Kelsea Ballerini To Receive Vanguard Award At 55th ASCAP Country Music Awards

ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, will present Kelsea Ballerini with the ASCAP Vanguard Award at the 55th annual ASCAP Country Music Awards. The awards celebration, which honors the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most performed country songs of 2016, will take place at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville on Nov. 6.

“From the moment she released her debut single, Kelsea Ballerini’s fearless songwriting and gifted vocals have made her one of the most exciting new artists in country music,” said John Titta, ASCAP Executive Vice President, Membership. “By combining pop and country sounds with thoughtful, emotionally honest lyrics, she has unapologetically forged her own creative path to success and gained millions of fans along the way. We are thrilled to honor her with the ASCAP Vanguard Award.”

The Vanguard Award recognizes the impact of outstanding ASCAP members on musical genres that are shaping the future of American music. Previous recipients include Chris Stapleton, Walk the Moon, St. Vincent, fun., The Civil Wars, Third Day, Band of Horses, Sara Bareilles and more.

Black River Entertainment artist Ballerini earned three consecutive platinum-certified No. 1 singles from her debut album, For The First Time, including “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Peter Pan,” and “Dibs.” She either wrote or co-wrote every track on the debut project.

Ballerini earned two most-performed song awards at the 2016 ASCAP Country Music Awards, for “Dibs” and “Love Me Like You Mean It.”

Ballerini’s sophomore album, Unapologetically, will release Nov. 3.

As previously announced, the 55th annual ASCAP Country Music Awards will also present the ASCAP Founders Award to Rodney Crowell, as well as awards for ASCAP Country Music Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year and Publisher of the Year. The evening will feature live performances of some of the top five most performed songs by the award-winning songwriters and/or the artists who recorded them.

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Jessica Nicholson

Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.

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