Kelsea Ballerini Was Supposed To Be Featured On This Jonas Brothers Song, But Got Replaced

For Kelsea Ballerini fans, a dream collaboration was almost a reality. On Nov. 17, the Ballerini took to her Instagram Story for an “ask me anything” session with fans while on a plane ride. During the chat, the “Penthouse” singer revealed that she was supposed to be featured on the Jonas Brothers’ latest single, “Strong Enough” which dropped on Nov. 10, but was “replaced” with country singer-songwriter Bailey Zimmerman. 

“Jonas Brothers collab when [will it happen?]” one fan asked, to which Ballerini replied, “To be honest, I was on ‘Strong Enough’ but indeed got replaced hahahaha.”

Despite being replaced on “Strong Enough” with Zimmerman, Ballerini acknowledged how great of an artist he is. “But Bailey is sick” she added, along with a tearing-up emoji and a melted face emoji.

As of this publication, it’s unclear why Ballerini was cut from the song. 

Although she wasn’t featured on “Strong Enough,” Ballerini dropped amazing music in 2023 — as did the Jonas Brothers — so it’s understandable why fans have been wondering about a potential collaboration. Ballerini dropped her EP, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, on Feb. 14, while The Jonas Brothers released their album, The Album, on May 12 — both of which received glowing reviews. 

While many of us would’ve loved to hear Ballerini’s vocals on “Strong Enough,” being featured on the song wouldn’t have been the first time she’s worked with the boy band. 

Back in 2016, the singer joined forces with Nick Jonas for a duet performance of her hit song “Peter Pan” at that year’s ACM Awards. Although they sounded great together, the “Jealous” singer experienced a mishap while playing the guitar and later said the performance was “really tragic” while appearing on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast in May 2023. 

“I started off, it was fine and as I walked towards her, I just went completely blank and I hit a wrong note and blacked out basically and clocked that it was wrong and I couldn’t stop,” Jonas said. “Til this day and hours after unpacking it, I can’t really figure out exactly what happened, but I was rushed to a car and rushed to a plane right after it,” added the musician. “I looked at my manager and said, ‘I think that was bad.’ I was, like, in shock kinda. It was a really traumatic moment that shaped the pressure I put on myself to be perfect and to always be on.”

Although collaborating on “Strong Enough” would have allowed Ballerini and Jonas to work together on something he probably would’ve been proud of, we’ll keep hope alive that a new collaboration will come together in the future. 

In the meantime, Ballerini will likely keep herself busy, which she’s been doing this past month after playing a sold-out show in her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee on Nov. 2. Not only that, but on Nov. 8, she performed her hit song “Leave Me Again” at the 2023 CMA Awards, where was nominated for “Album of the Year” and “Female Vocalist of the Year.” 

On Nov. 10, the Grammys announced that Ballerini’s Rolling Up the Welcome Mat album earned a nomination for “Best Country Album.” The singer celebrated her nomination with her family, friends, and boyfriend Chase Stokes, whom she kissed on the cheek while shedding a few tears of joy.

• celebrities
• culture
• entertainment
• music