Kelsea Ballerini is sharing her honest reaction to her American Country Music Awards loss earlier this year. Ballerini, 32, reflected on going home empty-handed from the awards show in May during a video interview with Elle published Wednesday, October 8. "I wish I had a good answer for this, or I'd probably sleep a little better at night," the "Miss Me More" singer responded when asked why she thought the loss happened. "I had seven [No. 1 hits], and then one day, I just didn't anymore. I still put in the work, and I still show up and put out songs that are undeniably country to the radio, and it's just different now, and that's OK. If this was what success looks like for those first seven songs, and now that's shifted for whatever reason, where else can we go?" Ballerini said she's "not gonna stop making music," so she simply must adapt. Lainey Wilson Shouts Out Fiance During the 2025 ACM Awards Speech "Where else can I fit? So, I think it's just about shifting where I find success, and I think it's the same with award shows - like, I've never really been an award show girlie," she explained. "I love going and I love performing, and I really let it affect me for a long time. And now I just go, 'You know what? I'm happy to be in the conversation. I know that I have value here, and this is not where I find my success.'" Though she has a positive outlook now, Ballerini admitted she was initially heartbroken over the awards show loss. "I did cry myself to sleep that night, that is true," she said. "So, I say this, but I need to be honest with you." Ballerini had been nominated at this year's ACM Awards in three categories: Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year and Music Event of the Year. The former two awards went to Lainey Wilson, while the latter was awarded to Ella Langley. Langley, 26, and Wilson, 33, had the most wins at the awards show, with five and four accolades, respectively. gettyimages-2237463303-kelsea-ballerini Kelsea Ballerini Kevin Mazur/Kevin MazurGetty Images for SiriusXM After the May 8 event, which Ballerini attended with then-boyfriend Chase Stokes, the former Voice coach took to her Instagram Story to share a meme of the scene from Mean Girls where Daniel Franzese's Damian tells Lacey Chabert's Gretchen Wieners, "And none for Gretchen Wieners, bye." Stokes, 33, also shared his reaction to Ballerini's loss, posting a video of her performance from the show with the caption, "Entertainer of the Year. Goodnight." After the pair's reactions garnered backlash from fans who deemed the social media posts "unprofessional," Ballerini took to her Instagram Story again to give Wilson a shout-out. Lainey Wilson Wins Big at 2025 ACM Awards, Is Entertainer of the Year "Just stopping in to say I respect the hell out of @laineywilson. As an artist, entertainer and friend," she wrote on May 10. "A deserving queen." Days after the awards show, Ballerini exclusively told Us Weekly that she spent a decade trying to follow Taylor Swift's advice in her career. "One of the most beautiful pieces of advice that I've gotten in my whole career was from her early on," she told Us on May 16. "I was just starting and I'm a young girl on an independent label. [I asked her] what are the challenges here? She said, 'You have to become undeniable.' ... How do I do that, honestly? [Swift's advice] required me to really have a different relationship with the idea of what success means to me. Finding peace in the fact that everyone's journey is different - and it's supposed to be - and really finding joy in mine."