How Kelsea Ballerini, Chase Stokes Marked One-Year Anniversary Together
By Kelly Fisher
January 8, 2024
Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes celebrated their one-year anniversary with sweet tributes to one another on Sunday (January 7).
Ballerini marked “a whole trip around the sun with my bestie,” she wrote in her caption as she shared a few photos and videos on Instagram. “[Chase Stokes] thanks for making me write love songs. 🤍”
“One year of lovin you ❤️,” Stokes captioned an Instagram post of his own. “p.s. told ya I wouldn’t embarrass you 🥰”
The pair also penned similar comments on one other's anniversary posts: Stokes wrote, “I really really ❤️ you,” and Ballerini said, “sure do love you 🤍”
Ballerini and Stokes began talking in December 2022. Ballerini has since shared a screenshot of the message she sent when she slid into the Outer Banks star’s DMs on Instagram, and the rest is history. The couple first stirred dating rumors when Stokes posted a series of photos on Instagram, including one snapshot with Ballerini at the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 9, 2023. Ballerini confirmed her romance with Stokes in a podcast interview the following month. Since then, she and Stokes have shared many adorable photos and tributes to one another, including on birthdays, at awards shows, and celebrating one another’s accomplishments (Stokes penned a tribute to Ballerini when she was named one of Entertainment Weekly’s 2023 Entertainers of the Year).
Ballerini unveiled an unreleased love song on the Grand Ole Opry stage in November, readying fans for her next era of music after full-length album Subject To Change and surprise EP Rolling Up The Welcome Mat. The Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter performed “To The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak” with songwriters Karen Fairchild and Hillary Lindsey.
“The reality is, I’ve been singing about a chapter of my life that is far past me now,” Ballerini said on the Opry stage, referencing the Rolling Up The Welcome Mat tracks that share her story of heartbreak and healing after divorce. “And I’m writing about the chapter of life that I’m in, and it looks very different, and I kind of wanted to share a bit of it now. I’m very gently and slowly starting to make the next record. I really want to take the time to handle it with care.”