Kelsea Ballerini & Chase Stokes Are Calling Dibs on CMT Date Night

Originally appeared on E! Online

Now this is a date night to be stoked about.

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes were arm in arm as they walked the red carpet the CMT Music Awards in Austin, Texas, on April 7.

The "Hole in the Bottle" singer arrived at event, where she'll serve as host, in a red lacy dress, while the Outer Banks star looked sharp in a cream jacket worn over a white top with black trousers. (See all the stars on the red carpet here.)

Later in the evening, Kelsea will take the stage to perform, joining a roster of country stars including Trisha Yearwood, Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson and Sam Hunt.

Kelsea and Chase's rockin' outing comes a few months after the couple celebrated their first anniversary together. "a whole trip around the sun with my bestie," Kelsea wrote on Instagram Jan. 7. "@hichasestokes thanks for making me write love songs."

The change of tune follows a season of heartbreak for Kelsea, who filed for divorce from ex Morgan Evans in 2022.

In fact, the 30-year-old credits her six-track EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat with helping her "process" the breakup. "It's the way I got my feelings out of my body and heart and put them to music," Kelsea explained in a statement the day of her EP's release last February, "which is the purest way I could've handled it."

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes: Romance Rewind

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Still, she's not afraid to lead heartfirst, which is exactly what her boyfriend of a year loves about her.

"This year, in particular, she found that being soft and being present and being vulnerable has allowed her to grow and has allowed her to heal," the 31-year-old explained to Entertainment Weekly in December. "It's allowed her acceptance, it's allowed her a little bit of calm throughout a storm in her life, and I've learned a lot from her in watching her stay soft."

And he made it clear he's her No. 1 fan—on and off the stage.

"She literally is the best person on planet earth," Chase added. "Every day together is either a comedy show or a life talk that I didn't know I needed to have that ended up being something I'll never forget. I just love the girl to pieces and I'm so f---king proud of her."

Keep reading to see all the stars at the CMT Music Awards...

Jimi Westbrook, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman and Phillip Sweet of Little Big Town

Keith Urban

Mickey Guyton

Melissa Etheridge

Jelly Roll

Emma Roberts

Emily Ann Roberts

Lainey Wilson

Chase Stokes, Kelsea Ballerini

Emily Osment

Jennifer Nettles

Minnie Driver

Amber Riley

Ashley Cooke

Gayle King

Tiera Kennedy

GloRilla

Tanner Adell

Trisha Yearwood

Lukas Nelson

Ashley McBryde

Tiera Kennedy

Jane Seymour

Dasha

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