Kelsea Ballerini describes crippling fear of sophomore record

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Kelsea Ballerini on the pressure of releasing a second album

Fox recently caught up with the country star at the Academy of Country Music Awards

LAS VEGAS – Kelsea Ballerini shot to the top of the country music charts when she released her debut album "The First Time." Her single "Peter Pan" was the most added song on country radio nationwide on its release day, and she became the first solo female artist to top the Billboard Country Airplay chart in nearly three years since Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away."

Two years later, Ballerini is preparing to release her sophomore album. The country star told Fox News why it's taking her so long to put out new music.

Fox News: Your second album has been two years in the making.
Kelsea Ballerini: Everyone says that the sophomore record is the most important record... and it crippled me a bit because I was so nervous to put out anything new. But then I was like, man, I just want to put out something that I'm proud of that I feel good about and that way if it works, I can stand by it, and then if it doesn’t, I can stand by that.

Fox News: What inspired your new music?
Ballerini: This next record will capture the last two years of my life. And that is a big break up. It's growing up a little bit. I'm 23; I’m still young; I'm still discovering what it's like to be a young woman, especially in this world. It's going to capture insecurities, but different ones than the first album. And then yeah, meeting [my fiance] Morgan [Evans] and it kind of ends on that note, and it covers all that.

Watch the video above for our full interview with Ballerini.