Kelsea Ballerini is one of country music's fastest rising stars, having exploded onto the scene in 2015 with hits like "Love Me Like You Mean It" and "Dibs" off her breakthrough album, The First Time. Though her upcoming 2017 project will show a more mature side to the star, she says she's still taking her job as a role model for young girls seriously.

In an in-depth interview with GQthe country star addresses the fact that her young fans look up to her. "You don't want to overthink it too much," she says about her mentality toward setting an example for fans. "I see little girls at my meet-and-greets who are like, 'Kelsea! It's my first concert and I came to see you.' And I'm thinking, 'I don't want to post anything online that your mom would be mad at me for, because you're important to me.'"

The young singer is working hard on her upcoming album, which she says moves her in a different direction from her first album. She says the new project showcases an honest portrayal of how she's grown over the past few years and how she's evolved since The First Time launched her onto the music scene.

Ballerini's fiance, Morgan Evans, will also have a presence on the album. Not only does he sing backup on one of the songs, Ballerini also admits that he inspired a few of the tracks. Evans popped the question to the country star on Christmas Day 2016.

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