Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes’ Chemistry Is Undeniable at CMA Awards

Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes know how to own a red carpet, and their appearance at the 2024 Country Music Association Awards was no exception.

The singer, 31, and the Outer Banks star, 32, posed for photos ahead of the Wednesday, November 20, awards show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Ballerini stunned in a floor-length silver sequined dress, styling her hair down in loose waves. Stokes, for his part, rocked a black suit.

Although the duo mostly stuck together on the carpet, Stokes was sure to let his girlfriend shine on her big night. “OK, bye everybody!” he quipped as he hopped out of view so Ballerini could pose solo.

Stokes was on hand to support Ballerini as she vies for two awards: Female Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for her “Cowboys Cry Too” duet with Noah Kahan.

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Ballerini and Stokes were first linked in January 2023 after connecting via DMs. Since then, the pair have become red carpet regulars, frequently showing off stylish ensembles and some sweet PDA.

Last month, the couple gushed over each other in separate interviews while promoting Ballerini’s new album, Patterns, and the fourth season of Stokes’ Netflix series, Outer Banks — both of which were released in October.

“I truthfully think when you find somebody who’s not just somebody you love and adore, but is also your best friend, you’ve kind of got the best of both worlds,” Stokes said on the Today show on October 3. “And she’s not just a great person, but everything that you see — whether it be on social media or when she’s on stage — is exactly the person she is when she’s not doing those things.”

As for what’s ahead for the duo, Stokes played coy but teased that he and Ballerini are on the same page.

“We have a saying in our house. It’s, ‘Let’s do the next right thing,’ and that’s served us really well in this time, and it’s served us well in the past almost two years,” he said at the time. “That’s kind of where we’re at, the next right thing.”

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In the meantime, Stokes and Ballerini are focused on supporting each other through their career highs.

“I think we just both have our own versions of [fame], and it’s been humbling on both sides and [we’re] just championing each other,” he added. “It’s been a year of a lot of wins, so it’s just been nice to have somebody by your side who helps you, kind of, sustain the wave.”

Ballerini, for her part, told People later that month that Stokes has been “such a big, beautiful part of my life for almost two years now” and she is “really proud of the art that he’s inspired.”

“And I’m really proud to be with someone who’s a truth-teller in his own art too,” she continued. “And to be aligned in that way and to share parts of our relationship and that kind of stuff, so openly and willingly, is really beautiful.”