The 2025 CMA Awards brought the best in country music all in one room. There were standout performances all night, with some of the most memorable being a duet with solo host Lainey Wilson and Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney getting the audience on its feet by singing two of his biggest hits, and a very captivating performance by Riley Green.
However, one of the most talked-about performances was from former “The Voice” coach, Kelsea Ballerini. The songstress sang her newest hit, “I Sit in Parks,” a song that has significant meaning to her.
Kelsea Ballerini Reflects on Her Defining CMA Performance
Kelsea Ballerini dazzled in red when she took the stage at the 2025 CMA Awards to sing her latest song, “I Sit in Parks.” The deeply emotional track about motherhood is incredibly personal to Ballerini, and it’s clear she wrote it straight from the heart.
Much like the song’s music video, Ballerini performed the track while sitting on a swing in a makeshift park. By the end of her performance, rain poured down on her, heightening the true emotions of the moment.
Taking to Instagram, Ballerini shared a carousel of images from her night at the CMAs, including getting her glam done, posing for pictures on the red carpet, and her magical performance. In her caption, she detailed how being able to perform her song about a real and vulnerable struggle was “one of my proudest moments as a songwriter.”
“To be able to tell the story of the fear of a body clock, how to balance it all, and how it affects your mental health on country music’s biggest stage is one of my proudest moments as a songwriter. i’m deeply grateful to @cma for this moment. and @ptracy for making this vision a reality. ❤️” Ballerini wrote.
Ballerini Gets Vulnerable in Her Latest EP, ‘Mount Pleasant’
GettyBallerini released her EP “Mount Pleasant,” which follows her successful “Patterns” record, on Nov. 14. The EP includes six songs, including “I Sit in Parks.”
According to People, Ballerini performed her entire EP during her “The Mount Pleasant Experience” pop-up in Nashville on Nov. 17. In between performances, she spoke with the audience, sharing what inspired her to write each song. In fact, she shut down rumors that her song, “Emerald City,” was about her boyfriend, Chase Stokes, ex-girlfriend, Madelyn Cline.
“I write songs to relate to, not to make a point on the internet,” she told the crowd.
After her performance, Ballerini teared up while thanking her fans for “embracing the not-so glittery parts of me over the last couple of years.” She added, “I know that I’m the luckiest to be able to have all these very big feelings and be like, ‘I need to put it in music or I will combust.'”
