Even cowgirls shed tears. Kelsea Ballerini found herself overwhelmed with emotion as she stepped onto the stage for the first time following her breakup with Chase Stokes. On September 25, the country music sensation took center stage at The Riviera Theatre in Chicago, delivering a poignant and soul-stirring performance of her hit song "Penthouse," as captured in a video shared by @fearisthemindkillr and obtained by E! News.
After reaching the song's heart-wrenching bridge, with lyrics like, "It hurts putting s--t in a box / And now we don't talk box / And it stings rolling up the welcome mat / Knowing you got half," Kelsea paused for several extra beats, struggling to compose herself. During this moment, she took in the outpouring of support from the cheering crowd, her head shaking gently and a bittersweet smile gracing her lips. "I kissed someone new last night," she continued, her voice wavering slightly. "But now I don't know where you're sleeping, baby."
As the song drew to a close, she momentarily slumped forward, her head resting in her lap, clearly moved by the overwhelming affection and solidarity from her fans. This performance marked Kelsea's first major public appearance since her representative confirmed to E! News on September 14 that she and Chase had parted ways after nearly three years of dating.
While Kelsea hasn't directly addressed the breakup, the 32-year-old artist subtly conveyed her feelings through a fiery video posted amidst the swirling speculation about their split. On September 23, she shared a TikTok video set to Ariana Grande's "Shut Up," with a pointed message directed at those weighing in on her first public outing following the breakup—a trip to the hair salon. "CC: speculators, ‘sources’, and hidden cameras outside the hair salon," she captioned the video. "Let us be, please."
Rumors of their breakup had been circulating throughout the summer, but Chase had quashed the speculation in August by posting a sweet photo of her dog Dibs on his Instagram, accompanied by a red heart emoji. Indeed, all signs pointed to the couple still being together up until two days before Kelsea's confirmation of their breakup. On September 12, the Outer Banks star shared a heartfelt tribute to the "Peter Pan" singer on her birthday.
"Although you keep saying you’re not excited for 32," he wrote on Instagram alongside photos of the two, "I’d say I’m lookin’ forward to more of this." He added, "Happy birthday my love."
