‘Catch of the Day’ – Kelsea Ballerini – “Peter Pan” [AUDIO]

Today we turn the spotlight on a young singer and songwriter who came out of nowhere to become only the fifth female performer to land her first two singles at #1 on the country charts. She is also nominated not only for Best New Female Vocalist of the Year at the upcoming ACM Awards, but also for the Best Female Vocalist Award.

Kelsea Ballerini was born in Mascot, TN and raised in Knoxville. Still in elementary school, she began singing in choirs while taking dance lessons. As her parents went through a divorce, Kelsea looked for an escape from her surroundings and found songwriting. At age 12, Kelsea wrote her first song, and by age 15 had progressed to a point that her and her mother moved to Nashville. Kelsea entered Nashville's Lipscomb University after high school, staying just two years before landing a recording contract with Black River Entertainment at age 19 in 2012.

Ballerini released her debut single "Love Me Like You Mean It" in October of 2014, the song reaching number 1 in July of 2015, making her the first solo female artist to hit the top spot on the country chart with her debut single since Carrie Underwood did it with "Jesus Take The Wheel" in 2006; it made Ballerini only the 11th artist in the history of the country charts to accomplish the feat. When her second single "Dibs" topped the charts earlier this month, she became only the 5th female artist, and the first since Jamie O'Neal in 2001, to hit number one with her first two singles.

Ballerini has definitely lived up to being named CMT's Next Women of Country in 2014. Today she is in our spotlight today with the third single from her debut album The First Time; Kelsea Ballerini and "Peter Pan" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.