Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey Search for Truth in ‘the other girl’

Kelsea Ballerini and pop star Halsey discover a terrible truth in Ballerini’s newest single, realizing they’re getting played for a fool in “the other girl.”

Out now at country radio and part of Ballerini’s recent kelsea album, the other girl is a shimmering slice of futuristic country pop, with a sleek sonic sheen and story about two women finding out they’re both seeing the same guy. Rather than turning their anger on each other, though, they feel a natural sense of kinship — both betrayed by a shameless player. Highlighting a hypnotic groove and the electric interplay of two hit-making voices, Ballerini says she’s proud of the 180-degree change of direction from her last single, ‘homecoming queen,’ which was a vulnerable look into anxiety and self-doubt.

“I always like to zig zag with singles to show different sides of who I am as an artist, and ‘the other girl’ is the perfect next song to showcase this,” she says. “It’s a dark and angsty story song that is completely different than ‘homecoming queen,’ and really anything else I’ve gotten to share to date. Having Halsey, who is a massive country fan and close friend, as a part of it, adds a magic that I will be so excited to hear on my favorite radio stations.”

“Are you mad? Me too / And I wonder in his world / Is it me, is it you? / Who’s the other girl?” goes the chorus.

Ballerini and Halsey also teamed up to perform ‘the other girl’ live for CMT Crossroads in March, and “homecoming queen” earned a Gold certification from the RIAA.