Kelsea Ballerini defends country Grammy nominations for Beyoncé, Post Malone: 'It's amazing'

If Cowboy Carter ain't country, tell Kelsea Ballerini: What is?

The "I Quit Drinking" singer defended Beyoncé and Post Malone's nominations in country categories for this year's Grammys in an interview with Fierce: Women in Music on SiriusXM. "To me, you don't have to be a country artist to make a country record," Ballerini said. "Those don't have to exist in the same plane. I'm a country artist, but I've done pop songs. That's okay. So why isn't it okay the other way around? That doesn't make sense."

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter and Post Malone's F-1 Trillion — and the singles they spawned — are nominated in multiple Grammy categories this year, despite the two superstars' lack of significant prior experience making music in the genre. As a result, some country purists have expressed skepticism about the artists' inclusion on country radio stations and in country categories at awards shows.

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But Ballerini sees no reason to reject Beyoncé or Post Malone from the country community. "[The Best Country Album] category, to me, represents what country music has been this year," she said. "That's what the [Country] Album of the Year category should represent: what has happened in country music and been successful and groundbreaking this year. I don't really understand the other opinions other than, like, it's amazing to have huge, respected artists in other genres come in and celebrate ours. I don't understand why that would be anything but great."

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Ballerini noted that her recent song "Deep" is much more of a pop song than a country song. "I was fully inspired by SZA," she said of the track. "I was like, 'I wanna do a fun SZA-inspired sound' because I loved that record so much, that SOS record. Gosh, like, most played. I was so influenced by it during Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, and I was like, 'If I'm influenced by it, I wanna let myself go there.'" (The song even uses the phrase "SOS" in its second verse, perhaps as a shout-out to SZA's album.)

Related: Dolly Parton disagrees that Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter was snubbed by the CMAs 'on purpose'

The singer said she has no clue who will win the Country Album of the Year category. "I have only one vote," she said. I don't know. I'm really eager to see how all of the categories, but especially country [categories], shake out this year. There's no one in that category that it shouldn't go to."

Cowboy Carter and F-1 Trillion are up against albums by Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton, and Lainey Wilson in the Best Country Album category. Beyoncé and Post Malone are also nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, Best Country Song, and Best Country Solo Performance.

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The Grammys air on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+.

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