Kelsea Ballerini “accidentally” confirmed there’s more to her Patterns era.

Ballerini recently caught up with Byrdie for the publication’s cover story that published on Tuesday morning (February 4). Throughout the conversation, the country-pop megastar spoke about how she ignited her passion for songwriting, some of her most powerful music she’s ever released (including her first three singles skyrocketing to No. 1, and her deeply personal Rolling Up The Welcome Mat EP), her relationship with Outer Banks star Chase Stokes, coaching on The Voice, and more.

She also “accidentally” confirmed a deluxe album.

Ballerini told Byrdie she’s been working on a “really great” deluxe edition of the 15-track record she released in October 2024 (she did not, however, announce when the extended album would release). Ballerini wrote Patterns with an all-female team of songwriters and producers, including Alysa Vanderheym, Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild, Jessie Jo Dillon and Hillary Lindsey. The album includes the title track, “Sorry Mom,” “Baggage,” “First Rodeo,” “Two Things,” “Cowboys Cry Too” with Noah Kahan and more.

“It is a love record. It’s full of love—self-love, love for my family, my friends, my partner, whatever,” Ballerini said of Patterns in her interview with Byrdie. “But it’s the nuance of it, the growth of it, the tension within it… that is so necessary and interesting to me.

“I’ve always considered myself country-adjacent,” she said later of her musical style. “I grew up in East Tennessee, on a farm, and I write from a storytelling perspective. And I’ve dug my heels into the Nashville country music community–that’s home base for me. But I also don’t want to ever be boxed in, and I would urge every artist to feel that way. …Music is music. It should exist for everyone, and the whole point of country music, in particular, is writing the truth, writing your story. It shouldn’t matter if there’s a banjo or a beat drop. It’s been really beautiful to watch new ears come into this community, and I love being a small part of that.”

Ballerini celebrated Patterns’ arrival with a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. She went on to announce her first-ever headlining arena tour, which kicked off last month. The tour includes special guests Sasha Alex Sloan, Ashe, The Japanese House and MaRynn Taylor. See the list of tour stops here.

Tim Palmer

And gets an honorary doctorate while she's there! Here's a little bit of her speech, which focuses on the positives that came from the negatives.