Carly Pearce and Kelsea Ballerini both married fellow Country artists and both ended in divorce; however, they did not incorporate the divorces into their music the same way. One person carefully crafted the felt emotions into their lyrics in a poet and creative way, while the other laid out word for word what happened and expected the receiving audience to relate only to her and made every second of her career about her divorce. Clearly, the latter is Kelsea Ballerini.
As said countless times before, Country Music is three chords and the truth, so obviously, someone’s life is and should be incorporated into their music. With this being said, it doesn’t seem as though someone’s life should be word for word repeated into multiple songs for the public to judge (especially when it is involving someone else’s life). The point of music is to relate to the audience, but do we think that simply laying out exactly what happened in her divorce is relatable? I do not. I think the way Carly Pearce went about incorporating her divorce into her music was more relatable, professional, and mature. She captured the before, during, and after emotions and feelings in her lyrics that described the ups and downs of the instance. Furthermore, her music captured aspects in other areas of her life that were also affected by the divorce and questions she was left with afterwards. Carly Pearce took us on a thoughtful and emotional journey with her music in a mature format that puts you in the shoes of someone in her position, but it not only embodied the divorce itself. It embodied all aspects of her life and how one would emotionally handle the situation. She also did not just go release a divorce album. Carly Pearce organically incorporated the divorce into her music and projects. Yes, it was obviously a big part of her life and music, but she did not make it her entire identity. No one’s identity can be one single thing. We all have depth and layers (like an onion). Carly Pearce’s music displayed that she was changed by her divorce, but it also showed that she was more than that one thing that happened to her and that she was strong enough to continue moving forward. Since that era of her music, she has now gone on to release high quality songs that show she has progressed forward and is proud to continue making genuine Country music.
On the other hand, Kelsea Ballerini’s divorce music was the complete opposite. Before getting into her divorce era, it should be stated that she had put out a complete album titled “Subject to Change” that she was on tour promoting when her divorce EP engulfed her entire career. “Subject to Change’ was actually a phenomenal album. It was the perfect amount of pop and Country for a Kelsea Ballerini album. It had depth, passion, stories, and emotion, AND it really embodied who she is as an artist in Country music. Clearly, she is someone who hovers on the pop-Country line, but most mainstream Country artists do nowadays, so I think this album showed how she can balance her sound while also giving us such depth with her songwriting abilities (which is what makes Country so great and also stand out). I believe her “Subject to Change” album was the best body of music she ever put out, and at the time, I thought it solidified her as a solid female in Country that was there to stay. I now have my doubts. She not only allowed her career to be taken over by her divorce, but she also seemed to have pushed her entire album she was on tour for under the rug and acted like it did not happen. Pushing a six-song divorce EP to the forefront of her career just seemed selfish, but it especially seemed this way considering how great her full-length album was. The songs on “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat” literally word for word lay out her divorce. While it takes immense song writing skills to craft exact instances into a song, I think it lacks the best parts of song writing such as creativity, emotion, and relatability. It did not take much thought to just tell the world the specifics of what happened without thinking how it might affect the other party involved. It also left me wondering how she actually felt throughout the divorce because all I got from the EP was spite. This entire EP lacked the depth that Carly Pearce was able to give us. She also then proceeded to make a short film about her divorce showing that she still did not want to move on.
I wish that “Subject to Change” got its time in the spotlight that it deserved. I also hope that Kelsea Ballerini naturally progresses forward with the vibe and sound that she crafted during that album and leaves the divorce overload behind us. As for Carly Pearce, I am glad she exists, and I am glad she sings Country music. She fills a void in the industry that I believe we need. She seems to have an immense amount of pride in singing Country music, so I hope she continues putting out authentic music filled with depth.
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