Kelsea Ballerini’s new romantic music video stars a very special person

Country music artist Kelsea Ballerini is giving love another chance, and she isn’t being shy about it.

The 31-year-old’s relationship with Chase Stokes took center stage in her new music video for “First Rodeo,” which was released on Oct. 16, nine days before the release of her new album, “Patterns.”

In the music video, Ballerini and Stokes can be seen holding hands, cuddling, dancing together, embracing each other on the beach and more. At one point, Stokes kisses Ballerini on the forehead.

In the song, she asks her new beau to “take my heart, but take it slow” because this “ain’t my first rodeo,” referring to her past relationship with fellow singer Morgan Evans, which ended in a divorce in 2022.

“Thought I knew all of the ropes / Thought I could ride like a pro / Never knew I’d have a round two / I fell off, babe, but I found you,” she sings in the song.

You can watch the music video below:

Ballerini and Stokes have been linked since January 2023, when he posted a photo of himself with a mysterious woman at the College Football National Championship game.

Their faces were hidden in the photo, but Stokes tagged Ballerini, and speculation followed.

Ballerini confirmed she was hanging out with Stokes the following month, and Stokes confirmed they were dating in March 2023. They made their red carpet debut at the CMT Music Awards on April 2, 2023.

In a statement shared with People , Ballerini opened up about the meaning behind her new single, and why she decided to cast her boyfriend as the star.

“Listen, there’s a reality that an inner monologue post public breakup is, ‘I feel washed up on the heart front. I feel like I don’t know how to do this anymore,’” she said.

“First Rodeo” is about overcoming that inner monologue and realizing that “choosing love is bigger.”

“And the honesty of saying please take it slow and be patient with me can actually be a beautiful and connective moment,” she said, adding that the song “encapsulates that conversation.”

At the end of the day, she made the decision to be vulnerable and open. That way, she could allow the “hope of it all to seep back in.”

In her Instagram post announcing the premiere of the video, Ballerini wrote, “the video is out now, featuring the handsome human who inspired the song and made me love sunsets again.”

In February 2023, Ballerini appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast. While she wasn’t dating Stokes at the time, she did confirm that they were getting to know one another.

It all started in December 2022. Ballerini had just finalized her divorce from Evans and was “ready to open back up,” so she decided to follow Stokes on social media.

After the “Outer Banks” star followed her back, Ballerini decided to slide into his DMs.

“I’ve never seen the show and but I just knew of him,” she said on the podcast. “So I followed him and he followed me and I just swung through right on it.”

Now two years later, the couple couldn’t be happier as they continue to support one another’s career paths.

“He’s been such a big, beautiful part of my life for almost two years now,” she said in an interview with People , published on Oct. 11.

She went on to say that she’s “really proud to be with someone who’s a truth-teller in his own art too” and is proud to “share parts of our relationship and that kind of stuff, so openly and willingly.”