Pop punk singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly claimed that pickleball “really changed everything in [his] life.”

Kelly sat down with Pickleball.com to provide the inside scoop on how a first date on the pickleball court became the inspiration for his fourth studio album titled Pale, Through the Window.

“The person that this record is about, our first date was on the pickleball court. She says ‘Why don’t you meet me on the pickleball court?’ I showed up and I’ve never played before, and she completely obliterated me. It was in the heat of Nashville summer and it was a first date, so I was just sweating bullets in more ways than one,” said Kelly. “It might have played in my favor that I was really bad at it. I was overcompensating trying to be good at pickleball and it made it even worse, so hopefully it was a little endearing.”

Luckily for Kelly, the date with Tia Cubelic went so well that they’re still together - and pickleball has become a regular date night activity. 

His relationship with Cubelic that began on the court became the muse for his next album. And his song titled “Pickleball” recaps the first date’s excitement through some heartfelt lyrics and incredibly catchy guitar riffs. 

“I met up with my producer who was playing this guitar riff, and while he was playing, I went to the piano and just started singing how I felt in the moment. You know, ‘You fill my soul with solid gold, I’m complete and I’m whole, where you go, I’ll go,’” he shared. “They don’t all happen like that. Most of the time there’s quite a bit more elbow grease involved with meeting the muse. But with “Pickleball,” there was a substantial and spiritual meaning to it... That was an enjoyable experience to create a song that meant a lot, but also is fun to listen to.”

And of course, the music video took place on a pickleball court in Nashville.

“I wanted it to be like Blink-182 where there’s a slight undertone of humor to it because you’re literally on a pickleball court and there’s people hitting back and forth,” said Kelly. “I thought it’d be fun.”  

It's safe to say that pickleball made a genuine impact on the star musician.

“That day, playing pickleball changed everything in my life going forward. Meeting her, I was also experiencing a creative dearth. I didn’t have any songs written for this album. And then I show up to play pickleball on a whim and meeting her, and playing that changed everything,” said Kelly. “I wanted to call the song “Pickleball” because the sport has such a special place in my heart because my life after that day drastically changed for the better.”

So if you’re looking for a sign to plan a pickleball date, now is your time.

You might just meet your next muse. 

Follow pickleball.com on Instagram or X (formerly Twitter) to keep up to date on all things pickleball and stream Kelly’s album, Pale Through the Window, on your favorite music streaming platform starting September 12.