Kelsea Ballerini recently took a walk down memory lane at her high school reunion.
Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Kelsea attended Central High School during her freshman and sophomore year before moving to Nashville at age 15 to pursue her country music dreams. Though she graduated from Centennial High School in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2011, Kelsea will always be a “Bobcat” at heart, which she proved by attending her class reunion at Central High School.
“So much life happened here. crushes. music. friendship. heartbreak. insecurity. drive,” she reflects in an Instagram post, which also features photos from the special event, including images of the the singer holding up a “11 Year Reunion” sign and of her lovingly posing and dancing with her former classmates.
She also shares that the first time she performed one of her original songs in public was at the school’s auditorium, saying there was “tragedy” and “magic” in her high school experience.
“It made leaving this community to go chase down this naive knowingness the truest meaning of bittersweet,” she writes. “So after 13 years of being in Nashville, I decided to go to my reunion to be nostalgic with the people that made me love my hometown like I do. Go bobcats for effing ever.”
The superstar also shared her high school year book photo and the certificate from her classmates awarding her the superlative of “World Traveler.”
Kelsea pays homage to Knoxville in her chart-topping hit, “Half of My Hometown,” and filmed part of the music video at Central High School.
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