The idea for this CMT Crossroads really might have started about a year and a half ago.
It was then — in July 2018 — that pop star Halsey and Kelsea Ballerini randomly popped up at Santa’s Pub (a true dive bar just south of Nashville) and did some karaoke. Together, they sang Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” and the Kid Rock/Sheryl Crow duet “Picture.”
About four months after that, Ballerini posted a video of the two of them performing “Leave the Pieces” from The Wreckers.
And now, this.
Announced today (Oct. 3), Ballerini and Halsey will be officially reunited on the big stage when they perform at the Ascend Amphitheater in downtown Nashville on Oct. 11 for a very special episode of CMT Crossroads. It will be the 70th episode in the show’s revered 18-year history.
“From hearing ‘Colors’ for the first time years ago to her playing the first cut of ‘Without Me’ in my living room last year, I’ve always been a superfan of Halsey. Her songwriting has a way of painting the most beautiful pictures and telling the most emotional of stories, and after becoming fast friends over wine and karaoke nights, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather share the CMT Crossroads stage with. We’re going to bring a little pop, a little country, a big love of songwriting, and no doubt some sass to Nashville next week,” Ballerini told us.
Halsey echoed those same heartfelt sentiments. “I feel so fortunate to have a friend like Kelsea. She is a spectacular talent and an even better human being. It’s been an honor to watch from the sidelines as she has trailblazed country music the past few years. Her songs make me laugh and cry and put every single window down in the car,” Halsey said.
“The first stage Kelsea and I ever shared together was a 3-foot karaoke dance floor right in Nashville. We’ve sang together in my living room, in her kitchen, in the back seat of cars in drive through lines late at night. And this time we get to get on a real stage, one of the most iconic stages in history, and do the thing we love the most in front of a city that is so dear to both of us.
The all-ages show will be general admission, and ticketing details will be posted on Crossroads.CMT.com prior to the show. The show will be airing on CMT in early 2020.