Belles appears at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville today from noon to 12:45 p.m. for a Songwriter Session, a stripped-down format built around her own telling of how her songs came together. The appearance lands about five weeks after her duet with Dolly Parton, “Son of Jolene,” gave the rising artist her first entry on a Billboard chart.
A Noon Slot With Outsized Stakes
The session is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, from noon to 12:45 p.m., according to Downtown Nashville, which lists the museum as located in the heart of downtown Nashville. The event was also detailed by Nashville Lifestyles. The format is designed for artists to perform and narrate the backstory of their songs in an intimate room, a style the Hall of Fame has run for years through its ongoing Songwriter Sessions programming.
Belles, the stage name of Kelli Belles, hails from Omaha and is now based in Nashville, according to her artist profile on the Opry website. She has more than 100 million cumulative views and streams across platforms and a social-media following north of 1.5 million, per the same profile.
The Song That Changed Her Year
The reason Belles is drawing extra attention this fall traces back to April 17, when she released “Son of Jolene,” featuring Dolly Parton, per Opry. Belles co-wrote the track with Tyler Bank and Dan Harrison as a sequel to Parton’s 1974 Hot Country Songs No. 1 classic “Jolene,” according to Billboard.
Billboard reported the song debuted at No. 51 on the Country Airplay chart dated Sept. 12, pulling in 1.3 million in airplay audience, up 68% week over week for the tracking period of Aug. 28 to Sept. 3. The outlet also noted that “Son of Jolene” stands as Parton’s last new recording released during her lifetime, a detail that has followed the song through its chart run. Country Now also covered Belles’ work with Parton on the track.
Momentum Beyond One Single
The Billboard debut caps a run of career markers for Belles. She made her Grand Ole Opry debut on July 30, according to CelebrityAccess, which also reported she is slated to perform alongside Diamond Rio and Easton Corbin and support select dates for Gene Watson this year. Nashville Lifestyles noted separately that Belles has been opening concerts for Easton Corbin, Diamond Rio and Gene Watson, and headlining her own tour this summer.
Her backers point to a steady build rather than a single viral moment. Belles has a global record deal with East Music Row Records, a publishing agreement with Deluge Music and a management relationship with Red Light Management, according to a release from Red Light Management. CelebrityAccess put her breakout single “Crazy As Me” at more than 30 million social-media views and over 2 million Spotify streams. Opry’s artist page adds that “Crazy As Me” peaked at No. 3 on the iTunes Country Charts in 2025 and that her headlining Crazy As Me Tour sold out several venues.
What Else Is on the Horizon
Country Now reported that Belles was preparing to send her newest single to country radio on May 11 and was looking ahead to releasing her debut full-length album later in the year. Red Light Management’s release also notes she has shared stages with Miranda Lambert, Old Dominion and Jake Worthington, while CelebrityAccess reported her Songs & Stories Tour was set to run nationwide throughout 2026. For now, the next stop is a 45-minute set inside one of country music’s most storied buildings, where she’ll walk a downtown Nashville audience through the songwriting history behind her biggest year yet.
