Kelsea Ballerini Puts Function Over Fashion and Changes Into Cozy Slides During the 2024 CMA Awards

Mar. 15, 2025

Kelsea Balleriniknows that comfort is key.

After walking the2024 CMA Awardsred carpet on Wednesday, Nov. 20, the country star, 31, swapped her heels for a comfy pair of slides.

Inside Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Ballerini was spotted showing off her change of footwear — gray slides that complimented her silver sequin gown — while seated next to her boyfriendChase Stokes. The singer smiled as Stokes, 21, playfully reached for her feet, which were sporting a coordinating pair of"Cosmic Grey" APL slides.

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes at the 2024 CMA Awards.John Shearer/Getty/CMA

John Shearer/Getty/CMA

Earlier that evening, the couple posed for photos on the red carpet. Ballerini sparkled in a Dolce & Gabbana gown that featured a loose-fitting bodice and daring side cutouts that showed off some skin. The singer’s long, blonde hair cascaded in soft waves.

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Balleriniwas nominatedfor female vocalist of the year and musical event of the year for “Cowboys Cry Too” featuring Noah Kahan. During the ceremony, sheperformed the country balladalongside Kahan, 27, donning a white cutout pleated chiffon gown Vietnamese couturier Cong Tri.

Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini at the 2024 CMA Awards.Jason Davis/WireImage

Jason Davis/WireImage

Fellow performers includedJelly Roll,Luke Combs,Brooks & Dunn,Kacey Musgraves,Eric Churchand more.

In an interviewon the Wayne D Showin June, Ballerini revealed that she met Kahan at the 2024 Grammy Awards in February.

Later, when she was working on “Cowboys Cry Too,” she thought of Kahan because it honored “the men in my life that are emotional” and she knew he’d be “so down to go there.”

“He wrote his verse, and it just made the song a million times better,” she said.

Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan perform at the 2024 CMA Awards.Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

In conversation with PEOPLE earlier this month, the country singer revealed her most recentonstage wardrobe malfunction. The fashion mishap occurred on her Heartfirst Tour, which took place in 2022 and 2023.

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“I do all these costume changes, and I had jeans on,” Ballerini shared. “I was singing ‘Miss Me More’, and because I have my [in-ear] monitors in, in my brain, I’m like, ‘Man, people are really yelling this. Things feel extra rowdy tonight!’ And then I realized that they were yelling at me to zip my fly. That was embarrassing.”

However, Ballerini played it off like a pro.

“I’ve gotten stuck in a zipper in quick-change before and just had to grab the microphone and be in the tent behind the stage, like, ‘Be there in a sec, please don’t leave!’ " she continued. “But I feel like all those moments now, instead of being embarrassed, I just roll with it. It happens.”

source: people.com