To Kelsea Ballerini, there’s nothing more profound than finding a “good human” in a true friend, which is exactly the kind of relationship she has with close collaborator Noah Kahan.
This is exactly why the artist tells PEOPLE, “I adore Noah” in a new conversation discussing her recent successes during CMA Fest 2025 — and her energizing partnership with Celsius, a beverage she says is essential for her when she “hit[s] that midday slump.” Or, in the case of CMA Fest, the 12:30 a.m. performance time slump.
Ballerini’s love for Celsius, which she affectionately dubs “Kelsius,” even extends to her being the brand’s newest ambassador.
As for Kahan, “I got to know him as an artist and a collaborator, but now we’re dear friends and I just can’t say enough about the human being that he is,” Ballerini, 31, says. “He’s a good human.”
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Regarding their collaborative performance at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest, where they duetted “Cowboys Cry Too” as well as Kahan’s “Stick Season,” Ballerini adds, “It’s funny because for CMA fest, we’ve done so much together and I’ve called in to ask him to do the Variety [Power of Women] event with me and all this stuff. So I almost felt like I didn’t want to bother him.”
She continues, “And so I texted him on the Monday, we played on the Friday, and I was like, ‘I’m sure the answer is you want to be a hermit right now, but just in case, do you want to come play CMA Fest?’ He was like, ‘I’ve never done CMA Fest. I’ve never played a stadium.’ I was like, ‘Didn’t you headline Fenway?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, but a proper football stadium.'”
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After some convincing, Ballerini recalls her good friend “said ‘yes’ at the very last minute. And I was so grateful. And so we were able to play our song… and then my set got cut short because of the rain, but I was like, ‘You came all the way down here with your friends and your family. We have to do “Stick Season.”‘
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Ultimately, Ballerini surmises Kahan is “just a joy to be on stage with. And yeah, I really adore him.”
“He has that ‘I’m just happy to be here’ mentality, which I love,” she cheerfully adds.
When Ballerini and Kahan first released “Cowboys Cry Too” in 2024, the former praised the “Dial Drunk” singer, writing on Instagram, “thank you @noahkahanmusic for adding your uninhibited perspective and songwriting brilliance into this song. (LIKE CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE SECOND VERSE YALL?!?) i couldn’t be more proud to put this music and message out alongside such a lovely artist and friend.”
