Kelsea Ballerini Releases Meditative Single ‘I Sit in Parks’

Kelsea Ballerini has dropped a new single, “I Sit in Parks.” The vulnerable, contemplative song comes ahead of her upcoming EP, Mount Pleasant, set for release Nov. 14.

The nostalgic single sees Ballerini focusing what she wants but may never have. “I sit in parks/ It breaks my heart ‘cause I see just how far I am/ From the things that I want,” she sings on the reflective ballad. “By now is it a lucid dream/ Is it my fault for chasing things/ A body clock doesn’t wait for/ I did the damn tour/ It’s what I wanted, what I got/ I spun around and then I stopped/ And wondered if I missed the mark?” She later invokes Rolling Stone, singing, “But Rolling Stone says I’m on the right road.”

“Welcome to the park, where daydreaming and crash outs, ‘what a life’ and ‘what now?,’ wandering and wondering…are all at play,” she noted on Instagram.

Mount Pleasant will feature six songs, including “I Sit in Parks.” The EP’s title seems to refer to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where the Netflix series Outer Banks is filmed. Earlier this fall, Ballerini and Outer Banks star Chase Stokes confirmed they were ending their relationship after more than two years together. That life change may have inspired Mount Pleasant‘s tracks.

“I have always made records – whether songs, EPs or albums – to capture a moment in time,” Ballerini said in a statement. “Mount Pleasant is a collection of six songs I’ve written throughout the summer, marking a chapter of heavy self-examination, longing, and stepping further into who I am as a 32-year old woman.”

Ballerini’s last album, Patterns, arrived last October. In January, she embarked on her first headlining arena tour in support of the LP. She also took on her first season as a coach on The Voice. In June, she brought Noah Kahan on stage at CMA Fest to duet on her song “Cowboys Cry Too” and his hit “Stick Season.”