WORLDWIDE PUBLISHING LEADER SONY/ATV SIGNS HISTORY-MAKING SINGER-SONGWRITER KELSEA BALLERINI

Sony/ATV, the world’s largest music publishing firm, is pleased to announce inking a brand new deal with Black River Entertainment superstar KELSEA BALLERINI.

In signing long-term with Sony/ATV, Ballerini has found the perfect home for her sincere and exciting brand of country songwriting. The widely respected company has a long history of worldwide success dating back to 1955, caring for and administering the music of legends like The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Hank Williams, and Taylor Swift.

"Having known Kelsea since she was 13 years old and seeing her songwriting grow over the years makes it even more special to be able to come alongside her as her publisher,” says Sony/ATV Nashville's President and CEO Troy Tomlinson. “With all her abilities to perform and entertain fans worldwide, she remains, as always, at her core a gifted songwriter."

Ballerini is already a history-making songwriter and artist (she is the only country female to begin her career with three #1 singles – “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs,” and “Peter Pan”), and with the support of Sony/ATV, her future now looks brighter than ever.

"Troy was the person that told me to move to Nashville when I was 13. I remember every time I came to town, he would make time for me to come by and play him new music I was working on,” shares Ballerini. “That encouragement and belief was crucial for my whole journey this far. It feels like a full circle joining the Sony/ATV family, and I'm so excited to continue to grow as a songwriter under their incredible team."

One of the most successful country artists of the past five years, Ballerini’s recent single “Yeah Boy” is another co-written Top 5 hit, the fourth and final single from her record-breaking debut album, THE FIRST TIME. She is currently prepping to announce her highly-anticipated follow-up project, with more details coming soon.

On May 26, Ballerini will begin Lady Antebellum’s YOU LOOK GOOD WORLD TOUR as the featured supporting artist alongside Brett Young. Kicking off in Bakersfield, California, the tour will crisscross the U.S. and Canada throughout the summer and then play to massive international audiences in the U.K., Ireland and Europe this fall.

Meanwhile, Ballerini heads into the 2017 CMT Music Awards with an incredible four nominations (tying her for the lead with fellow superstars Keith Urban and Thomas Rhett). This year’s show airs live from Nashville June 7 at 8 p.m. ET. She’ll follow up on June 8-11 with a high-profile co-hosting appearance at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium for the 2017 CMA Music Festival.

For more information visit KelseaBallerini.com, and reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Kelsea Ballerini:

GRAMMY nominee Kelsea Ballerini has launched to stardom after releasing three consecutive No. 1 smashes from her critically acclaimed debut album THE FIRST TIME, the PLATINUM-certified “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Peter Pan,” and GOLD-certified “Dibs,” making her the only female artist in country music history, including female duos and groups, to achieve this accolade. The talented singer-songwriter wrote or co-wrote all 12 songs on her debut. Following Top 5 hit “Yeah Boy,” Ballerini is currently in the studio working on her second album — as Entertainment Weekly named her among "The 35 Most Anticipated Albums of 2017." The Black River Entertainment artist appeared on the cover of Billboard Magazine’s GRAMMY preview issue, was included in Forbes’ “30 Under 30” class of 2017 and featured in People Magazine’s “Beauty at Every Age” list in their iconic World’s Most Beautiful issue for 2017. She's been named “The Country Sweetheart” in People’s elite “Ones to Watch” portfolio, praised by Rolling Stone as the “Nashville It Girl,” touted by Billboard as “Country’s Next Queen,” and selected as one of CMT’s Next Women of Country. After her 2016 headline THE FIRST TIME TOUR — which visited dozens of cities across the U.S. and included sold-out shows in her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New York City; Los Angeles; and more — she joined Thomas Rhett for his HOME TEAM TOUR and will next embark on Lady Antebellum’s YOU LOOK GOOD WORLD TOUR. Awarded Billboard’s “Rising Star” honor at the prestigious 2015 Women in Music event, Ballerini has continued to gain recognition by scoring her first-ever ACM Award win for New Female Vocalist of the Year, iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Country Artist, multiple Radio Disney Music Awards and the American Country Countdown Award (ACCA) for Breakthrough Female of the Year. 

About Sony/ATV:

Sony/ATV Music Publishing is the leading music publisher with a catalogue of more than 3 million copyrights, ranging from songs by iconic names including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Carole King, Queen and The Rolling Stones to contemporary superstars such as Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran.