The First Time (Kelsea Ballerini album)

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The First Time
Studio album by
Kelsea Ballerini
ReleasedMay 19, 2015 (2015-05-19)
Recorded2014–15
GenreCountry pop
Length40:18
LabelBlack River
Producer
  • Jason Massey (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7–12)
  • Forest Glen Whitehead (all tracks)[1]
Kelsea Ballerini chronology
Kelsea Ballerini
(2014) 		The First Time
(2015) 		Unapologetically
(2017)
Singles from The First Time
  1. "Love Me Like You Mean It"
    Released: July 8, 2014
  2. "Dibs"
    Released: July 20, 2015
  3. "Peter Pan"
    Released: March 21, 2016
  4. "Yeah Boy"
    Released: October 10, 2016

The First Time is the debut studio album by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini. It was released on May 19, 2015, by Black River Entertainment. The album's track listing and cover art was released on April 1, 2015.[2] With the album's first three singles all reaching number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, Ballerini became the first new female artist to send her first three releases to the top of the charts.[3]

Singles[edit]

"Love Me Like You Mean It", the album's lead single, was released to digital retailers on July 8, 2014 and to country radio on September 22, 2014.[4][5] The single received good reviews from critics, who praised its pop-country blend production, but criticized its flirty lyrics.[6] The song reached a peak of number five on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and number one on the Country Airplay chart.[7] It is the first song by a solo female to top the country music charts since "Blown Away" in 2012, and makes Ballerini the first female artist to take her debut single to the top spot since Carrie Underwood's first officially-promoted country music single, "Jesus, Take the Wheel", in 2006.[7] The official music video premiered in March 2015, and has over one million views.[8] "Peter Pan" was released as a promotional single on May 5, 2015.[9]

"Dibs" was released on July 20, 2015 as the album's second single. It became her second number one hit in March 2016, making her the first solo female country music artist to start her career with back-to-back number one hits since Jamie O'Neal in 2001 with "There Is No Arizona" and "When I Think About Angels".[10]

"Peter Pan" was released as the album's third single in March 2016. She performed the song on the Academy of Country Music Awards with Nick Jonas. The song topped the Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts the same week, making Ballerini the first female artist to accomplish this feat.[3]

"Yeah Boy" was announced as the album's fourth and final single on August 26, 2016.[11] It impacted country radio on October 10, 2016.[12]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]

The First Time was compared to the early works of Taylor Swift in a review by the British publication, Evening Standard, who also described the album as "country with a small c" and stated that due to its "strong melodies" has potential for "appeal across genres." In 2017, Billboard contributor Chuck Dauphin placed seven tracks from the album on his top 10 list of Ballerini's best songs: "Love Me Like You Mean It" at number one, "Peter Pan" at number two, "Looking at Stars" at number five, "Yeah Boy" at number seven, "Dibs" at number eight, the title track at number nine and "Square Pegs" at number ten.[14]

The First Time debuted at number 31 on the Billboard 200 and number four on the Top Country Albums chart with first week sales of 13,500 copies.[15] On the Billboard 200, it left the top 100 the week of August 1, 2015, spending 100 weeks on the chart.[16][17] The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 10, 2020.[18] It has sold 306,700 copies in the US as of October 2017.[19]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Kelsea Ballerini, with additional co-writers as noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."XO"
2:54
2."Peter Pan"
3:20
3."Love Me Like You Mean It"
  • Whitehead
  • Josh Kerr
  • Lance Carpenter
3:20
4."Square Pegs"
3:22
5."The First Time" 4:00
6."Looking at Stars"
  • Whitehead
  • Stepakoff
3:18
7."Sirens"
  • Whitehead
  • Jennifer Denmark
3:26
8."Secondhand Smoke"
  • Kerr
  • Jordyn Shellhart
3:43
9."Dibs"
  • Ballerini Kerr
  • Ryan Griffin
  • Jason Duke
3:03
10."Stilettos"
3:26
11."Yeah Boy"
  • Whitehead
  • Keesy Timmer
3:14
12."Underage"
  • Kerr
  • Stepakoff
3:12
Total length:40:18
Walmart deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Yeah Boy" (acoustic version)  
14."Out of the Blues"
  • Whitehead
3:56
UK bonus tracks[20]
No.TitleLength
13."Love Me Like You Mean It" (acoustic version)3:02
14."Dibs" (acoustic version)3:09
15."Peter Pan" (acoustic version)3:10
16."The First Time" (acoustic version)3:32
Total length:53:11

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[18] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ The First Time (booklet). Kelsea Ballerini. Black River. 2015. BRE2015-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini "The First Time" Tracklist & Cover Art".
  3. ^ a b Asker, Jim (September 12, 2016). "Kelsea Ballerini Is the First Woman to Top Hot Country Songs & Country Airplay Charts at the Same Time". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  4. ^ "Love Me Like You Mean It (2014) | Kelsea Ballerini | MP3 Downloads | 7digital United States". 7digital (US). Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  5. ^ "Future Release for Country Radio". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on September 22, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  6. ^ Taste of Country Staff (December 1, 2014). "Kelsea Ballerini, 'Love Me Like You Mean It' [Listen]". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Trust, Gary (23 June 2015). "Kelsea Ballerini First Female To Lead Country Airplay Chart With Debut Single Since 2006". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  8. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini - Love Me Like You Mean It".
  9. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini surprises fans with new song "Peter Pan"".
  10. ^ Jim Asker (February 23, 2016). "Kelsea Ballerini Has 'Dibs' on Second Country Airplay No. 1". Billboard.com. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  11. ^ Scott, Jason (August 26, 2016). "Hear Kelsea Ballerini's plucky new declaration 'Yeah Boy'". AXS TV. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Future Release for Country Radio Stations". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  13. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The First Time - Kelsea Ballerini". AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  14. ^ Dauphin, Chuck (August 21, 2017). "Kelsea Ballerini's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  15. ^ Bjorke, Matt. "Country Album Chart Report For May 27, 2015". Roughstock.
  16. ^ "Billboard 200: August 1, 2015". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  17. ^ a b "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  18. ^ a b "American album certifications – Kelsea Ballerini – The First Time". Recording Industry Association of America.
  19. ^ Bjorke, Matt (October 10, 2017). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: October 9, 2017". Roughstock.
  20. ^ "The First Time". Amazon.co.uk.
  21. ^ Ryan, Gavin (March 19, 2016). "ARIA Albums: Matt Corby 'Telluric' Is 100th No 1 Australian Album". Noise11. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  23. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
  24. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
  25. ^ "Country Albums : Year End 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  26. ^ "Independent Albums : Year End 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  27. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums : Year End 2016". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  28. ^ "Country Albums : Year End 2016". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  29. ^ "Independent Albums : Year End 2016". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  30. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums : Year End 2017". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  31. ^ "Country Albums : Year End 2017". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  32. ^ "Independent Albums : Year End 2017". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
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