In this article, we will explore the impact of Half of My Hometown on contemporary society. Since its emergence, Half of My Hometown has captured the attention and interest of various sectors, sparking debates and controversies around its relevance and meaning. The Half of My Hometown phenomenon has permeated key aspects of our daily lives, transforming the way we relate, consume information, and understand the world around us. Through detailed analysis, we will examine the various aspects that revolve around Half of My Hometown, to understand its influence on culture, politics, technology and human relations. Through a critical approach, we will try to decipher the complexities and nuances that characterize Half of My Hometown, in order to shed light on its impact on contemporary society.
"Half of My Hometown" | ||||
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Single by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Kenny Chesney | ||||
from the album Kelsea | ||||
Released | April 19, 2021 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:52 | |||
Label | Black River | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | ||||
Kelsea Ballerini singles chronology | ||||
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Kenny Chesney singles chronology | ||||
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"Half of My Hometown" (stylized in all lowercase letters) is a song recorded by American country music artists Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney. It was released to country music radio on April 19, 2021, as the fourth single from Ballerini's third studio album Kelsea. Ballerini co-wrote the song with Ross Copperman, Nicolle Galyon, Shane McAnally, and Jimmy Robbins. An alternate recording of the song is also included on Ballerini's first remix album, Ballerini.
The song won both Musical Event of the Year and Video of the Year at the 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards and was nominated for Single of the Year at the 56th CMA Awards.
"Half of My Hometown" describes the conflicting emotions of a person who feels conflict between staying in their hometown, or leaving it in favor of an improvement. Ballerini recorded vocals for this song immediately after writing it and some demo vocals were retained in the final edit. The song makes references to Knoxville, Tennessee - the hometown of both artists - inspiring the decision to enlist Chesney to feature on the track. Chesney says he "couldn't say 'yes' fast enough" after hearing the song.
In a review for Kelsea on AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that Chesney's inclusion on the song "seems designed to reinforce country roots." Jonathan Bernstein of Rolling Stone labelled the song a "heartwarming acoustic anthem," in his review of Kelsea. Cillea Houghton of Sounds Like Nashville wrote that "the starlet takes on a more serious tone with the observational "half of my hometown"," and called the song "a standout moment" on the album. An unnamed reviewer for Off the Record UK wrote that "the addition of Chesney's distinctive vocal is the masterstroke here to make it the standout track on the record," and adds that "it is both catchy and full of nostalgia."
The video was directed by Patrick Tracy. It features Kelsea picturing an alternate life where she stayed in Knoxville, Tennessee instead of pursuing her dream as a country star interspersed with clips of her performance of the song with Chesney at the ACM Awards.
Ballerini and Chesney performed the song together at the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards on April 18, 2021, one day before releasing the song to radio. The performance served as the single's live debut. Ballerini performed during the live finale part 2 of The Voice season 20, Kenzie Wheeler performed Chesney's vocals of the song.
Year | Ceremony | Category / Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
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2021 | 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards | Musical Event of the Year | Won | |
Video of the Year | Won | |||
57th Academy of Country Music Awards | Music Event of the Year | Nominated | ||
2022 | 56th Annual Country Music Association Awards | Single of the Year | Nominated |
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
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