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GALLERY: Celebrating Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini celebrates her 26th birthday today (9/12). Born in Mascot, Tennessee, she released her debut album The First Time in 2015. She was noticed after Taylor Swift took notice…

GALLERY: Celebrating Kelsea Ballerini
Robin Marchant/Getty Images

Kelsea Ballerini celebrates her 26th birthday today (9/12). Born in Mascot, Tennessee, she released her debut album The First Time in 2015.

She was noticed after Taylor Swift took notice of her music and started up a friendship. Now everyone can take notice in this career gallery.

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NEW YORK, NY - JULY 17: Singer Kelsea Ballerini poses for a picture during "FOX & Friends" All American Concert Series outside of FOX Studios on July 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)


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NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 09: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini performs onstage during day 2 of the 2017 CMA Music Festival on June 9, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)


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NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 19: Singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini performs on stage during CMT Artists of the Year 2016 on October 19, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT)


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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 09: Kelsea Ballerini attends the 2018 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on October 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images For dcp)


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NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 06: Kelsea Ballerini attends the 2018 CMT Music Awards at Bridgestone Arena on June 6, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CMT)


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NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 14: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Singer-songwriters Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans attend the 52nd annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 14, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


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NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 06: Morgan Evans, Kelsea Ballerini, and Keith Urban attend the 2018 CMT Music Awards - Backstage & Audience at Bridgestone Arena on June 6, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT)


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LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 10: Kelsea Ballerini backstage during the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)


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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 06: Kelsea Ballerini and Andrew Taggart of The Chainsmokers perform onstage during the amfAR Gala New York 2019 at Cipriani Wall Street on February 06, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Perrier-Jouët and Absolut Elyx)


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NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 06: Kelsea Ballerini attends the amfAR New York Gala 2019 at Cipriani Wall Street on February 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.