Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘Half Of My Hometown’ Becomes Seventh Chart-Topper

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Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney

Kelsea Ballerini has landed her seventh No. 1 atop the Billboard and Mediabase Country Airplay charts with her Gold-certified single “Half Of My Hometown,” featuring fellow East Tennessee native Kenny Chesney.

The song is also a milestone for Chesney as it marks his 35th No. 1, extending his record of the most No. 1s on the Country Singles chart. In addition to topping the charts, “Half Of My Hometown” is also approaching 200 million streams.

The track went No. 1 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart on Jan. 7, 2022, and celebrated two wins at the 2021 CMA Awards for Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year.

“Sometimes leaving is the only way you understand the importance of where you’re from. Leaving Knoxville at 15 to go chase my dreams was the hardest and best decision I’ve ever made. I love every single person who is a part of ‘Half Of My Hometown,’” shares Ballerini. “Kenny Chesney showed up in every way for this song and has become such a friend and brother through it. Thank you, country radio; thank you, Black River Entertainment and thank you to the cheerleading coach who didn’t let me on the team, because I would have never picked up the guitar and gotten here.”

“When Kelsea texted, I wanted to hear the kind of song a girl from back home would write,” Chesney adds. “And it was even better than I’d thought, and my expectations were pretty high. Kelsea’s song is everything about leaving where we’re from is: how hard to leave a place that is everything you are, how badly the need to be a singer or a writer of songs can be. She nailed it, and I was honored to be a part of it.”

“Half Of My Hometown” is the fourth single off of Ballerini’s self-titled third full-length studio album Kelsea and was recently certified Gold, marking the seventh RIAA Gold and Platinum certification from the project. The achievement is the latest success for Ballerini, who performed “Big Dreams And Faded Jeans” on stage with Dolly Parton last night (March 7) during the 57th Annual ACM Awards.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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