Kelsea Ballerini is starting over.

The 31-year-old country superstar released her fifth studio album Pattern on Friday, October 25, and the 15-song collection features some of her most vulnerable lyrics yet as she puts her divorce behind her and enters a new decade of life.

“I think that’s what happens when you turn 30 and then you judge your life,” Ballerini — who says on the album she feels “naked” — tells PEOPLE exclusively. “And I came up for some air and thought, ‘Okay, all right, let’s do a little inventory here.’ What in my life do I love right now? What feels uncomfortable? What did I contribute to these two things? What are my patterns? And then what do I want to work on and edit about myself? And then what do I want to work on, challenge and celebrate in my closest, most interpersonal relationships?’”

Ballerini adds: “That’s actually thematically the whole record. It’s just a deep dive into how you view yourself in your early thirties.”

Ballerini also felt more clarity after surviving her Saturn return.

“Mine kicked me in the ass,” she says, “and now that I’m on the other side, I’m like, ‘Oh, that doesn’t mean things are shiny and perfect, but I definitely have a better solution.’ .’ Take hold of my life now.’ “

The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter experienced many moments of self-discovery while working on the album. For example: “I used to be a big ghoster,” she says.

“Looking at myself in the mirror and my relationship habits and patterns is at the forefront of this record,” explains Ballerini. “One thing I’ve realized about myself is that in every relationship in my life, in my career, with my friends, of course with a partner, as soon as something feels scary, a habit and an unhealthy behavior pattern arises “As if it could go wrong to just say, ‘Oh, I’m going to jump ship.’ So I hurt myself and they don’t hurt me.” ”

But she is in a healthier state today after dealing with this trait.

“I realized that this really wasn’t serving me, and sometimes the best thing that can happen to a friendship, a relationship, or an opportunity is having difficult conversations and processing a turbulent moment,” Ballerini adds. “When you come out on the other side, there is so much beauty in it and so much mutual respect for this fight for each other. And I think that in my personal life, it’s something that I’m really proud to finally tackle.”

In August 2022, Ballerini filed for divorce from fellow musician Morgan Evans, 39, after almost five years of marriage. The fallout from this breakup fueled their acclaimed 2023 EP Roll up the welcome mat – Now, PatternPart of her inspiration comes from how she’s evolved since then: She started dating Outer Banks Actor Chase Stokes, 32, in January last year.

“I think it took a second Welcome Mat I have to get my bearings, take a breath and really figure out what’s really connected to that, and then how do I translate that into a record in a completely different part of my life,” says Ballerini. “And honestly, I think I really had to give myself some grace to live my life, to live a life that I could write about, and to take my time. I think I’m very goal-oriented and I just want to make sure that I’m always putting things out and doing things, pushing things forward and all that, and I just give myself the space to do it in the time that it needed to happen.”

When it was time to start working on the project that was to be created PatternBallerini relied on a close circle of female songwriters with whom he could collaborate.

“It really started to take shape when I went on my first writing retreat, and I did it with four other women that I love, who are just pillars of the music industry and especially in Nashville, and they are my friends,” says she. “I didn’t know where to start, so I thought, ‘Hey, you guys are my friends.’ You are so safe. Can we just go away for a few days, throw paint on the wall and see if we can find a base here?’ And we wrote “Two Things,” “Baggage,” and “Sorry Mom” in that first retreat. And I was like, ‘I feel like whatever this little core is, that’s what I want to expand on,’ so I felt confident enough to really dig into these women and make the record.”

Ballerini will celebrate the release with a sold-out album launch concert at Madison Square Garden on October 29th before embarking on her first-ever headlining arena tour in January.

Pattern is out now.