Her understanding of self is a consequence, at least in part, of her profession. As a Grammy-nominated artist, Kelsea relies on a readily accessible well of thoughts and feelings to draw upon to articulate her worldview through song. But the rest of that enlightenment, well, that comes from a lot of hard work—work that is evident on her album Patterns, out October 25.
“Thematically, this record is a love letter to self-assessment,” Kelsea says, sounding more Nietzsche than Nashville as she explains the inspiration behind her fifth studio effort. For Kelsea, Patterns isn’t simply an album title—it’s a call to action as she settles into her 30s, navigating new opportunities and new love.
“I crammed so much life into my 20s, and I’ve done a lot of work to be able to stand by all that life, learn a lot from it, and appreciate all of it for what it’s been,” she says. “[Patterns] is about finding the ones that serve you and appreciating and celebrating those, and then finding the ones that don’t—where they come from and how they relate to your interpersonal relationships.”
