<\/p>\n While Ballerini hasn\u2019t said much publicly about the breakup<\/a>, her performance in Chicago may have said it all.<\/p>\n Read More:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Top 12 Country Songs By Women In 2025<\/a><\/p>\n With her voice, her vulnerability, and her ability to connect with a room full of strangers, she\u2019s once again turning personal pain into something powerful.<\/p>\n As she told her fans: \u201cYour girl needed that this week.\u201d And sometimes, healing starts with a song<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kelsea Ballerini flew to Texas during her summer break to make her debut on the Austin City Limits<\/em> television stage on Thursday, July 10. The episode was taped to air during the long-running music show’s 51st season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA Quiet Goodbye<\/h3>\n
Healing in Her Own Time<\/h3>\n
Letting the Music Do the Talking<\/h3>\n
Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘Austin City Limits’ Debut<\/h2>\n