Kelsea Ballerini is officially joining The Voice for season 27 next year, and not only are her fans excited, but Ballerini is also thrilled to be joining the other coaches in the big red chairs. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight during CMA Fest, Ballerini expressed her excitement, revealing that she knew about her new job for months, but “it’s so hard for me to keep secrets.”

She began by explaining that people would ask why she wasn’t touring and she would have to sidestep the question, saying “I don’t know, ‘jobs,’” trying to be as vague as possible. She’s now happy that the news has officially dropped so she doesn’t have to worry about keeping the secret anymore.

“I start my first filming days [on] July 15th, so send me all the good luck and the good vibes,” Ballerini said. Additionally, she shared that she hadn’t yet played her new album, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, at CMA Fest. Last week, she introduced those new songs to the CMA Fest crowd, playing break-up anthems like “Penthouse” and “Blindsided” back-to-back.

Kelsea Ballerini got a little free therapy with the audience at CMA Fest as she played those songs—fans in the crowd screamed along to the often raw, emotional, yet healing lyrics, especially when she shared that they were within earshot of the infamous penthouse from the titular “Penthouse.” When she finished her set, Ballerini stated simply, “Well, that was therapy.”

Kelsea Ballerini Shares Initial Reaction to Joining The Voice

Kelsea Ballerini broke the news of her imminent coaching position on The Voice in a social media video with the other season 27 coaches, which includes John Legend, Adam Levine, and Michael Bublé. As the only woman on the panel of coaches, she’ll have a big job ahead of her, as well as the fact that she’ll be going up against seasoned coaches Legend and Levine. Bublé will already have one season under his belt at that time, but Ballerini isn’t completely in the dark here.

Previously in 2018, Ballerini was the coach of the Comeback Stage, an aspect of the show where eliminated contestants could prove themselves again. Then, in season 16, she stepped in as an advisor, before filling in as a coach for Kelly Clarkson on season 20. However, this will be her first rodeo as a full-time coach, and fans will be waiting eagerly to see how she approaches coaching her future team.

In the announcement video, Ballerini said, “Okay. It’s official. I am so, so, so beyond excited to be joining ‘The Voice’ next year, y’all,” adding, “Let’s go Team Keslea.” She also reposted the video on her own social media, writing in the caption, in all caps, “THE WAY I’VE BEEN DYING TO TELL YALL THIS!!!!!”

Featured Image by Terry Wyatt/WireImage