Kelsea Ballerini showed her support to rising singer-songwriter Stella Lefty amid criticism in social media comments.

The viral “Boston” artist, 24, recently made her debut at the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, a stage that has hosted rapidly-rising stars and some of the genre’s most beloved legends. The Opry shared a clip on Instagram of a sweet moment Lefty shared with guest announcers Harper and Charlotte from St. Jude.

Though the clip garnered many comments gushing over the special memories made between Lefty and the two girls, some expressed criticism. Some social media users brought up Lefty’s “billionaire” father, and drew similarities between Lefty’s music and Noah Kahan’s.

Ballerini wrote in response, “opry member chiming in!! yes, the opry is about honoring the legacies and the people that have inspired both me and her. but, from different backgrounds and hometowns and generations, we can find ways to say and sing things that resonate with people that fill the seats…and that is always the goal right?

Ballerini continued, “this backstage moment is beautiful. and y’all in the comments continue to not honor the people the actual opry house opens its arms to. it’s about celebration of all kinds of country music…new, old, traditional, current, however you wanna say it. it’s all important, and it should all be able to be shared in our safest and most sacred stage in country music.”

The East Tennessee-born country star encouraged others to “celebrate music like the opry does. ❤️”

Other artists have also stepped in, including Ryan and Rory, who said, “we’ve been in the country space for over 20 years combined, and are honored to walk in that circle + share similar experiences backstage. everyone who’s played there has worked hard in some retrospect, and at the end of the day it’s all about making a memory for one or all attending!”

“Mind blowing that people are hating a girl because she’s singing to st Jude children at the Opry,” Shane Profitt wrote. “I’ve played there 7 times now and each time is so special. Anybody that ever picks up a guitar and pursues country music as a job , does it in hopes to get to play that stage one day. She can’t help who her dad is and hell I wish mine was a billionaire and I think we all do whether we admit it or not. What that dad can’t do with the money is what she’s doing in this video. Whether you like someone’s music or not you can still like them as a person. From this single video, she seems like a good person. Those of yall hating, I hope you never get another clean wipe when you go to the bathroom again.”

Lefty recently released her debut album, Long Way Home. She said at the time that she’s “so incredibly proud of these songs and I’m so beyond grateful to all my friends who helped make it all possible!!! …I hope you all love this album as much as I do. These songs are all a labor of love and many many late nights making sure these songs sound exactly how they do.”

McKiddy

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