What's The Real Meaning Of Just Married By Kelsea Ballerini? Here's What We Think

In March 2016, Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans co-hosted an award show in Australia, hitting it off at the after-party. They were engaged by December of that year, and tied the knot the next year. In October 2020, the two bought a house together in Nashville. The "Peter Pan" singer then filed for divorce in August 2022, and in November of that year, the divorce was finalized.

While Ballerini has been in a new relationship with actor Chase Stokes, she's spending her Valentine's Day reflecting on her split from Evans, who is also a country music singer. After the "hole in the bottle" singer surprisingly dropped her new EP "Rolling Up the Welcome Mat," he reportedly responded with his own single called "Over For You." In the song, he questions why Ballerini didn't tell him the things that felt wrong in their marriage, indicating that she was the one who broke his heart.

In a "Live with Kelly and Ryan" interview in March 2021, Ballerini mentioned that it was nice to have someone who understood what she was going through during the COVID-19 pandemic. She mentioned that not being able to tour was hard on both of them, but they always celebrated the release of new songs and when the tracks topped the charts. "We're each other's biggest fans," she said. But as the marriage has fizzled out, Ballerini is getting real with her feelings in her new song "Just Married."

"Just Married" is the second song on the tracklist of Kelsea Ballerini's EP, which is only six tracks long. The title of the track can be a nod to the happiness someone feels when they are just married, even mentioning the "just married" sign that is often hung on the back of the car after a wedding. The wedding is just the start of a new chapter with someone, and it can be a fun and exhilarating time.

For Ballerini, the thought of marriage was scary at first. But that was until she met Morgan Evans. "It was an instant connection," she said in an interview with Access Hollywood. "As soon as I met [Evans], he was just careful with the way that I love, and I always felt very safe letting him."

The "half of my hometown" singer also opened up about the fact that her parent's divorce affected her outlook on love and marriage. "I swore I was never going to get married," she told People in November 2021. "I have a different idea of marriage, but I would think I have a healthier idea of marriage." She mentioned that she and Evans had been in couple's therapy before. "We approach our relationship so differently, but he shows up — he shows up in every way he needs to," she added. But it seems that "Just Married" also has a much deeper meaning that reflects on the downfall of the relationship.

The music video to Kelsea Ballerini's "Just Married" offers a deep meaning into her divorce with Morgan Evans. The singer is washing the dishes, but as she starts listing off the events that unfolded after the marriage, a man gives her more and more dishes to hold as he passes by. Before the last chorus, she drops the plates, symbolizing that she couldn't hold the weight of the dishes — and therefore, the relationship — anymore, leading to the breakup and divorce.

The song title has a double meaning as well. While getting married is an exciting time for a person, feelings may change as time goes on. As Ballerini's marriage to Evans progressed, it seems that Ballerini felt ignored by her then husband. She noted in the second verse how the marriage was long-distance at times, and after a while, she felt like she was "just married" to the guy, and the feeling of love was no longer there.

The "HEARTFIRST" singer opened up about the struggle of wanting a divorce from someone she still cared about. "I think when there's a big life decision like that, it's not a sudden one," she told CBS News, adding that so much had happened in private before the public details came out. "I'm on my active healing journey. And a big part of that is showing up for this album and showing up for myself like I never have."