Kelsea Ballerini Trivializes Issue of Women in Country Music
Kelsea Ballerini is quickly becoming one of these country music radio personalities you can’t avoid even if you try. It’s often said by pop country defenders, “If you don’t like it, don’t listen to it.” That’s easier said than done when an artist or hit single gets unleashed to the masses and it permeates culture so deep, you can’t avoid them even if you try. There they are blaring out of your co-worker’s radio at work, playing over the grocery store speakers, thumping out of some douchebag’s car at a red light, or as is often the case these days, showing up on your television.
Pop country starlet Kelsea Ballerini was recently named the co-host of a new ABC television series called Greatest Hits, which will premier June 30th on ABC. Along with fellow host and late-night talk show washout Arsenio Hall, the show will feature performances of hits from previous eras by the song’s original performers, or today’s artists in tribute. Basically, it’s a way to monetize Sony ATV’s back catalog of songs while filling out an hour of low-value summer season television air time. America is so obsessed with watching people singing and dancing, it’s probably a smart move by ABC.
And it might be a smart move for Ballerini. She’s watched how Blake Shelton took a B-level country music career and mild album sales, and parleyed them into five consecutive CMA Male Vocalist of the Year awards from his work on ABC’s The Voice. There is obviously a push to make Ballerini not just famous for singing bland pop and calling it country, but famous for being famous en route to launching a celebrity brand.
It was all made possible when Ballerini became one of the few women who could bust through the male monopoly on country radio, partly due to her father being a radio programmer and knowing the business, and because she’s been releasing straight up pop songs to country radio. When the whole “Tomato” issue hit, Ballerini was in the right place at the right time to become country radio’s token female for the airwaves, and has ridden that wave to stardom.
Yes, it’s good that female representation is finally returning to country radio, but when it comes to the singles from Kelsea Ballerini, it’s happening for all the wrong reasons. But even with Ballerini’s success, women are still very much fighting an uphill battle. Yet when asked recently by FOX about the issue of women on country radio, Ballerini didn’t show leadership for her fellow females, she trivialized the issue of being more about the sheer numbers of great females looking to get heard, instead of a serious, institutional issue of excluding women.
“I think it’s more just people saying women are not being played on the radio because right now there are a ton of us and it’s awesome,” she said to FOX.
Wait, what? So there is no institutional bias against women in country music? There is no issue with radio consultants like Keith Hill telling radio programmers that if they want higher ratings, play less females? The problem, according to Ballerini is that there’s just too many women, and because of the glut there’s just not enough capacity on radio for them all?
Ballerini goes on to say, “’Peter Pan’ broke Top 30 and it’s my favorite song on the record. And radio has been so good to me and good to [fellow female singers] Maren [Morris], Cam, Maddie and Tae.”
So good? Maddie & Tae’s last single “Shut Up and Fish” flopped. Maren Morris and Cam’s radio traction has yet to be proven beyond one lead single. And meanwhile dozens of females artists, new and established, are receiving no attention from radio whatsoever. It was only a couple of years ago when Kacey Musgraves was the new big rising female country star, and her singles are institutionally ignored by radio. Even Miranda Lambert’s last two singles failed to crack the Top 15 and Top 30 on radio respectively.
And it’s not just about radio. On Thursday morning (5-19), the performers for the 2016 CMT Awards were announced, and it was nine men and Maren Morris, whose name was only in the mix because she’s performing with Keith Urban and Brett Eldredge. There will likely be more female performers to come, but it’s another illustration of how lopsided the mainstream is in regards to females.
Recently, Martina McBride spoke on the issue with Rolling Stone, and she too mentioned Cam and Maren Morris, but spelled out the lingering issues for women in country much more accurately.
“I feel like it’s difficult still,” McBride said. “When you look at the chart, you see that in the Top 35 there are two women. There have been a couple of artists who’ve broken out — Cam, Kelsea [Ballerini] and Maren [Morris] — but it’s about the big picture … If we’re not careful, we get appeased by that little bit of success that you hear about. But when you really start to look at it, we still have a long way to go.“
The issue with female singers on country radio continues to persist, despite some token successes, some of which Kelsea Ballerini’s terrible pop singles have been the benefactor of. No wonder she’s all roses when asked the question because in a strange twist of irony, Ballerini has profited from lack of female representation by being the one new country music woman that country radio will program to #1.
It’s Ballerini’s always rosy, always smiling disposition that makes her seem so plastic, so complaint that it’s nauseating. In the same interview with FOX, she said of Nick Jonas’s absolutely abhorrent guitar solo during her performance at the ACM’s in April, “Yeah, I mean I noticed but he’s such a pro,” Ballerini said. “But he just was so pro about it and he’s so great and professional and talented so it was super, whatever.”
Pro? Talented? Super? Whatever? Nick Jonas enacted one of the most embarrassing moments in live music history.
Kelsea Ballerini is clearly being groomed to hopefully take Taylor Swift’s place as country music’s pop starlet. But what Taylor Swift had that Ballerini doesn’t was vulnerability and self-doubt, not just in her writing and music, but in her public persona. Ballerini is all roses, all smiles, all the time. She’s not going to take a stance on the women’s issue in music (which Swift has done) because it appears to be Ballerini’s career goal to never upset the apple cart. And why would she when she’s benefiting so profoundly from the status quo?
Kelsea Ballerini was right about one thing: there are ton of great women in country music at the moment. And they deserve more than token representation in country music; they deserve and equal shot on radio in a system that doesn’t take into account the gender of the performer, but the merits of the music. The problem for Ballerini is this shift might find her on the outside looking in like the majority of country’s females.
May 19, 2016 @ 8:47 am
What is it about these backwards ballcap wearing, pseudo-rapping, no talent douchebags that makes them so appealing, and why does nobody care about females?
May 19, 2016 @ 10:35 am
“What is it…..that makes them so appealing…”
The predominantly female demographic mainstream country radio is targeting, that’s what.
All cap, no talent.
Eye candy.
Drool.
May 20, 2016 @ 9:57 am
They’re good looking, appealing to college coeds, and the majority of country fans are women. More than half of the male population hates country and listens to rap or other garbage.
May 19, 2016 @ 9:15 am
Sadly, it seems to be the same in Europe. On the list with the best-selling Americana -album 2015 was FAK and then nine male male bands…
This years best-selling albums chart will probably end up with Elli King and nine male band….
I’ve looking at the Americana Official Albums Chart Top 40 every Friday when they update the list and although female band will enter the top ten of that chart they mostly stay where for only 1-3 weeks…
http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/americana-albums-chart/
May 19, 2016 @ 10:33 am
Sorry have to correct myself forgot Alabama Shakes they were also on the 10 best selling
Americana chart in the UK. So there were eight male and two female band on that chart….
And also: It’s Elle King not Elli King …
May 19, 2016 @ 9:22 am
“…because right now there are a ton of us and it’s awesome.”
“But he just was so pro about it and he’s so great and professional and talented so it was super, whatever.”
We’re pretty sure Florida Georgia Line has had more coherent arguments than this, and their arguments circle around who’s getting the last Virginia Slim out of the pack.
May 19, 2016 @ 9:34 am
Has she really ridden to stardom, though?
Corporate country radio would like you to think that and have done their level best to. But the sales say a whole other story: where she has barely broke 100,000 units sold to date with her debut album and has yet to produce a Platinum single.
She has yet to convince me she is a fluke in the commercial sense. Until she scores a Top Two on the mongrel Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and gets more digital sales success, I’m just not convinced she is remotely as relevant as radio and Black River Entertainment are making her out to be.
May 19, 2016 @ 9:40 am
That’s the angle with the TV show. We all know Kelsea is using country as a stepping stone to pop, just like her bestie Taylor.
#1 rule in music: always act bigger than you are.
June 9, 2016 @ 3:19 pm
Exactly. Sometimes I wonder, even if it’s the common theory, if FGL and Sam Hunt and the rest really don’t know any better when it comes to country music, or if they have some other agenda. The stylistic appraisal from Kelsea’s Wikipedia page, subtitled “artistry” for some reason (and also presumably written by her fans), leaves no doubt as to her career path:
“Ballerini has been influenced by both artists in the pop music and country music field. Originally influenced by pop music, Ballerini states “I grew up on Top 40 pop. I didn’t know what country music was, which is so funny because I grew up on a farm in East Tennessee.” Ballerini lists Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and NSYNC among these early artists influencing her. It was not until Ballerini heard Stupid Boy by Keith Urban that she decided to delve deeper into country music by listening to albums by Taylor Swift, Sugarland, and The Dixie Chicks. Ballerini cites Shania Twain as her greatest influence.”
May 19, 2016 @ 9:50 am
As a somewhat related observation, I’ve been listening to the Canadian country station (CBC Country) on Sirius-XM and am pleasantly surprised with the large amount of airplay of songs by Canadian female artists and bands fronted by women. Twin Kennedy, Madeline Merlo, and Midnight Lights (band) are a few examples of this wonderful female fronted country music on the radio. Its for certain (and a doggone shame) that American country music stations aren’t programming female artists as CBC Country. Just sayin’…
May 19, 2016 @ 10:50 pm
What? Sirius XM has a CBC Country Station!!?
May 23, 2016 @ 5:44 pm
Not only that, but it’s pretty good. They also have a FRENCH CANADIAN country station as I learned this weekend. The female, French language version of Rhinestone Cowboy is something to hear.
May 19, 2016 @ 10:02 am
Isn’t Ballerini the daughter of some big-shot in the radio world? Not a surprise that someone who basically was born and raised within the industry cannot see it’s inherent flaws.
May 19, 2016 @ 10:24 am
Sorry Kelsea some on the other talented ladies (Musgraves, Monroe, Clark, etc.) aren’t dating a Billionaire’s son and singing on his family label. She is getting the push b/c they are providing the $. Even Carrie Underwood had to fight like crazy and she couldn’t even get Billboard #1s on few of her last ones.
May 19, 2016 @ 12:25 pm
Both of her last two went number one.
May 20, 2016 @ 7:59 am
not on Billboard sales chart, but she almost always hit #1 on the easily manipulated Mediabase, then totally falls off their chart about 3 weeks later. Fraud by her fans.
May 19, 2016 @ 10:38 am
Are we sure that Gerry Cooney isn’t her real father? If she isn’t sufficiently trivializing the issue of women in country music, I’d like to take a shot at it.
May 19, 2016 @ 11:04 am
I listen to a lot of country, rock and metal music, and I am dismayed how overlooked women are in all these genres. There is no shortage of female talent in any of them but they struggle to make it big and any who do are still judged on how they look or what they wear instead of the merits of their music. If you look at the biggest festivals especially they are invariably a sausage fest with a few token females thrown in. Thankfully there are a lot of people working hard to promote women in music for all the right reasons but it’s a tough old slog and there is still a long way to go.
May 22, 2016 @ 11:03 am
Metal is almost worse than country. I am shocked at how many metalheads don’t knoe Doro or claim she isn’t heavy enough to be metal.
But really most genres show a lack of female recognition. Reggae and salsa ate also really bad about this. Rap hip-hop h as ve so.e woman but none of them seem to be much more than booty. At least Queen Latifah, TLC, and Salt n Pepa had more to talk about than just sex.
May 19, 2016 @ 11:39 am
Thanks for this article. Definitely a big issue in ALL music. I just peeked at the Billboard website and the first page is mostly guys, then the pop songs page is mostly guys. Rock looked to be much of the same.
May 19, 2016 @ 12:04 pm
In the words of basic, over privileged millennials everywhere…
I literally can’t even.
May 19, 2016 @ 12:35 pm
lol shes not even country, and her music video dibs the camera was zoomed in on her butt the whole time
May 19, 2016 @ 1:06 pm
Not that it makes a difference here, but the Australian Airplay chart is full of female artists. With Kelsea on top of course.
May 19, 2016 @ 1:25 pm
On a side note, why do songs need to be charting on the country airplay charts for 25-30+ weeks? IMO, 6 months is far too long for a song to be popular, especially since I’m tired of them after a few weeks. Is there that much of a shortage of songs worthy of airplay that they have to recycle the same songs ad naseam?
May 19, 2016 @ 1:58 pm
Another thing Taylor Swift has that Kelsea doesn’t: a brain in her head. From Kelsea’s comments as mentioned above, it looks like Kelsea has trouble putting a cogent sentence together. Kelsea is trivializing the issue of women in country music because she isn’t intelligent enough to understand what the issue is.
May 19, 2016 @ 2:24 pm
well… it’s apparent that she isn’t the brightest bowling ball on the chandelier… what a stupid, stupid perspective…
If she’s in any way representative of women, then we need LESS of them, not more.
May 19, 2016 @ 3:01 pm
There are a lot of factors working against women who may be drawn to music performance. When you start out as a teen, you’re faced with being the only girl in a mostly boys’ club where girls are assumed to be there to date the guys (and you may very well want to and enjoy dating those guys, but then that can cause problems and get in the way of the music). If you do get into a serious relationship it can be hard for a guy to accept that you’re heading off on tour in a van full of dudes. Later, if you want to have children you are faced with a serious challenge. Many of the greats, the heroines whose music and accomplishments we cherish, were very absent from their children’s lives, which was probably heartbreaking for them. Then there’s just the whole industry reception of women as different, where, for example, if you send a straight forward, to the point email to a club owner, without smiley faces and exclamation points, you’re considered bitchy. But perhaps the new model (retiring Nashville and radio’s influence) is going to bring more women to the forefront?
May 19, 2016 @ 4:13 pm
So. Apparently Kelsea Ballerini’s perspective on country music is just as vapid as her actual “music.”
Amazing. Not that it’s a surprise, but very rarely do we get to see such on display like that.
May 21, 2016 @ 1:32 pm
You hit the nail on the head there.That “Dibs”song makes me feel like kicking a puppy (just kidding).Seriously though it’s beyond terrible.
May 21, 2016 @ 2:35 pm
Yeah, I hated that song. The whole thing is made of fail, just for rhyming “market” with “mark it.”
May 19, 2016 @ 5:20 pm
Apart from Kelsea’s irritatingly hammy twang on “Dibs”, that interview for Fox showed how obtuse she is about this issue about lack of womenfolk both on the charts and airwaves. Whether it is because she is young, nervous, and a comparative neophyte in the business, she is definitely NOT the first person anyone should be asking about this incredibly important problem all music “formats” in general, but country in particular, seem to have with female artists these days.
If last year’s Tomatogate controversy proved anything, it’s that country radio station programmers, besides being mostly male, more than a few of whom likely share Keith Hill’s sexist sentiments, have a big problem about women who have a great command of their music and have things to sing about that are insightful, intelligent, and emotional (Kacey Musgraves; Brandy Clark, etc.). When Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert are the only two women that are played with any regularity on playlists that are otherwise largely about the Bros (Florida-Georgia Line; Jason Aldean, etc.), there’s something seriously wrong. It’s even worse given that the stereotype that the Keith Hills of the world seem to think a female country artist should fit, being arguably ditzy and blonde, basically a hood ornament on some Bro’s pick-up truck, seems to be embodied by Ballerini herself.
May 19, 2016 @ 8:42 pm
One line Kelsea Ballerini basically said that struck me was: “Pop country collaborations are good for country music.”
This has gotta be the worst line she said in the interview period. How POSSIBLY can pop country collaborations be good for country?? Sounds like complete garbage and a complete disgrace. At least Taylor Swift didn’t say anything that dumb as far as I could remember. Another line she said too: “I love pop music so anytime I get to collaborate I like to.” If you love pop music so much then just go to pop music instead of making pop sounding Disney lyric songs and labeling it “Country”.
So about the issue of women needing more respect, they definitely need more respect, just as much as the men have. I just don’t get it why this is has been such a problem recently. Kinda baffles me to be honest.
May 20, 2016 @ 7:02 am
To me, the issue of whether pop country collaborations are good for country music in general really boils down to who these artists are collaborating with, and what the motivation is. Pop/country crossovers have been a constant thing in the genre since the 1950s, and that cross-genre collaborations of this kind have happened long before this. They’re just more pervasive now, and, given which kinds of “pop stars” are involved, more insidious to the integrity of the country genre at large.
May 20, 2016 @ 9:07 am
Excellent insight. Pop country collaborations did start in the 1950s, but didn’t get accepted til the 1970s. I think it also has something to do with not only what kinds of pop stars are involved in such collaborations, but what is those pop stars music like? Does it have more genre influences than just pop that may bring more young people into country, but on the other hand, tarnish the country genre and insult it’s traditionalists and neo-tradionalists? That really needs to be decided if a pop/country collaborated song should be released to country radio or pop. Basically, in my opinion, if a country artist wants to collaborate with a pop artist, that’s fine, but send the song off to pop music radio especially if the song sounds nothing like actual country.
May 20, 2016 @ 3:26 pm
There are ways of doing such collaborations that don’t sound like they’re being done only for the money or the attention, such as Don Henley’s collaborations with Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, and Martina McBride on his recent album CASS COUNTY; and Dolly and Emmylou Harris working with Linda Ronstadt on the TRIO projects. In those cases, both Henley and, especially, Linda not only have an intrinsic knowledge of country music and its history, but it’s in their very musical DNA in a way that it definitely isn’t in someone like Nick Jonas, and it doesn’t seem to be in Ballerini’s (IMHO).
May 20, 2016 @ 5:46 pm
Yeah it’s different with Don Henley and Linda Ronstadt, since like you said they have knowledge about country music. I can bet you dollars to donuts that Nick Jonas or Nelly or just about most pop/rap or other genre artists today have little to no clue about country music’s past. Brad Paisley last week released a song called: “Without a Fight” that features Demi Lovato. Since when does Demi Lovato know anything about country music? She started out as a Disney actor and now as an artist, considered pop and R&B also as far as I know about her, have had no influence with country. Does Nashville even care now what artist a country singer collaborates with these days no matter how little the other genre artists have any kind of country DNA in them?
May 21, 2016 @ 2:34 pm
Yep. Ballerini seems to think FGL and Nelly are on the same level as Willie Nelson and Ray Charles, and that just isn’t so.
May 21, 2016 @ 6:22 pm
Pretty sure it was “Peter pan” but this was about two years ago I had seen her at an acoustic show. She was quick to point out how cool it was she wrote the song while listening to Beyoncé. Like it was cool and acceptable. I’ll never forget that. I can’t stand non country covers. There’s certainly a boatload of traditional, 90’s, or Americana stuff one could cover to at least keep it in the genre.
May 19, 2016 @ 9:13 pm
First off, I just want to say that I freaking adore Martina McBride. Secondly, I don’t adore Kelsey Ballerini. I’ll just leave it at that.
May 19, 2016 @ 9:27 pm
As far as the Sony evening goes, I can’t help but wonder if a bunch of female singers turned down the hosting gig because of Dr. Luke/Kesha, in solidarity with Kesha. Wow, Kelsey Ballerini hosting a gig for the label everyone despises right now. Good job, Kelsea. You truly are a rotten tomato in a sea of crappy Sony lettuce.
May 21, 2016 @ 2:05 pm
Never thought about that, but I hope that’s what happened. I hate to think Kelsea Ballerini was their first choice.
May 19, 2016 @ 11:56 pm
Yikes!! This girl really doesn’t come off very bright at all.
Sounds as though shes giddy in her first interview and just saying whatever…..but hey, she’s just another popstar so who is really surprised by this. She may as well ride her 15 minutes of fame as long as she can…which will prob be over sooner than later….much sooner.
May 20, 2016 @ 6:52 am
She honestly comes off as an overly pampered brat who has never faced any real hardship in her life and has no time to study and understand the plight of others. She probably had no damn clue what they were talking about when they asked her the question.
May 20, 2016 @ 8:57 am
KB and her camp know what they’re doing when it comes to material and marketing . Its what’s radio calls ” Country Music ” right now . It’s probably better than most of what’s called ” Country Music ” right now …certainly the writing is FAR superior and , agreed , she’s this year’s ” country music Taylor ” . She may only be a notch above bro-shit sonically..but I’ll take ANY improvement if the writing leads the way .
Ditto for Marren Morris . The five song EP is terrific- lyrically clever and well-crafted …entertaining sonically with a unique vocal sound and yes ..Marren can sing . No …none of it is country but again …WAY better than what radio thinks is ‘ country ‘ so I hope she gains a foothold on that count only .
The fact that Maddie and Tae hasn’t gained traction is a testament to the numbers of non-country and uncaring young ears that have been indoctrinated by mainstream ‘country’ radio . The duo is just TOO GOOD …too talented , too focused and far truer to the trad roots of country in so many more areas than radio wants or listeners would understand and appreciate . Good on them for sticking to their vision . Let’s hope they can continue doing so and not become the next straw-grasping ‘what now ‘ act ( Band Perry ) that let’s debt , desperation and a dying medium direct their decisions musically.
Martina McBride is an amazing singer but she needs to pick a lane and stay there. From a totally trad tribute- to -classic country record to a totally trad -tribute- to Motown record to all of the generic ‘destined- to- fall- through- the- cracks ‘ AC middle of the road ‘ music she records she’s just become too non-descript for her own fans let alone radio . SHE should be a host of the VOICE . She’s a REAL singer and a veteran entertainer who knows how its done live . Shakira ? Miley ? Gwen ? Blake ?…Pharell ??? Pharell ???? Levine ..? WTF ???….None of these folks can hold a candle to McBride in the talent and experience department .
There are so many incredible female talents out there ….from writing to song choices to performing I’d gamble that there are far more talented women than guys . Thing is …the young female demographic is far more interested in lusting for the Keith Urbans the Aldeans , the Hunts , the Kruze Kids and their clones …oh and lets not forget Luke …than caring about WHO is the more talented gender right now . And they pay the bills .
May 20, 2016 @ 10:20 am
Kelsey Baloreenie is a dog faced gremlin.
May 23, 2016 @ 3:16 pm
Well, that just isn’t accurate. She is a beautiful girl. I am not a fan of her music, but come on…that comment is just absurd.
May 22, 2016 @ 8:27 am
It’s interesting to hear Martina McBride talk about her struggle. She WAS one of the top drawing, top selling, top charting country singers of her era…in the late 90’s and early aught’s. Come to think of it, so were fellow chart toppers Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Sara Evans, Lee Ann Womack, LeAnn Rimes, Wynonna, and a whole gaggle of other women with one or two hits. Martina definitely comes from a difficult time for women in country music. I’ve never really been a fan of McBride, but still, it’s good to see her pop her head out of whatever hole she’s been hiding in and get her name in the press again.
May 22, 2016 @ 8:44 am
Also, can we stop playing the gender card like the race card already? In my book, a good song is a good song. I think we can all agree that the stuff played on pop/country radio is garbage. That said, that music isn’t made for me and I couldn’t care less what gender the performer of said garbage is. What happens when Blake Shelton starts wearing his jeans high and tight and comes out and identifies as poly and bi and non binary gender free/neutral in an effort to sell more records? How does this affect the male to female ratio?
I almost feel bad for the marketing departments on music row. They heavily market the music to women with all these male singers and are criticized for being sexist and ignoring female singers. I feel like if they went the other way and only pushed hot little 19 year old girl singers in Daisy Duke’s to get more women on the charts, why then they’d be criticized for ignoring their female demographic and only selling sex and not substance.
May 22, 2016 @ 10:36 am
I don’t think it’s the gender card that’s at work in and of itself exclusively. It’s just that women like Brandy Clark, Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Margo Price and others are doing things that have far more substance out there than all the half-witted bro stuff put together, creating songs that say they won’t be some Bro’s hood ornament on their F-15. You have them, and you also have fringe artists like Tift Merritt, Caitlin Rose, and Lindi Ortega, and mainstream artists like Martina and Trisha, who take their cues from Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, who did whatever they felt was in their hearts and became icons for doing so.
And then, of course, you have Kelsea Ballerini, alias “The Dibster”, who, as I’ve said, epitomizes the stereotype of the Bros, the Keith Hills, and the Scott Borchettas as to what women should want from country radio, and what THEY should be in life.
May 31, 2016 @ 2:18 pm
Trigger has gone complete SJW