Kelsea Ballerini is settling into life in New York City, and she’s making the most of it, even if she knows it’s only temporary. The 32-year-old singer first revealed her move from Tennessee during a March 20 appearance at An Evening with the Grand Ole Opry at Carnegie Hall. There, she told the audience the shift had been a long time coming.
Kelsea Ballerini is on a mission to find best spicy rigatoni in New York City
“Ever since I was a little kid and I got here for the first time, I always promised myself that I would do a season or chapter of life in the city,” Kelsea Ballerini said, describing the move as something she had imagined for years. While the relocation sparked speculation about a long-term shift, Ballerini quickly clarified her plans.
Speaking at the 2026 Fashion Trust U.S. Awards in Los Angeles on April 7, she explained that New York is not a permanent base, at least not yet. “I’m not permanently moving,” she said. “I’m just there through the summer, and I’m loving it so much.” The move comes shortly after the end of her relationship with Chase Stokes. The pair began dating in early 2023 and made their relationship public at the CMT Awards later that year.
By October 2024, Ballerini confirmed they had moved in together. However, after nearly three years, the relationship came to an end last September. Though the two briefly rekindled things when Ballerini visited Stokes while he filmed “Outer Banks” in Europe, it ultimately didn’t last, with their split becoming apparent again following a series of cryptic social media posts late last year.
Ballerini describes her time in New York as a period of rediscovery, which explores new routines, new spaces, and a different version of daily life. “I feel this resurgence of energy just doing stuff for myself,” she said, adding that the experience has been both refreshing and grounding. Amid the bigger life changes, Ballerini has set herself a more personal goal. “I’m on a mission to find the best spicy rigatoni,” she shared, revealing a very New York–appropriate quest. “That’s my Italian, that’s my heart. I gotta go find it.”
