The Real Meaning Behind 'Half Of My Hometown' By Kelsea Ballerini And Kenny Chesney

Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney teamed up on a song titled "Half of My Hometown" — and the song itself and the story behind it are both fantastic. As fans know, Ballerini is a talented singer-songwriter who writes and co-writes her own music. She's known for hits like "Hole in the Bottle," "Miss Me More," and "Love Me Like You Mean It." According to IMDb, she's been nominated for two Grammys, and she won an ACM in 2016 for "New Female Artist of the Year." On the other hand, Kenny Chesney is one of the most well-known names in country music, and his catchy tunes like "There Goes My Life" and "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" are staples in the music industry.

In 2019, Ballerini opened up to Songwriting Magazine about her album (at the time) and the songwriting process. "I've written a lot on the road. With the first two records, I wrote most of the songs in Nashville. With this record — between having writers come out on the road with me during the Keith Urban tour and the Kelly Clarkson tour — I wrote a bunch in L.A," Ballerini explained. "And I did a bunch of writing retreats in different places where we were in a house, and we'd just write from sunrise to sundown, and I think there's been a lot more intentional time put in with some of my favorite songwriters this time." Keep scrolling for the meaning behind her collaboration with Kenny Chesney.

Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney's song "Half of My Hometown" literally hits close to home. Ballerini shared a little bit of background information on the track during an episode of Taste of Country Nights. in March 2020. The songstress explained that Chesney initially reached out to her after he saw her name on a billboard. "He [Chesney] saw my name on the scrolling billboard in Times Square and took a photo of it, got my number and sent it to me and said 'I'm so proud of you, hometown girl,' because we're both from Knoxville," Ballerini revealed. "It was the most encouraging, magical thing that could have happened to me two-and-a-half years ago. I like, freaked out."

Two-and-a-half years later, she and her co-writers of "Half of My Hometown" urged Ballerini to send the vocals to Chesney, and she did... at 2 a.m. Chesney replied, saying that he loved the song, and soon enough, they were recording it together. The song goes back to their roots in Tennessee, Ballerini shared. "One of the big things of this album is me kind of getting my head up for air over this last year and kind of realizing that I've kind of been dealing with a tug-of-war of really loving traveling, and really loving the opportunity that that allows me to have," she says. "But starting to really [understand] the value of home and hometown and starting to put roots down and invest more in friendships." What a great story!