Celebrity Celebrity Relationships Celebrity Dating Kelsea Ballerini Met Boyfriend Chase Stokes by Sliding into His DMs — and Shared the Screenshot to Prove It! “Happy birthday, my sweet virgo," Ballerini wrote in an Instagram tribute to Stokes, which included a screenshot of their very first messages to each other By Bailey Richards Bailey Richards Bailey Richards is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023 and interned with the brand in 2022. Her work has previously appeared in digital publications like Paper Magazine and TV Insider. People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 16, 2023 03:39PM EDT Kelsea Ballerini shares the first DM she sent to Chase Stokes. Photo: Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram; Nina Westervelt/Variety via Getty Kelsea Ballerini took her shot — and it paid off! The country star, 30, has been very open about how she and her boyfriend, Chase Stokes, met (she slid unapologetically into his DMs). Now, she has even made the message public. In the final slide of her birthday tribute to Stokes, now 31, Ballerini included a screenshot of the couple’s very first interaction. The Cutest Photos of Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes “Hiii chase stokes,” Ballerini messaged the actor (a cheeky reference to his username @hichasestokes) on Instagram at 1:07 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2022. Two hours later, Stokes replied, “Hey there how u doin.” Kelsea Ballerini's first DM to now-boyfriend Chase Stokes. Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram The “Half of My Hometown” singer captioned the birthday tribute, which contains several sweet photos and videos of herself and the Outer Banks actor, “Happy birthday, my sweet virgo.” “My human ❤️,” Stokes responded to the Saturday post. Several users praised the singer-songwriter for the bold DM exchange, commenting things like, “It’s you shootin your shot at 1:07 am for me,” “Love that you showed how you shot your shot and got what you got 😍❤️ and “The DM is just icing on the cake! So precious 🥹.” Ballerini’s pals also shared some love for the happy couple on Stokes' special day. Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton wrote, “God I love [u] 2,” and Chelsea Handler and Bobby Berk each commented several red heart emojis on the birthday tribute. Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes' Relationship Timeline The country singer first shared the story of how she and Stokes met on the Call Her Daddy podcast in February. She told the podcast hosts that she slid into Stokes' DMs after the two followed each other on Instagram. Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes in a new photo the country singer shared on Stokes' birthday. Kelsea Ballerini/Instagram “I've never seen his show, but I just knew of him, and I just swan dove right on in,” she said. Ballerini went on to explain that she approached her relationship with the actor, which began shortly after the December DM, with a new perspective after filing for divorce from Morgan Evans last August after five years of marriage. Kelsea Ballerini Denies Chase Stokes Breakup with New PDA-Filled Instagram Story Photo: 'Nah' “I think I'm finally an adult,” she said on the episode. “I think that just happened over the last couple of years, and I feel like what that means to me is I have opinions. I have a career that is a priority for me, to show up for myself and the people that I've aligned with along this journey. And I have aspirations and goals that are tied to no one, and those are all really important things.” The "Miss Me More" singer added, "I have my s--- together, you know what I mean?" Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Earlier this month, Stokes shared a heartfelt tribute to Ballerini, who also has a September birthday, on Instagram. “Dirty 30 looks pretty damn good on you ballerini. i love you ❤️,” he captioned an Instagram carousel of cute photos and videos of the couple. “You really made 29 😍🥹🫶🫠,” the country singer — who spent her birthday performing at the MTV VMAs — responded. “I love you stokes.” Close