Kelsea Ballerini, a country pop artist, has been in the music industry since her first album released, called “The First Time.” Since then, she’s released albums/EPs titled “Unapologetically,” “Kelsea,” “Ballerini,” “Subject to Change,” “Rolling up the Welcome Mat,” “Rolling up the Welcome Mat for Good,” and her newest release “Patterns.”

“Patterns” is my second favorite album Ballerini has made, the first being “Rolling up the Welcome Mat.” In “Patterns” Ballerini shares about growing from what she’s been through. She tells a story throughout the album of things that have happened in her life, such as divorce, heartbreak, moving forward and how she’s gotten through them.

My favorite songs off of the “Patterns” album are “Baggage,” “WAIT!”, “I Would, Would you,” “Sorry Mom,” and “We Broke Up,” All of these songs are favored because I feel like they all tell a story. I love how captivating the songs are, but also the way Ballerini talks about her life throughout the lyrics. 

“Baggage”:

This song is all about Ballerini moving in with her significant other. The song is called “Baggage” because it talks about everything that’s happened in her life and everything that she has to carry with her. She talks about how she knows how hard it can be to take that step and unload life onto someone, but she is willing and wanting to move into the next chapter. 

“WAIT!”:

“WAIT!” shares Ballerini having an internal conflict with herself of deciding whether to leave her relationship or to stay. Throughout the song, she shows an internal battle of wanting to be on her own, but then, in reality, she realizes she does truly want to stay. She reflects on her feelings of navigatinging past relationships, how she wants to be different, and how this is. 

“I Would, Would You”:

In this song, Ballerini writes of how she’d always be there and that she would do anything for the person in her song. She shares how she’d “follow you to the moon” or how she would fight for them because “that’s just what you do when you love someone.” The second part of the title “Would You,” is repeated throughout the song after she gives examples of ways she’d always be there.. She then says how she’d be there and in return states the phrase “Would You?”

“Sorry Mom”:

“Sorry Mom” is a heartfelt song that Ballerini wrote for her mother. Throughout this song, Ballerini tells the story of mistakes she had made as a daughter, and she captivates the relationship she had with her mother through also describing her mom’s reactions. Throughout the song, as she writes about these mistakes, she sings “sorry mom” as a huge apology letter to her mom for the things she messed up. The end of the song is uplifting as Ballerini writes about how happy she is and how her mom did a good job as a mother. 

“We Broke Up”:

This song is such a powerful song and a bold step in Ballerini’s songwriting. Throughout this song, she semi-highlights her divorce. In this song, Ballerini doesn’t sit and dwell on her divorce; instead, she sings confidently about how everything is okay now. She expresses maturity in the line “But we didn’t, and it is what it is okay.” This song is such a powerful break-up song. It steps out of the traditional lines of break-up songs showing Ballerini’s confidence while singing, giving listeners a confidence boost if they’ve ever been broken up with.