Kelsea Ballerini just scored the highest debut of her career so far with her new single, "homecoming queen?" -- but it sounds like we may have to wait a bit longer for more new music from the "Miss Me More" hit-maker.
She tells the British publication Music Week that her third album won't be out until next spring, though her record company hasn't yet nailed down a date.
However, Ballerini's already recorded 10 songs for the project, and reveals she's really thought through her approach to the material.
(MORE: Kelsea Ballerini talks women in country music finally breaking into top 10)"The first 10 songs are the ones that are singles or that feel mainstream and good for radio," she tells Music Week. "I want to get those all mixed and mastered and then be like, 'OK, I want to do a weird song and a song that is going to crush live but will never be a radio single.' I can play with the rest of it!'"
Overall, the Knoxville, Tennessee, native says "there's just a lot going on" sonically on her third record.
(MORE: Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban induct Kelsea Ballerini as the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry)"There's a lot more country," she explains. "There's also a lot more country pop. We have a song with horns, we have a song with a string quartet. We have two collaborations."
Ballerini expects that ultimately, this album will be very different than her last one.
"'Unapologetically' was a concept record -- top to bottom, if you listened to it, it told a story," she explains. "This is opposite of that. It's quite liberating -- this one's just like, 'Here you go, try and figure this out!'"
