Entertainment Music Country Music Kelsea Ballerini Sings Beautiful Rendition of Her Hit ‘Leave Me Again’ at the 2023 CMA Awards The singer-songwriter is nominated for album of the year and female vocalist of the year at the 57th annual CMA Awards By Sadie Bell Sadie Bell Sadie Bell was a digital news writer on the music team at PEOPLE. She joined PEOPLE in 2023. Her work has previously appeared in Alternative Press, Billboard, NYLON, Rolling Stone, and Thrillist. People Editorial Guidelines and Daniela Avila Daniela Avila Daniela Avila is an editorial assistant at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2021. Her work previously appeared on The Poly Post. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 8, 2023 10:04PM EST Kelsea Ballerini. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Kelsea Ballerini is sure to have made more than a few viewers shed tears at the 2023 CMA Awards. The country music star, 30, took the stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena as a part of the 57th annual CMA Awards on Wednesday. The singer-songwriter, who is nominated in two categories, performed a rendition of her Rolling Up the Welcome Mat stand-out "Leave Me Again." The Grammy-nominated artist offered a stripped-down performance of the somber break-up song about wishing one’s ex well and learning to love and stay true to oneself. Lainey Wilson Leads 2023 CMA Award Nominations for the Second Year in a Row — See the List! Emerging onstage in a gold gown, all eyes were on Ballerini as she strummed her guitar and sang the heart-tugging lyrics. “Leave Me Again” appears on Ballerini’s album of the year contender, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. The six-song EP arrived in February to acclaim and she followed it up with a deluxe version, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good), in August. In addition to being up for the coveted album of the year prize, the “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” singer is also nominated in the esteemed female vocalist of the year category. With her two nods from the Country Music Association this year, she’s now received a total of 12 CMA Awards nominations. Check out PEOPLE's full CMA Awards coverage to get the latest news on country music’s biggest night. Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes. Chase Stokes Says Girlfriend Kelsea Ballerini Gives His Style a Dose of 'Yeehaw' (Exclusive) Ahead of her performance, the hitmaker stepped out on the red carpet with her boyfriend of 11 months, Outer Banks star Chase Stokes, Upon the release of Rolling Up the Welcome Mat — which sees the “Penthouse” singer opening up about her divorce from fellow country singer Morgan Evans — Ballerini explained in a statement that she saw the project as the next chapter to her last full-length album, 2022's SUBJECT TO CHANGE. "When I listen to SUBJECT TO CHANGE, I hear a lot of self-reflection and turmoil. This is the deep dive into that turmoil," she said in the statement. "I was writing by myself for most of the project, and it was nice to trust myself again." Kelsea Ballerini. Kelsea Ballerini Wants to See Country 'Giving a Voice to New Artists' and as 'Inclusive' as Pop The singer continued, "The only way I've been able to handle my life since I was 12 was to write about it. Ironically, I started writing music because my parents got divorced; that was my therapy.” "These are six songs I wish I had last year. It's about the complexities of the feelings you go through during a massive shift at a young age," the performer revealed of the project. "Rolling Up the Welcome Mat was how I processed everything. It's the way I got my feelings out of my body and heart and put them to music — which is the purest way I could've handled it." The 2023 CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream exclusively on Hulu the following day. Close