Kelsea Ballerini, the reigning ACM New Female Artist of the Year, is a storyteller. Known for her hit songs “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dibs,” Kelsea had a hand in writing every one of the 12 tunes on her debut album, The First Time.
Sitting backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, Kelsea shared the story behind writing her current single, “Peter Pan,” co-penned by Kelsea, Forest Glen Whitehead and Jesse Lee. “I think more so than it being about a guy who, like, just can’t grow up, it’s just like when you can’t emotionally get on the same level as someone in a relationship,” says Kelsea. “So when one person is just, like, more invested than the other person, it’s a sad kind of heartbreak, and it’s not like this big cheating thing or one big moment that breaks it. It’s just this emotional unevenness, and that’s what the song is about.”
Watch Kelsea bring “Peter Pan” to life in the Grand Ole Opry’s Story Behind the Song.