Kelsea Ballerini has teamed up with fellow country artist Carly Pearce and pop music sensation, Kelly Clarkson, on her brand new collaborative track, “You’re Drunk, Go Home,” which appears on her just-released new album, Subject To Change.
Released on Friday (Sept. 23), the tune finds Ballerini going back to basics as she leans heavily into a ‘90s traditional country beat and a rockabilly vibe with electric and steel guitars and hypnotic walk-down bass.
Much like “hole in the bottle,” it’s the kind of track that showcases Ballerini’s versatility as she strays away from her usual pop/country grooves while throwing a confident country swagger into some sassy lyrics.
As far as the subject matter goes, “You’re Drunk, Go Home” is highly relatable with each artist taking turns telling an inebriated individual to walk away because he is too intoxicated to try to start up a conversation with them.
“You’re drunk, go home / If you’re trying to hook up / Gotta do it alone / The way you’re slurring and the way you stumble / Ain’t no way you’re gonna get my number / Hey, walk away, so me and my girls can do our thing / I ain’t looking for a one-night rodeo / You’re drunk, go home,” all three artists sing in unison serving up the catchy chorus over an uptempo melody.
Ballerini, 29, first teased the epic collaboration on Thursday (Sept. 8), posting a video on Instagram that had her naming her duet partners as well as announcing the title of the track. Before she posted the video, however, fans had already suspected a duet between Ballerini and Pearce, but they weren’t aware of Clarkson’s role in the song.
“So, y’all have been asking for months now if there’s a collab on the album, and I’ve hinted that there is, and I did post a little sneaky picture — and you guys are spies. You did guess that it is indeed my girl Carly Pearce,” Ballerini begins in the clip on Instagram. “But but but, friends, I did fool you because it is not just Carly Pearce, we have a trio. Y’all, It’s Kelly Clarkson.”
“A sassbomb yeehaw collab moment?!? YOU’RE DRUNK, GO HOME with my sister Carly Pearce and hero sister, Kelly Clarkson. Available 9/23 can I get a yeeeeehaw?” Ballerini captioned the clip, which she also shared on her Twitter page.
“You’re Drunk, Go Home” is one of 15 tracks included on Ballerini’s brand-new studio album, Subject to Change, which also dropped today (Sept. 23.) The collection, which follows 2020s companion albums, kelsea, and ballerini, also features recent releases, “The Little Things,” “What I Have,” “Love Is A Cowboy” and lead single, “Heartfirst.”
Opening up about the collaboration, Ballerini, who has been navigating the end of her marriage to Morgan Evans, told Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen, “I swore I was not going to have a collaboration on this record. I said it in interviews, but I just wanted to step back and claim my space again and be like, ‘I want to make a record about me, and I don’t need people to help me tell a story right now. I just want to tell my own story and get back to the basics.’ And then, I wrote, ‘You’re Drunk, Go Home.’ … I loved the idea of having not one, but two, different voices that have power and wit and sass.”
In an interview with SiriusXM’s Storme Warren, Ballerini opened up about the new album, saying “There’s a lot. I mean, it’s, it’s interesting because I talk about it as like this big kind of like concept record of like, you know, change is inevitable. And as soon as you stop fearing it and you just kind of welcome it with open arms, like you are allowed, you’re allowing yourself to be more present in your life and in your heart. Um, so like, that kind of sounds like a big concept, but it’s like, it’s the most upbeat record I’ve ever made, you know?”
“It’s like the audit of my life from 26 to 28,” she added.
In celebration of the new release, Ballerini will head out on her Heartfirst Tour.
The 10-date trek, beginning on Saturday (Sept. 24), will see her visiting cities like Boston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia before wrapping up on October 14, with a show in Mashantucket, CT.
