Homecoming Queen?

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"Homecoming Queen?"
A long blonde-haired woman wearing a black dress while a ray of sunlight shines on her eyes.
Single by Kelsea Ballerini
from the album Kelsea
ReleasedSeptember 6, 2019 (2019-09-06)
GenreCountry pop
Length2:47
LabelBlack River
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kelsea Ballerini
  • Jimmy Robbins
Kelsea Ballerini singles chronology
"Miss Me More"
(2018)
"Homecoming Queen?"
(2019)
"The Other Girl"
(2020)

"Homecoming Queen?" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini, released on September 6, 2019, as the lead single from her third studio album Kelsea, which was released on March 20, 2020.[1] Ballerini co-wrote the song with Jimmy Robbins and Nicolle Galyon.[2] "Homecoming Queen?" peaked at numbers 14 and 17 on both the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts respectively. It also reached number 65 on the Hot 100 chart. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold 70,000 copies as of February 2020. The song achieved similar prominence in Canada, reaching number 15 on the Country chart and number 35 on the All-Format chart. The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Shane Drake, features Ballerini in a dressing room as she goes from a glamorous image to a more stripped down look. An alternate recording of the song is also included on Ballerini's first remix album, Ballerini.[3]

Background[edit]

In an interview with The Tennessean, Ballerini revealed that "Homecoming Queen?" – the lead single from her new album – heralded "a new, more emotionally vulnerable phase of her career," focusing on stripped down musical production and songwriting.[4][5]

Commercial performance[edit]

"Homecoming Queen?" debuted at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of September 21, 2019 before leaving the next week.[6] It reappeared at number 89 the week of November 23 and reached number 83 until the week after.[7][8] After reappearing at number 87 on the week of January 11, 2020, it reached number 76 the week of February 8.[9][10] It peaked at number 65 the week of April 4, and stayed on the chart for 13 weeks.[11][12] The song was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on May 13, 2020.[13] It has sold 70,000 copies in the United States as of February 2020.[14]

Music video[edit]

The music video for "Homecoming Queen?" was directed by Shane Drake and premiered on September 6, 2019.[15] In the video, Ballerini is shown performing the song from a chair in her dressing room as the camera pans around her, as she goes "from glam to just raw and real," trading in her pink dress and full makeup that she performed in for a stripped down look without makeup.

Live performance[edit]

On March 25, 2020, Ballerini performed the song on CMT Crossroads as a duet with Halsey.[16]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[13] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Taylor, Blake (September 3, 2019). "Kelsea Ballerini Announces New Single, 'Homecoming Queen?'". iHeart Radio. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  2. ^ Bonaguro, Alison (September 6, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Kelsea Ballerini Gets Real in "homecoming queen?" Premiere". Country Music Television. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  3. ^ Nicholson, Jessica (September 2, 2020). "Kelsea Ballerini To Release New Project 'ballerini' On Sept. 11". MusicRow. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  4. ^ Billy Dukes (September 6, 2019). "Kelsea Ballerini's New Single 'Homecoming Queen?' Turns an Honest New Page". Taste of County. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  5. ^ Cindy Watts (August 19, 2019). "Kelsea Ballerini celebrates milestones, excited to 'clean the slate' with new music". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  6. ^ "The Hot 100: September 21, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  7. ^ "The Hot 100: November 23, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "The Hot 100: November 30, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  9. ^ "The Hot 100: January 11, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "The Hot 100: February 8, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  11. ^ "The Hot 100: April 4, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "Homecoming Queen? by Kelsea Ballerini". aCharts.co. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "American single certifications – Kelsea Ballerini – Homecoming Queen?". Recording Industry Association of America.
  14. ^ Bjorke, Matt (February 25, 2020). "Top 30 Country Digital Downloads: February 25, 2020". Roughstock. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  15. ^ Alison Bonaguro (September 6, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Kelsea Ballerini Gets Real in "homecoming queen?" Premiere". Country Music Television. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  16. ^ "Top Moments From CMT Crossroads: Halsey & Kelsea Ballerini". Country Music Television. March 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  17. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Canada All-Format)". Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  18. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  19. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  20. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  21. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  22. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  23. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  24. ^ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. September 6, 2019. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  25. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  26. ^ "Country Airplay Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  27. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2020.