On Billboard Country Airplay And Hot Country Songs Charts Remarkable Milestones Land On Hit Songwriter/Artist’s 23rd Birthday
Nashville, Tenn. – With her third #1 hit “Peter Pan,” Kelsea Ballerini is the only female artist in country music history, including female duos and groups, to go #1 with her first three consecutive singles from a debut album.
Topping both Country Aircheck and Billboard Country Airplay charts this week, “Peter Pan” earns double #1’s on Billboard by also landing atop the Hot Country Songs chart. Following Florida Georgia Line’s impressive 18-week reign at #1 with “H.O.L.Y.,” Ballerini is the first woman to reach #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts simultaneously. Additionally, “Peter Pan” also reached its highest selling singles week at 26,652 units according to Nielsen Soundscan.
“Great Artist, Great Song, Great Team! As the CEO of Black River Entertainment, it is my honor to take time and celebrate as each of our companies grow,” said Gordon Kerr. “I am so proud of Black River Publishing, Black River Studios, Black River Records and of course, our amazing writer and recording artist, Kelsea Ballerini who is a part of them all. From the very beginning, we have understood that this just doesn’t happen by ourselves. Thank you to all of our industry partners, early believers, and country radio, who have come along side us on this incredible journey. To Mike Wilson and our fantastic promotion staff, thank you for working so hard to make dreams come true!”
The excitement around these #1’s come on the heels of her breathtaking performance of “Peter Pan” on the Canadian Country Music Awards last night (9/11). The festivities will continue today as the Black River Entertainment artist returns to Nashville to celebrate both her 23rd birthday and third #1 single on country radio with family, friends, and team.
Reflecting on this incredible feat, Ballerini took to Instagram expressing her thanks to everyone who helped make this fairytale a reality, with a little help from J. M. Barrie’s famous story “…all it takes is faith, trust, and a little pixie dust.”
Nominated in two categories – New Artist of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year – at the 50th annual CMA Awards on November 2, Ballerini also holds the distinction of having written all three GOLD-certified songs from her debut album THE FIRST TIME including the PLATINUM-certified debut single, “Love Me Like You Mean It.” Produced by Forest Glen Whitehead and Jason Massey,THE FIRST TIME showcases Ballerini’s skillful songwriting on each of the 12 songs.
“Kelsea is a very special songwriter and artist,” said Black River Records VP of Promotion Mike Wilson. “I am thrilled to lead this Promotion team at Black River, and I’m so excited for Kelsea and our entire company. These are exciting times for us all!”
Written by Ballerini, Jesse Lee, and Whitehead, “Peter Pan” is flying high digitally too with more than 22 million streams on Spotify worldwide and the epic adrenaline-fueled music video, directed by Kristin Barlowe, is nearing 15 million views on Vevo.
Continuing on the road as part of Rascal Flatts’ RHYTHM & ROOTS Tour, Ballerini is also set to headline her own tour, aptly titled, THE FIRST TIME Tour. Kicking off this Fall, she is already proving her crowd-drawing potential with two shows confirmed as early sell-outs, including her hometown concert in Knoxville (11/11) and Minneapolis show (11/19).
The First Time Tour Dates:
11/10 – Washington DC – 9:30 Club +
11/11 – Knoxville, TN – TN Theatre + (SOLD OUT)
11/12 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre +
11/17 – Rosemont, IL – Joe’s Live ^
11/18 – Mahnomen, MN – Shooting Star Casino (On Sale 9/19)
11/19 – Minneapolis, MN – Mill City Nights ^ (SOLD OUT)
12/02 – New York City – Irving Plaza ~
12/03 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom ~
12/08 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theatre
12/09 – Las Vegas, NV – Orleans Casino w/ special guest Cam
12/10 – Las Vegas, NV – Orleans Casino w/ special guest Cam
12/13 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues * (moved from 10/22)
12/14 – Houston, TX – House of Blues * (moved from 10/21)
Special guests:
+ With Morgan Evans
^ With Levi Hummon
~ With Jacob Davis
* With Carly Pearce
For updated tour dates and information on Kelsea Ballerini’s THE FIRST TIME Tour and brand new Fan Club visit the newly launched KelseaBallerini.com and reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.