Kelsea Ballerini kicked off summer with beach photos in a striped bikini and hinted at a new Patrick Droney music collaboration through an Instagram text exchange.
Kelsea Ballerini is kicking off “hot girl summer” a little early, and the beach photos are only the beginning.
In a recent Instagram post. the 32-year-old country singer shared a photo dump capturing a few of her recent joys: getting her steps in. making music. finding ramen. and “learning sports (cars go fast!). ” as she wrote in the caption.. The post leaned into a carefree vibe, from beach downtime to music-making, with Ballerini framed against the ocean.
One picture shows her lounging on a beach towel with her hair styled in braids. wearing a black and white striped bikini top. gold hoop earrings. and black sunglasses.. Another photo features her in a short blue romper with a plunging halter neckline. paired with strappy heels and a gold purse. highlighting a sun-soaked. styled look that quickly pulled attention from fans.
The real buzz, though, came from a third image: a screenshot of a text conversation between Ballerini and Patrick Droney. The exchange teased new music through an audio file labeled “Math of Us,” with both Ballerini and Droney saying they are “so happy” with it.
Fans responded fast in the comments.. One wrote. “You look so beautiful and happy Kelsea Keep us updated on the new music I can’t wait to hear it when it all comes out in the next few months.” Another commenter said. “Making music?!. oh your already changing my entire life,” while a third declared, “A collab with @patrickdroney??. My two worlds have collided.”
The collaboration hint lands in a personal chapter that has also remained in the spotlight.. Earlier this year, Ballerini made headlines after news broke that she and Chase Stokes had broken up.. The two began dating in January 2023, split in September 2025, then reconciled briefly before breaking up again in February.
After the second breakup. a source told Us Weekly that “Kelsea and Chase have broken up again. ” describing it as happening “just the other day.” People also reported that their lives were “in very different places. ” adding that merging them had been difficult and that Ballerini had been “so supportive” during the relationship. but it had not been reciprocated.
Following that breakup, Ballerini further fueled cheating rumors when she commented on an Instagram video posted by fellow country singer Ashley Cooke. The clip included unreleased lyrics about a man with “wandering eyes.”
The song’s lines reference “Whiskey nights wandering eyes make messes / hiding phones ‘idks’ make questions / towns talk and the truth starts spreading / don’t you know crossing lines makes Xs.” Ballerini then replied in the comments with “Mmmhhhmmm,” and Cooke responded, “You get it.”
For now, Ballerini’s Instagram is giving fans two threads to follow at once: the beach looks, and the suggestion that new music is on the way, potentially with Patrick Droney.
Kelsea Ballerini Patrick Droney new music collab Instagram post striped bikini Chase Stokes Ashley Cooke