Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes went from zero to feeling obsessed.
One thing that's not subject to change? Their love, as the couple stepped out at the TIME100 Next 2023 red carpet event in New York on Oct. 24 looking cozy as can be.
The country singer and Outer Banks actor matched in snazzy black ensembles, with Kelsea rocking a gown with a high slit and major cutout while her boyfriend tossed a chic camel coat over his dark look.
While on the red carpet, Kelsea—who detailed her divorce from ex Morgan Evans in her February EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat—spoke exclusively to E! News about the Time100 honor and her new era.
"I'm happy!" she shared. "I feel like it's been a year of metamorphosis and change and growth and the hard kind and the beautiful kind and the worth it kind. And to be able to be recognized for that is...I wish I could go back and tell myself a year and a half ago it happened." (For more with Kelsea, watch E! News Oct. 25)
Kelsea, whose new romance with Chase started with her sliding into his DMs, also encouraged fans to do the same. "This is 2023," she laughed, "slide in baby."
In addition to Kelsea and Chase, Maya Hawke, Rachel Zegler, Tyler James Williams and Stephanie Hsu were also on hand to celebrate the honors at the TIME100 Next 2023. The event recognized 100 rising stars in Hollywood, including Emma Corrin, Paul Mescal and Kelsea, who earned praise from none other than Shania Twain in her magazine profile.
"She isn't afraid to be vulnerable and really brave with her songwriting," the music legend wrote. "She's also a great friend. We have such a special relationship that is just so real, and that can be rare in our industry."
As for Maya, her Do Revenge director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson gushed about the first time she met the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke over Zoom in 2020.
"Within moments I knew I was talking to someone I wanted to know forever," the filmmaker said. "As an actor, Maya is a dream collaborator because she is not just a gifted performer; she also has the soul of a writer. She is wise in a way that makes you question if she's secretly been alive for thousands of years."
She added, "She sees the world through a lens all her own and brings this sense of absolute wonder to everything that she touches. Maya is fearless."
Keep up with more sizzling red carpet styles at the TIME100 Next 2023 event:
Kelsea Ballerini
Stephanie Hsu
Tyler James Williams
Maya Hawke
Rachel Zegler
Bella Ramsey
Abbi Jacobson
Lindsey Vonn
Tems
Lily Gladstone
Celine Song
Alex Cooper
Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini
Jalen Hurts
Xiye Bastida
Emily Henry