How This Record Exec's Comment to Kelsea Ballerini About Taylor Swift Changed Her
Ballerini learned a valuable lesson from it.
When The Voice Coach Kelsea Ballerini was just starting out in the industry, she was compared to megastar Taylor Swift. Her similarity to a super successful artist was a double-edged sword, she found out, but also an important lesson in finding your individuality.
How a record exec got Kelsea Ballerini to develop her own style
For his Knockout, Kameron Jaso chose a song by James Arthur, a musician whose voice is similar to his. Maybe too similar. "You have a voice like James Arthur," Ballerini said in her feedback before sharing a formative anecdote.
"When I started writing songs, guess who I listened to all the time? Taylor Swift," she said. "By the time I finally got into the opportunities to be in front of, like, a record label or whatever, I’ll never forget. I was 14? I sang him a song called 'Flawless.' [Swift's] single [at the time] was 'Fearless.' And he looked at me and he said, 'There’s already a Taylor Swift.' And it broke my little 14-year-old heart at the time."
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"I wanna kill that guy," commented Coach Adam Levine, jumping to Ballerini's defense. But Ballerini learned something useful that day, telling Jaso, "I’m just saying that to you because when you have opportunities to keep playing songs, make sure you are still in your individuality. That’s my biggest note for you." As Coach John Legend put it, "That was a cool story."
"It didn’t help that your second single was called 'Take It Off,'" joked Coach Michael Bublé, referencing Swift's smash "Shake It Off." (No, Ballerini does not have a song with that title.)
Kelsea Ballerini and Taylor Swift are longtime pals
We all know what happened next: Swift eventually transitioned from country to pop, and Ballerini found her own sound and place in the industry. And along the way, the two women became pals. Ballerini has stayed a fan.
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During an appearance on "Taste of Country Nights," the singer shared that she and Swift “talk every now and again,” per TODAY. “Really, it’s just when I’m like ‘Oh my god, you added ‘Down Bad’ to the set list, this is amazing!’ Normally it’s just me fangirling, which is per usual,” she said. “It’s really beautiful to have artists that you can have those touch points with and just check in with and make sure that everything’s good. They’re good, you’re good.”
