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A post shared by Kelsea Ballerini (@kelseaballerini) on Sep 15, 2018 at 8:55pm PDT
Kelsea Ballerini is one busy gal. Within the past two months alone, the 25-year-old country star debuted a joint single with The Chainsmokers, announced her first-ever headlining arena tour, released her boxing-themed "Miss Me More" music video, and performed at both the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and the Country Music Awards. Despite her hectic schedule, the Nashville sweetheart still makes time for her gal pals, both those in the music industry and back home.
For Kelsea — who spoke to POPSUGAR before hosting a Friendsgiving dinner party in partnership with the app Bumble BFF — maintaining close relationships with other strong women is a big priority. "I feel like as I get older, and especially in my mid-20s, I'm learning the power of female friendships and how valuable they are," she said.
There's just something about female friendships . . . they're magical, and you have to have them."
The singer-songwriter added that although she feels fulfilled by her male relationships — including the one with her husband, fellow country star Morgan Evans — nothing quite measures up to the bonds she's formed with other ladies in her life. "I'm married to an amazing man. I have an amazing dad, amazing guy friends, and they definitely fulfill my life in a lot of ways," Kelsea said. "But there's just something about female friendships . . . they're magical, and you have to have them. Being able to celebrate that is important. It's something that I want to keep investing in."
So who exactly was Kelsea referencing when she mentioned those "magical" friendships? Well, her girl squad is pretty jam-packed with familiar faces from the music world, both in country and beyond. Although Kelsea openly admits that a music label back in the day refused to sign her because she sounded too similar to Taylor Swift, the two have since become close pals, supporting each other through new album releases and tour kickoffs. Kelsea has also sparked friendships with Halsey, Bebe Rexha, and Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott. Oh, and she's about to hit the road with Kelly Clarkson, opening for her during Kelly's Meaning of Life Tour.
Though she is close with so many women in the music industry, competition doesn't concern Kelsea; instead, she's really focused on "female empowerment and girls cheering each other on." "As long as you don't let it dominate your friendships and all your relationships, I think competition is not necessarily a negative thing," she told POPSUGAR.
Keep reading to see some cute photos of Kelsea and her BFFs, and you'll definitely wish you were part of her girl gang!
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Kelsea brought her best friend of 10 years, Christina Allen, to the Bumble BFF Friendsgiving event in Austin, TX. When POPSUGAR asked the pals what they like to do for fun, Kelsea told us, "We stay in, and we just actually chill. That's kind of like my happy place now because I feel like my life is so outward . . . so I think whenever I actually get time with my real-life people, it's fun to just kind of shut everyone out and be in sweatpants and drink wine." Their TV shows of choice? The Bachelor and Keeping Up With the Kardashians!
Hillary Scott 
Back in November 2015, Kelsea hung out with Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott at the ASCAP Country Music Awards in Nashville. The two have performed on stage together, with Kelsea even opening up for Lady Antebellum during the band's Summer 2017 tour.
Kelly Clarkson View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Kelsea Ballerini (@kelseaballerini) on Jun 7, 2018 at 8:00am PDT
Kelsea first saw Kelly Clarkson in concert when she was just 13-years-old, and now, 12 years later, she'll be opening 19 of the 28 shows on Kelly's 2019 tour. We can't wait to see the cute selfies and fun moment they share on Instagram during their travels!
Halsey 
When Kelsea and her pals attended the Nashville show of Halsey's Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Tour this past Summer, the two wound up spending the following day together, bonding over beers and karaoke and documenting their adventures on social media. The FOMO is so real.
Bebe Rexha View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Kelsea Ballerini (@kelseaballerini) on Oct 6, 2018 at 10:30pm PDT
This past October, Kelsea and Bebe Rexha took Los Angeles' Staples Center by storm, singing Bebe's song "I'm a Mess" together. "This woman is a songwriter, an artist, a business woman, an encourager, and a friend. Thank you for being a mess with me tonight," Kelsea wrote while sharing the above photo from their performance.
Taylor Swift View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Kelsea Ballerini (@kelseaballerini) on Sep 15, 2018 at 8:55pm PDT
Kelsea and Taylor swift love to cheer each other on. Back in May, Kelsea shared a sweet Instagram snap of them hanging out together to celebrate the start of Taylor's Reputation tour. "Happy tour kickoff to my friend that is equally as inviting, warm, and entertaining drinking wine on the couch as she is on stage," she wrote in the caption. "That being said, I can't wait to come fangirl and get inspired. Potentially with a sign. Potentially also with some kind of snake apparel. Go get em, sister." Aww!
Julia Michaels 
Kelsea hung out with fellow singer-songwriter Julia Michaels at the 2017 HeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas. The two also both performed at Amazon's Prime Day Concert this past Summer.
