Kelsea’s label scores first ‘Gold’ album, too
A doubly exciting event for Kelsea Ballerini and her record label. The Number One party for her song “Peter Pan,” written by Ballerini with Forest Glen Whitehead and Jesse Lee was held, not at a restaurant or bar, but at the spacious Averitt Hangar close by Nashville International Airport. “Peter Pan” was her third consecutive Number One, making her the first solo female artist to top the charts with her first three singles since Wynonna Judd achieved that feat in 1992 (and the first ‘new’ female artist to ever achieve it). All three singles have been certified Gold by RIAA, making everyone very happy at Ballerini’s label, Black River Entertainment.
Interestingly, she grew up listening to pop music from such artists as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and NSYNC, until she discovered songs by Keith Urban that moved her to listen more closely to country music artists such as Dixie Chicks, Sugarland and – her biggest influence – Shania Twain. At the age of 19, she signed a deal with Black River Entertainment, resulting in “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs” and now “Peter Pan,” all of which topped Billboard’s Country Airplay charts. All three cuts are from her debut album, “The First Time,” also RIAA certified Gold – and the first Gold Album certification for Black River Entertainment. “Yeah Boy,” the fourth track from that album, was sent to country radio October 10. Will that be another chart topper? Watch this space!
Here’s a photo I took during the Number One party at the Averitt Hangar. Kelsea Ballerini had a lot to celebrate: her third-in-a-row Number One single and Black River Entertainment’s first RIAA-certified Gold album. Kelsea’s tour dates and more can be found here.