Kelsea Ballerini Announces An Intimate New Album

Just a year after the release of her Grammy-nominated EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, country-pop sensation Kelsea Ballerini is back with a new project. Her fifth studio album, Patterns, is set to drop on Oct. 25 and will explore personal growth and self-discovery, according to Billboard.

On Aug. 8, Ballerini took to Instagram to share the album cover, in which she’s seen perched atop a pile of luggage at the beach. Fans were quick to speculate on the visuals as a possible reflection of her journey post-divorce from country star Morgan Evans over two years ago. Add in her caption, — “let’s start unpacking…” — and the whole picture suggests that she’ll be diving deep into the past.

Adding to the excitement, Ballerini teased the release of a new song titled “Sorry, Mom” at midnight on Aug. 9. In an interview with The Associated Press, she shared some insights into her latest single. “The first line is, ‘Sorry, mom, I smelled like cigarettes,’” she said. “You know, it’s the things that your mom doesn’t really want to hear. But then you get to the chorus and the meat of it and the heart of it, and it’s a letter of thanks to my mom for raising me the way she did.”