Kelsea Ballerini Speaks Out After Her On-Camera Reaction To Grammy Loss Goes Viral

Ballerini calls the analysis of her face “unnecessary and hurtful to everyone,” after the singer lost out on Best Country Album to Lainey Wilson.

Ballerini was up for Best Country Album and wound up losing to Lainey Wilson during the show. After Wilson’s name was announced, the camera cut to Ballerini, who was standing and applauding her fellow nominee.

But it’s her facial expressions as she did so that got everyone talking — as many viewers took to X (formerly Twitter) to speculate over what Ballerini was thinking in those moments.

“Kelsea Ballerini’s face when Lainey won.  😳😳😳 she got snubbed!!!” said one fan, sharing video of the moment as well. “Kelsea Ballerini’s face just broke my heart,” wrote someone else, as another viewer added, “Kelsea Ballerini didn’t appear impressed as she was was caught on camera looking upset when she lost.”

The reaction shot sparked a few headlines about how she didn’t seem too happy in the moment, something Ballerini herself addressed Monday.

“ohhhh yall,” she began on her Instagram Story. “You can be bummed for your loss and happy for somebody else’s win at the same time. two things can be true and both hold valid and valuable space.”

“The face reading and reaction analysis is unnecessary and hurtful to everyone,” she added, before concluding, “a woman’s win is a team win. write about that instead?”

Wilson was one of the many women who picked up trophies last night — as all nine of the televised awards were accepted on stage by women. The country singer’s win was also her first Grammy ever.

While Ballerini has been nominated for four Grammys, she has yet to win. One fleeting moment aside, it appears she had a blast at the show — and was seen dancing with Taylor Swift throughout the night.