Kelsea Ballerini Has the Best Nickname for Shania Twain! Hint: It’s Funny [Exclusive Interview]
Kelsea Ballerini just dropped a new album titled Patterns, and she stopped by Taste of Country Nights to chat it up with us.
One thing we spoke about was what it was like to get to see Shania Twain at the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards, as Twain hosted and Ballerini performed.
Host Evan Paul asked the "Hole in the Bottle" singer if she was nervous to get to see Twain again, because they once did work together.
Ballerini, being the Nashville social butterfly that she is, was not. Ballerini said,
Anytime I can see Queen Eilleen I do. I just love her.
As the room started to chuckle after Ballerini just blew over the fact that she referred to the country icon as Queen Eilleen, she asked why we were laughing.
We then asked if that's what she calls Twain, and she nonchalantly said, "Yeah, her real name is Eilleen."
Ballerini continued to elaborate on her relationship with Twain.
"Shania and I have had so many amazing touch points over the last ten years. I got to guest with her at Stagecoach. A couple of years ago I sang for her at ACM Honors and she let me wear her dress."
Twain is also a part of Dr. Odyssey, the TV show that Ballerini just guest-starred in.
"I just, I love her," Ballerini gushed about Twain. "I feel like she's always evolving, still. [She's] continuing to do things are different. She's just the best."
Kelsea Ballerini + Chase Stokes Strike a Pose at the 2024 PCCAs
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
See Inside Shania Twain's Spectacular Beachfront Mansion
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker