Kelsea Ballerini Is Having A “Slow-Girl Summer”

For Kelsea Ballerini, the long tail of tour life is never-ending. Despite concluding her 30-city arena tour in March, the country superstar is still very much in recovery mode until she embarks on the final leg of the tour in December.

“I'm calling it my slow-girl summer,” Ballerini, 31, tells NYLON. “I'm pumping the brakes, catching my breath, resetting a little bit.” But even with that free time, Ballerini is still writing new music — with a laissez-faire attitude toward whether or not it ends up on a record. She’s also applying that laid-back mentality to her travel plans and her hair-care routine with “way more natural [styles]” she says. “I do lots of little cheeky braids in the summer because it's just so damn hot, and it's nice to keep it off your face. And it's easy to put in those really amazing products that help just soak in all the good stuff while you can still look cute.”

The products in question are Pantene’s lineup of Extreme Damage Repair shampoos, conditioners, sprays, and leave-in treatments — all of which Ballerini serves up on a plater in the brand’s new country-themed campaign. In honor of her new gig as a diner waitress, we caught up with Ballerini to chat about her hair journey, wigs, and the slow-girl writing process.

In April, you posted a wig-removal video on TikTok.

Yeah. My end-of-tour Hannah Montana moment.

What inspired the decision to wear the wig?

I honestly have put my hair through it the last over a decade, just touring and coloring and all the styling. Three years ago I just very impulsively chopped it and was like, “I have to get my hair healthy. I want my whole life to get a little bit healthier." And that was part of the journey for me. I had worked so hard on doing it right and not putting as much color on it. and I felt like it was getting really healthy. Then I was looking down the lens of doing a 35-day tour and I was like, "I don't want to undo all this work we just did." So we decided to do the wig.

Are you often wearing wigs and we have no idea?

No, it was just for tour, but it was so fun. I've always been a girly girl. When I was a kid, I would just get into my mom's cabinets and do makeup, and I had a dress-up box. And I think it's a really fun part of what I'm blessed to be able to do in my job. So I never want to sacrifice that fun element for health at all.

Was there ever a time in your hair-care journey when you really thought you messed up?

I've done a lot of trial and error, but you kind of have to. It's part of the fun. Bangs didn't work for me. Not at all. The first time I was allowed to dye my hair I was in middle school — I had dark brown hair and I got highlights, and it was chunky-chunk, and not like the cute '90s. It was really bad.

What's the riskiest or wildest thing you’d be willing to do to your hair?

I went to my natural color a couple of years ago. I loved it so much. But there's something about when I'm touring and being forward-facing artist me, that's blonde. It's this weird brain trick I have for myself. When I'm blonde, I'm like, "I'm working."

What kinds of hairstyles can we expect to see on your upcoming tour dates?

It's probably going to be between the wig and the power pony because these are the last shows of this chapter of music, so I feel like I want to keep it aesthetically [cohesive to] stick the landing. And then, honestly, no idea what's next. It’ll be different because I like every chapter to feel different.

These products are all about repair — what else are you trying to repair right now?

My relationship with taking a break. It's very hard for me, but I think when your career is also your passion, you have to really investigate that relationship. Writing right now is so fun because I don't know if I'm writing for a record or not. I might just be writing for fun, and then when it's time to make a record, it might be totally different. I don't really know. And so I think just investigating that relationship between the love of music versus making records and touring records and promo records, I think I need a break to make sure I have a good grip on that.

What is your song of the summer?

Role Model, “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out.” There's a lore with that song with me and my friend group. I can't explain it. It just goes way deeper than it should.

Any fun plans for your slow-girl summer?

I just took a girls’ trip to Paris. That was very fun. I try to do a girls’ trip every year, and this one was just last-minute, and it could not have been more beautiful. Girlhood in your 30s is everything. I just love it so much. But yeah, my friend Katie goes to Paris every year. She's always invited me, but I've never been able to go. And so she texted me five days before she left. She's like, "Offer still stands." And I was like, "I'm going to hop a plane. I'm coming."

You mentioned you're writing music. Any news you can share?

I truly have nothing. I honestly couldn't tell you where or when or what at all. And when it's time, it'll be time. But right now it's not. So I'm going to finish the tour in December, and then next year will be next year.

What's the vibe been? Are you bringing your slow-girl energy to your music?

It's been really fun because I've been writing a lot by myself, but then I'm also writing with people I love that I've never written with before or I don't write with a lot. And so that's kind of brought this new energy into the creative process, which I'm really liking. So I think I'll do more of that and see where it goes.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.