Kelsea Ballerini, ‘Dibs’ [Listen]

Kelsea Ballerini’s “Dibs” is more honeyed, pop-flavored country music from a woman capable of picking up the torch Taylor Swift left behind. The catchy track from The First Time doesn’t attempt to reinvent the singer after her history-making debut single “Love Me Like You Mean It.” It dives deeper into the sugar bowl.

The hook comes during and after the chorus. She sings:

“If you've got a kiss on your lips that you're looking for somebody to take / If you've got a heart that ain't afraid of love, ain't afraid to break / If you've got a Friday night free and a shotgun seat / Well I'm just saying, I ain't got nowhere to be / So baby I'll take whatever it is you've got to give / Yeah, I'm calling dibs.”

“Dibs” will infect younger fans first. Like many of Swift’s songs, there’s not much for a fan of Haggard and Jones to embrace. And like Swift, Ballerini shouldn’t worry about that.

“Yeah I’m calling dibs / On your lips / On your kiss / On your time / Boy, I'm calling dibs / On your hand / On your heart / All mine.”

Ballerini wrote “Dibs” with boyfriend/guitarist Josh Kerr, Ryan Griffin and Jason Duke. All do a great job of keeping the message as pure, simple and honest as her melody. This airy track is never weighted down with too much emotion, so even those who can’t relate can at least appreciate something fun.

“Make everybody jealous / When I take you off the market / And get my lipstick on your right cheek / 'Cause boy I've got to mark it,” she sings to begin the second verse of “Dibs.”

There’s no reason to think Ballerini can’t follow up one No. 1 hit with another. “Dibs” is something fresh and relatable. It should translate well on radio and be an even bigger sales success for the singer and her label.

Why Fans Will Love It: "Dibs" is fun, catchy and unique. Songs that take a popular phrase or saying and put it to music without coming across as too hackneyed tend to do well.

Key Lyrics: "So baby I'll take whatever it is you've got to give / Yeah, I'm calling dibs."

Did You Know?: Ballerini wrote every song on The First Time. Kerr helped write four of them.

Listen to Kelsea Ballerini, “Dibs”

Learn the Story Behind "Dibs"

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