Kelsea Ballerini got the surprise of a lifetime on Tuesday night. Little Big Town surprised her with an invitation to become a member of the Opry.
Ballerini performed, as she regularly does, on the Grand Ole Opry stage Tuesday night. After that, LBT took took the stage to close to the show before inviting Ballerini back to perform “Girl Crush” with them.
It was then that they really pulled a fast one on the “Miss Me More” singer. Instead of the song’s final lyrics, Karen Fairchild changed the line to, “Kelsea Ballerini, do you wanna join the Opry?” Ballerini’s reaction was priceless. Watch it below.
“Yes!” Ballerini said, “I’m gonna pass out I think!”
Eventually, she was able to collect her thoughts and reminisce over her Opry visit at the young age of 13. During that visit with her mom, she knew she wanted to support the Grand Ole Opry — even if only as a fan.
“To be on this stage is the greatest gift in the world,” she said. “This is the home of country music and I get to be a part of it.”
“For the rest of your life,” Fairchild added.
Ballerini’s formal Opry induction is set for April 16.
“We are thrilled at the thought of Kelsea Ballerini joining the Opry family,” said Opry General Manager Sally Williams. “So many of us at the Opry have been fans of her recordings, her songwriting and her live performances since she played the Opry for the very first time. Having grown to know her personally in the years since we love and respect her just as much as a person as an artist. We look so forward to her Opry induction in April and to all the years of great music we’ll share.”
