![Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are Barbie and Ken at the 2023 CMA Awards Red Carpet 405](https://www.usmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Kelsea-Ballerini-and-Chase-Stokes-Are-Barbie-and-Ken-on-the-2023-CMA-Awards-Red-Carpet-405.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all)
Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes.
Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesKelsea Ballerini And Chase Stokes proved they’re more in love than ever while heating up the red carpet at the 2023 CMA Awards on Wednesday, November 8.
Ballerini, 30, Stokes, 31, sat together as they posed for photographers ahead of the annual awards ceremony, which was held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Ballerini channeled old Hollywood glamor in a pale pink satin Christian Syrian dress with high slit. She complemented the look with a bold red lip and wore her blonde locks in soft curls.
Stokes, meanwhile, was classic with a twang in an all-black suit with contrasting velvet fabric under the jacket lapel, celebrating the country music genre.
Ballerini is nominated for two awards this year: Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for her February EP, Rolling up the welcome mat. The recognition comes two years after her first CMA win in 2021, when she took home the trophies for Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year for her hit single “Half of My Hometown,” featuring fellow Tennessee native born Kenny Chesney.
“I’m so proud that my first two CMAs are for a song that represents my roots and also celebrates the dream that made me set out to pursue it,” Ballerini said in a November 2021 statement. “I remember growing up in Knoxville and watched the CMAs… So it feels surreal and special to share this with so many of my songwriting friends and my hometown hero Kenny Chesney. I can’t think of a better moment to keep on my shelf forever.”
Ballerini’s personal life has undergone some changes since her first CMA win. Her and ex-husband Morgan Evans separated in August 2022 after almost five years of marriage. The couple finalized their divorce two months later and Ballerini moved on with Stokes, who she was first linked to in late 2022.
The pair made their official red carpet debut as a couple at the CMT Music Awards in April, where Stokes was caught dancing and singing along during Ballerini’s performance of “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too).” Since then, he has been seen supporting her in the crowds as she travels around the country for her Heartfirst tour, and stood by her side at several award ceremonies.
Earlier this year, Ballerini explained the couple’s decision to forego privacy when it comes to their relationship. “What we decided, and to each their own, is that if you’re with someone who makes you feel safe and proud of you, do you share that?” she told StyleCaster in September. “He’s also a Virgo; we are both Labrador Retrievers in human form. It doesn’t take much conversation to get on the same page. It’s been six months now and it’s been great.”
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The duo’s flirty – and public – romance has quickly made them a favorite celebrity couple. While you’re talking to Nylon Last month, Ballerini talked about why she and Stokes are such a great match.
“We’re both kind of golden retriever energy most of the time, but we both have a little bite in us, and we’re both incredibly driven,” she told the outlet in October. “He’s the first person I’ve been in a relationship with who I don’t think is my complete opposite.”
The ‘Penthouse’ singer also reflected on the early days of their relationship and said she immediately felt connected to the Outdoor benches star, even during their first date in Los Angeles.
“Really and truly [know] as soon as I met him,” she said of their connection. “And maybe that sounds like I haven’t learned anything, but I’ve always been a girl who puts my heart first and the truth is, it’s never led me astray. I’ve always been where I needed to be, when I needed to be there.
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