Kelsea Ballerini's new song "How Do I Do This" admits to a healthy dose of nerves before her first first date since divorce. The details of the song -- from the jitters to the outfit to the best friend cheering her on -- come straight from the singer's real life: She's got the receipts!
On TikTok, Ballerini shared a throwback from her first date with her actor boyfriend Chase Stokes, posting an outfit check video that she sent to her best friend before the night out.
"Here's the look. With the boots," Ballerini says nervously in the clip, filming herself in a mirror as she turns around to show off the full outfit.
Though she looks polished and put together, Ballerini makes it clear she's feeling a little antsy about going out with someone new. "I can do this. I can do this. It's just a date," she says, striking a few goofy poses in the mirror to undercut her anxiety.
"You just go and you just eat food and you talk about things that you do," she concludes before signing off.
Ballerini's date with Stokes must've gone pretty well, because they're now a couple, marking the singer's first relationship since her divorce from fellow country artist Morgan Evans in 2022.
Ballerini documented her journey through divorce, heartache and healing in her early-2023 EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, and earlier this month, she extended the story with a deluxe edition that included lyrical changes and modifications to some of the songs as well as the addition of "How Do I Do This."
That track serves as a kind of bridge between Ballerini's breakup story and her next chapter, documenting all the butterflies and insecurities she felt before re-entering the dating pool.
Kelsea Balerini opened up her divorce diary in February 2023 with her Rolling Up the Welcome Mat EP, a project that follows the stages of a breakup — from grief and loneliness to anger to acceptance — in chronological order. Here are eight of the most revealing lyrics from the project.