Kelsea Ballerini Shuts Down Lip-Synching Rumors After PPCA Performance

Kelsea Ballerini “Mountain with a View” FULL PERFORMANCE at PCCAs 2023

Kelsea Ballerini is rolling up the welcome mat when it comes to this rumor.

The country superstar pushed back against the suggestion she was lip-synching during her performance of “Mountain With a View” at the 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards on Sept. 28, with a simple message to her critics.

“I just want to say, if I was lip-synching, I would’ve sounded a lot better,” Kelsea joked in a video shared to her Instagram Story after the event, before explaining, “One of the cameras was off. Thank you, and good night.”

Kelsea’s post came after some on social media questioned why there appeared to be a delay on TV, making it look like the audio didn’t match what was on the screen. One person on X, formerly Twitter, pondered, “Is there a delay on @KelseaBallerini or is she lip syncing??” Another asked, “Was Kelsea Ballerini lip syncing just now? Not at the Grand Ole Opry c’mon now,” prompting others to point out that other artists also experienced delays during their songs.

And to further make light of the situation, Kelsea turned the post of her PCCAs glam from earlier in the evening into a meme on her Story. Over an image of herself looking off to the side she wrote, “Me singing live watching people thinking otherwise.”

Fans, in turn, flocked to her post to share their support of the performance.

“The people who know the recorded version know you were live, camera was off, you slayed girl!” wrote one user while another added, “Girl you’ve done a stunning job tonight your performance was so beautiful.”

For further proof she slayed the PCCAs stage, NBC tweeted out her full performance, writing, “@KelseaBallerini’s FLAWLESS glitch-free performance :star-struck: nobody does live vocals like her!”

Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty Images

Ahead of taking the stage, she rocked the red carpet in a gorgeous long-sleeved black mini dress. And while boyfriend Chase Stokes wasn’t by her side, Kelsea took a moment to reflect on her romance with the Outer Banks star—and reveal whether she’d ever make an appearance on his hit Netflix show.

“You know what, his space is his space and mine is mine,” she told E! News, “and being able to show up and support each other just as partners is so beautiful.”

But while Chase missed out on the she itself, he did tune in to see the “Half of My Hometown” artist prepare for her PCCAs moment. “He was at rehearsal,” she explained. “It was his first time at the Opry, which was very fun to show him around my home away from home. So, he’s here in spirit.”

To see Kelsea’s look and more from the PCCAs red carpet, keep reading.