AceShowbiz - Kelsea Ballerini experienced a "life-changing" year after getting divorced. The 30-year-old country music singer separated from Morgan Evans in 2022 after five years of marriage and is now dating "Outer Banks" star Chase Stokes, 31, but admitted that since her divorce was finalized, she was able to pour emotions into her Grammy-nominated EP "Rolling Up the Welcome Mat".

"I think just this last year of my life has just changed everything about the way that I think about my career and my personal life. I think I earned my freedom as a songwriter. The thing that I learned that I just really hold closely now is there's no amount of truth-telling or detail that will make it not relatable," she told People.

"I think for a long time, even though I was writing about my life and my emotions, I would try to round the edges, because I'm like, 'I want everyone to feel themselves in this,' or see themselves in the story. I made it very selfishly … quite literally emotionally because I had to!"

The "Miss Me More" hitmaker previously admitted that she's learned a lot about life and herself from her divorce as she has figured out how to "stay open" through her most difficult moments.

She told InStyle magazine, "Public or not, I'd say the biggest lesson is to not let it make your heart hard - to stay open and stay soft while you heal. So much light and beauty has come from it."

Kelsea is determined to remain "authentic" and doesn't pay too much attention to public opinion. She said, "It's impossible to do it all 'right' and make everyone happy. So, I'm just taking it day by day and keeping a solid pulse on if I'm being authentic in my own little journey of happiness and growth."