Untangling Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes' Relationship Status

Though what it was turned out to be just a brief blip in their love story.

"Messy year for the heart, messy year for the outside coming in, messy year for the way it became an out of our hands portrayal of it," Kelsea shared on her Instagram Stories Dec. 31 alongside a snap of her and Chase. "But what i'll say, and all i really care to share indefinitely with my personal life anymore, is that i really love love. I believe in it, i believe in him, and i believe in breaking patterns."

And so, concluded the "People Pleaser" artist, "Go kiss your person and stop speculating."

Because their cinematic first kiss had her falling hard.

"He hopped out of his Bronco," she detailed during a return visit to Call Her Daddy in November 2023, "and he did not say a word to me, and he grabbed my face and he kissed me and he pulled my face away and he said, 'Thank God you're real.'"

And soon they were logging enough outings together—the College Football National Championship game in January 2023, their red carpet debut at the 2023 CMT Music Awards in April and a trip to her hometown of Knoxville, Tenn., the following month—to craft an entire album's worth of love songs.

"He's the most emotionally intelligent man I've ever met in my life," she stressed on Call Her Daddy. "I keep telling him he's a man written by a woman."

And soon that woman putting pen to paper was her.

"'First Rodeo' is the first love song I wrote for Chase," she shared on an October 2024 episode of Today, promoting her fifth studio album PATTERNS. "Really, it’s essentially the first song where it’s kind of like, 'Okay, I feel a little fragile, I feel a little scared to open myself up to the capacity that I want to, but I love love, and I really love you.'"

In fact, she admitted at her listening party that same month, "I would argue that this is the most love-filled record I've ever made. I think the presence of love in every song is at the forefront."

Kelsea Ballerini slid into Chase Stokes' DMs on Dec. 1, 2022 at 1:30 a.m. while she was out drunk with friends at a bar.

They eventually met up in person for the first time on Jan. 7, 2023, which she considers their anniversary.

"He hopped out of his Bronco, and he did not say a word to me," Kelsea later recalled on Call Her Daddy in November 2023, "and he grabbed my face and he kissed me and he pulled my face away and he said, 'Thank God you're real.'"

Their romance blossomed after that first DM, which Kelsea shared in September 2023.

The two huddled up to watch the University of Georgia dominate Texas Christian University at the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship in California.

In August 2023, Kelsea posted footage of the beginning of their relationship, sharing a throwback clip on TikTok of herself preparing for their first official date on Jan. 7, 2023.

"Happy weekend," she captioned the post, "heres a video i sent to my best friend before my first date with chase."

Set to her song "How Do I Do This," which is about going on a first date after many years, Kelsea modeled her outfit in the video.

"Here's the look, with the boots" Kelsea said while checking herself out in a full-length mirror.

Turning around to showcase her half-up, half-down hairstyle, she added, "We've got the hair clip, because we're trying to be a cool girl."

She continued speaking to an unnamed friend, explaining, "He's picking me up and we're going to a sushi place and I'll call you tomorrow and for a full update."

Taking a deep breath and raising one arm and finger in the air, she finally said, "I can do this. I can do this."

And, after doing a little dance, she proclaimed, "It's just a date. You just go and you just eat food and you talk about things that you do, OK?"

Chase shared a pic of himself and Kelsea showing some PDA.

The pair officially hard launched their pairing, stepping out as a couple at the CMT Music Awards in Texas.

Days later, the duo attended the premiere party for the Broadway musical Shucked at New York City's Capitale.

Chase joined Kelsea on a trip to her hometown of Knoxville, Tenn.

The two attended Armani Beauty's ACQUA DI GIO and Gen A celebration in Malibu, Calif.

Chase shocked Kelsea when he unexpectedly greeted her at the airport, with both stars posting video and photos from their adorable reunion.

The couple only had eyes for one another at a Venice Film Festival event.

While in NYC to perform on TODAY, the singer scheduled in a date night with her No. 1 fan.

"It's just nice to feel so supported and seen," Kelsea said on the show of Chase, "and, yeah, he's such a wonderful, wonderful human being."

To commemorate Kelsea's 30th birthday on Sept. 12, 2023 Chase posted a carousel of photos and videos of the three-time Grammy nominee.

"Dirty 30 looks pretty damn good on you ballerini," he captioned the series. "i love you."

Making it a red-letter day, the pair celebrated Kelsea's birthday by coordinating on the carpet at the 2023 MTV VMAs.

And, yes, they shared a birthday kiss.

Kelsea unveiled this pic on Chase's 31st birthday days later.

Kelsea and Chase were dressed to the nines when they attended designer Giorgio Armani's One Night Only event in Venice, Italy.

The singer-songwriter and the Outer Banks star shared images of their getaway on Instagram, including snaps from a cooking class and lounging at the beach.

Kelsea shared this behind-the-scenes look from the event.

Kelsea planted a smooch on Chase's cheek at the CMA Awards in November 2023.

Kelsea revealed details of their sex life in November 2023, telling Alex Cooper on Call Her Daddy, "I'm having a nice time."

In the past, "my experience with it was very performative and for the other person," she noted. "And it don't be like that anymore."

The musician didn't understand how sex could be "a real connector in a relationship" before dating Chase.

"I always thought that it was just something that you did because that's who you do it with," the Grammy nominee shared. "Now I realize it's a connector for people."

"One year of lovin you," the actor wrote. "P.s. told ya I wouldn’t embarrass you."

"A whole trip around the sun with my bestie," Kelsea wrote in her anniversary post. "@hichasestokes thanks for making me write love songs."

A year after calling dibs on each other's hearts, they celebrated their love.

Kelsea shared this romantic pic from their anniversary celebration.

Kelsea joined her boyfriend at the premiere of his Netflix movie Uglies.

She may have walked away from the 2025 Grammys a three-time loser, her and "Cowboys Cry Too" collaborator Noah Kahan joking about being bested by Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus’ “II Most Wanted." But Kelsea brought her own prize to the awards show.