Kelsea Ballerini unpacked a show-stopping performance of “Baggage” at the 2025 ACM Awards, where she’s nominated for four awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and Music Event of the Year (“Cowboys Cry Too” featuring Noah Kahan) as both artist and producer.
Kelsea Ballerini Performs “Baggage” At 2025 ACM Awards
Live from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, the country superstar and ACM Entertainer Of The Year nominee delivered a captivating performance of “Baggage,” a track, written by Ballerini alongside Alysa Vanderheym, Hillary Lindsey, Jessie Jo Dillon and Karen Fairchild, that appears on her latest album, PATTERNS.
Dressed in a sparkling silver bodysuit and strumming an orange electric guitar, Ballerini mesmerized the star-studded audience with a powerful performance of the fan-favorite track—a definite highlight of the show and a career-defining moment that cemented her status as a true superstar.
“Clear out a drawer, clear out a shelf/ I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else/ Everything that’s heavy, I check it at the door/ Kind of feel like I don’t need it anymore/ I got some bones of old skeletons/ From the old house at the dead end/ I got baggage, but I’m movin’ in,” Ballerini belted out on the song’s chorus atop a massive pile of orange luggage as sparks went flying around her.
Entertainer Of The Year-Worthy Performance
Ahead of her performance, Ballerini promised that her performance will prove that she is more than worthy of the Entertainer Of The Year nomination.
“I’m excited. I mean, this is our first big performance [of “Baggage”] other than being on tour, and it feels like a performance that I can show up…being nominated for Entertainer of the Year, I feel like I’m delivering something that is maybe worthy of that nomination,” she told Country Now.
Kelsea Ballerini arrived to the ACM Awards red carpet in a timeless, elegant ensemble that left a lasting impression.
2025 ACM Awards
The 2025 ACM Awards kicked off in a big way, celebrating 60 years of country music with a must-see opening performance. An all-star lineup — including Clint Black, Dan + Shay, Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, and Sugarland — took the stage for a special 12-minute medley honoring ACM Songs of the Year from the past six decades.
The night was packed with incredible performances from top artists such as Blake Shelton, Eric Church, Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini, Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, Ella Langley, Zach Top, Alan Jackson, and Brooks & Dunn — with plenty of surprises along the way.
Fans were also treated to star-studded collaborations, including the Backstreet Boys with Rascal Flatts, a powerful duet from Jelly Roll and Shaboozey, and a high-energy joint performance by Brooks & Dunn with Cody Johnson. Plus, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, and Lainey Wilson debuted their new track, “Trailblazers.”
A-list presenters included Crystal Gayle, ERNEST, Gabby Barrett, Gretchen Wilson, Lee Ann Womack, Jordan Davis, Lionel Richie, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Rita Wilson, Sara Evans, The Oak Ridge Boys, Chase Elliott, Amber Anderson, Kelly Sutton, and many more.
Hosted by the legendary Reba McEntire — a 16-time ACM Award winner — the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards streamed live exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch for a global audience in over 240 countries and territories. The show aired Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 8/7 PM CT, live from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas — the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys.
