Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes Celebrate First Anniversary: ‘Thanks for Making Me Write Love Songs'

The country singer and the 'Outer Banks' star went public with their relationship on the 2023 CMT Awards red carpet

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are celebrating one year of dating!

The 30-year-old country star marked the occasion by sharing a carousel of candid photos and clips of herself and the Outer Banks actor, 31, on Instagram. The post highlighted Stokes' support of her music career, as one video captured him rocking out in an arena while she performed onstage. Another photo showed Stokes standing by the edge of a stage as Ballerini looked down at him with a smile.

Ballerini affirmed her boyfriend's positive influence on her craft in her caption, writing, "A whole trip around the sun with my bestie. @hichasestokes thanks for making me write love songs. 🤍."

Stokes sweetly replied on the post, "I really really ❤️ you."

The "Love Me Like You Mean It" singer also shared an adorable throwback video on her Instagram Story, capturing "the night we met." In the clip, she and Stokes can be seen sitting in a car dancing and singing along to her hit "Heartfirst."

Stokes marked their first anniversary with an Instagram post of his own. Like his girlfriend, he shared a series of candid photos of the pair, showing off their goofy sides.

"One year of lovin you ❤️," he wrote. "p.s. told ya I wouldn’t embarrass you 🥰."

Ballerini commented on the post, "Sure do love you 🤍."

Related: Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes' Relationship Timeline

Ballerini and Stokes first sparked dating rumors in January 2023 when he shared a cozy photo of them together at the Georgia vs. TCU game at SoFi Stadium in California.

One month later, the four-time Grammy nominee revealed how she and Stokes met. During an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, she explained that the two started following each other on Instagram — and then she boldly made her move by sliding into his DMs.

"I've never seen his show, but I just knew of him, and I just swan dove right on in," Ballerini recalled at the time.

Related: Chase Stokes 'Cried the Whole Time' During Kelsea Ballerini's First Arena Headline Show in Her Hometown (Exclusive)

She said that when she messaged Stokes, she was feeling ready to "open back up" following her 2022 divorce from fellow country musician Morgan Evans.

"I just felt, why not? I've never really dated; I don't know how it works," she explained. "I'm like, 'Let's just put ourselves out there; let's just vibe.' And it's been fun."

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The pair made their red carpet debut as a couple at the 2023 CMT Awards in April. Weeks later, Stokes adorably commented on one of Ballerini's Instagram posts, telling her, "I really ❤️ u."

The performer shared a small glimpse into their romance in August 2023, gushing in a Today show interview that Stokes makes her "so happy."

"It's nice to feel so supported and seen," she also said of her boyfriend. "He's such a wonderful, wonderful human being."

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