Kelsea Ballerini’s New Song ‘I Sit in Parks’ Sparks Debate Online: The Drama Explained

Kelsea Ballerini’s new song “I Sit in Parks” has sparked a polarizing online discussion over its meaning.

Ballerini, 32, released “I Sit in Parks” as the lead single off her new EP, Mount Pleasant, which dropped on November 14. In the track, Ballerini reflects on her current stage in life as she pursues her career and how she previously imagined she would be settled down by now. (Ballerini was married to fellow country singer Morgan Evans from 2017 to 2022 and is currently dating Chase Stokes.)

“I have always made records — whether songs, EPs or albums — to capture a moment in time,” Ballerini said in a statement about her new project. “Mount Pleasant is a collection of six songs I’ve written throughout the summer, marking a chapter of heavy self-examination, longing and stepping further into who I am as a 32-year-old woman.”

While some fans have related to Ballerini’s honest feelings about not being in a certain life stage yet, conservative critics have claimed that “I Sit in Parks” is the price of feminism in today’s society.

Keep scrolling for a breakdown on the “I Sit in Parks” discourse:

What Is ‘I Sit in Parks’ About?

In the melancholy song, Ballerini sings about gathering in a park when she spots a family enjoying an outing together. Ballerini reflects on how she and the mother appear to be the same age, but the pair are having different experiences in the same location.

“So I sit in parks, sunglasses dark and I / Hit the vape, hallucinate, a nursery with Noah’s Ark,” she sings. “They lay on a blanket and, goddamnit, he loves her / I wonder if she wants my freedom like I wanna be a mother / But Rolling Stone says I’m on the right road / So I refill my Lexapro, thinkin’.”

Ballerini acknowledges she chose to focus on her career aspirations, but she can’t help but worry she’s running out of time for her other goals.

“Did I miss it? By now, is it / A lucid dream? Is it my fault / For chasing things? A body clock / Doesn’t wait for,” she continues. “I did the damn tour / It’s what I wanted, what I got / I spun around and then I stopped / And wonder if I missed the mark.”

What Are Fans Saying About the Message of ‘I Sit in Parks’?

After Ballerini dropped “I Sit in Parks,” fans expressed how much they could relate to Ballerini’s sentiments.

“This hits me so hard and helps me find comfort that so many others feel the same exact way. ❤️,” one user wrote via X, while another penned, “You’re giving voice to a lot of women who share these feelings and are afraid to talk about them. Such a beautiful song. Your strength and vulnerability in making this song are so admirable.”

While many have applauded Ballerini’s honesty, some conservative commentators feel differently. An opinion piece for Fox News claimed that “I Sit in Parks” exposes the “loneliness” that feminism can bring. The author called the song “heartbreaking” because of Ballerini’s “honesty.”

“She’s saying out loud what millions of women feel but are too afraid to admit: that the promises of feminism — the ones that said motherhood would chain them, that domesticity was a trap,” the piece read. “That real meaning lay in career success and unencumbered independence — left them emptier than before.”

The Daily Wire echoed similar sentiments, writing, “They were told motherhood was a cage. That freedom was the goal. Yet in this song, the woman with all the freedom and fame is also the one with a broken heart.”

On social media, some fans expressed sympathy for those who chose their careers over starting a family.

“This is grim. 😭 I feel so sad for the girls who got duped into putting off the most important things in life,” one user wrote via X, while another replied, “Chills. So sad our generation was sold this false idea of what ‘success’ looks like.”

What Has Kelsea Ballerini Said About Her EP?

Ballerini performed her new songs at “The Mount Pleasant Experience” pop-up in Nashville. While discussing her tune “Emerald City,” Ballerini declared she writes “songs to relate to, not to make a point on the internet.”

The musician also expressed her gratitude for her fans for being by her side as she showcased this new vulnerable side of herself.

“Thanks for embracing the not-so-glittery parts of me over the last few years,” she told the crowd. “I know that I’m the luckiest to be able to have all these very big feelings and be like, ‘I need to put it in music or I will combust.’”