Following the announcement of the split between singer-songwriters Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans, Ballerini changed the lyrics to some of her songs to reflect her current relationship status during a concert over the weekend, at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Saturday. Meanwhile, Evans performed at the CMC Rocks QLD festival in his native Australia over the weekend, where he showcased a raw song that seemingly takes its inspiration from the couple’s divorce.
Seated at a piano onstage, Evans delivered a heartbreaking performance with lyrics that set a scene of a man blindsided by his lover’s decision to end the relationship. Evans made no personal comments before or after the song.
The song’s lyrics begin with, “How long have you been waiting to take our pictures down/ How long have you been breaking, why am I just finding out…How many times did you tell me you loved me if it wasn’t true/ I’m just wondering, how long has it been over for you?”
Later in the song, he adds, “It would be easier if I hated you/ But I still miss the person that I thought I knew.”
Following the performance, he lowered his head to the piano for a moment, then rose to his feet and seemed to wipe a tear from his eyes before giving a slight smile at the crowd.
Ballerini revealed the split in an Instagram Story posted on Aug. 29. “I’ve always tried to share my life with you in a real and vulnerable way, while also protecting layers of my personal life as they unfold,” she wrote in the message. “This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly that I am going through a divorce.”
Ballerini called the “deeply difficult decision” a “result of a journey of love, growth and effort that ultimately has come to an end.”
“It’s hard to find the words here…but I feel extremely grateful for the years of marriage to Morgan and hopeful for the next seasons. With very active schedules coming up, please be mindful that we are both fragile, actively healing and showing up the best we can,” she added.
Evans shared his own statement on Instagram Stories later in the day. “I am very sad to confirm that after almost 5 years of marriage, Kelsea and I are parting ways,” he wrote. “I wish it were otherwise but sadly it is not.”
The couple met in March 2016 while both were co-hosting the CMC Awards in Australia. They married Dec. 2, 2017, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
