Kelsea Ballerini announces new album, ‘Patterns.’ It isn’t what you’d expect: ‘I’m team no rules’

AP Music Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Kelsea Ballerini is preparing to release her fifth studio album, called “Patterns,” this fall and people expecting a “happy-go-lucky,” lovey-dovey album from an artist in a new relationship may find more complication. The new album is a follow-up to her 2023 super-successful “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat” EP, which dealt with divorce. “Patterns” is about “analyzing yourself and the people that you love the most in order to grow,” she tells The Associated Press. That’s evident on the song “Cowboys Cry Too,” her empathetic consideration of masculinity, and “Sorry Mom,” a love letter to her mother, which releases Friday.