Kelsea Ballerini Dishes on Finding Balance Amid Her Busy Touring Schedule

After four months of concerts and traveling across the nation, Kelsea Ballerini wrapped up her Heartfirst Tour in July. The country music star has had time to catch her breath and to reflect on the experience — and she recently dished on how she attempts to have a work-life balance while away from home.

The most difficult part of singing for thousands of screaming fans and traveling all across the country?

“I get a little homesick,” Ballerini told Elite Daily. “I’ve been touring pretty nonstop for almost 10 years now, and I think for the first time in my life, I really am valuing balance more — I think because I love my real life so much right now.”

She continued: "It’s interesting, because I love both. I love being on the road and touring, and I love being home and being a homebody. It’s a really interesting little marriage of the two."

Another tricky aspect of going on tour is being away from the people she loves. And for Ballerini, this includes extended time away from her boyfriend, Chase Stokes. (They've been dating since January; Ballerini was previously married to Morgan Evans.) However, they have a solid routine in place to make sure they stay connected.

“I think to each their own, but I think a FaceTime in the morning and a FaceTime at night to start and end your day with someone you love is really important,” she explained. “And it doesn’t matter where you are in the world or what time zone you’re in or how busy your schedule is — it’s really easy to just find a minute or an hour in the morning and at night with your person.”

Something else that helps Ballerini combat her homesickness is bringing little pieces of home with her the tour bus.

“I can bring my candles and my pictures of my friends, my family, and my dog,” she said. “So it really does feel like an extension of my home. It smells like my home, and I have the same cozy blankets and all that kind of stuff.”

She added: “There’s a consistency there, which is the word I keep using because I need that through line to make life on the road feel sustainable.”