Carly Pearce has come into her own in country music. The Kentucky native has evolved, in every way, in the six years since Every Little Thing, her debut album, was released. Just a high school student when she left home to sing at Dollywood, the first major step towards her dreams of being a country music artist, Pearce has, in every way, boldly come into her own, thanks to maturity and experience — and a lot of hard work.
“The 30s are my favorite season of life, and I feel the most myself, which I think is just me feeling really happy,” Pearce, now 33, tells People.
Pearce embraced her age in a big way, with her 29: Written in Stone album, which covered the tumultuous year she got married and divorced from singer Michael Ray. The album sealed her place in country music, with hit singles like “Never Wanted To Be That Girl,” her duet with Ashley McBryde, and “What He Didn’t Do.” Not only did 29: Written In Stone cement Pearce’s reign in country music, but it also guided her towards her next project.
“That was such a pivotal record, but also a really painful time for me,” the Grand Ole Opry member says. “I feel like more than anything, what 29 did for me is it solidified who I am as a performer. The traditional side of country music is so important to me, so we’re just really doubling down on that,” Pearce reveals.
“So much has happened in the last few years for me in my personal life and professional life, and I just feel even more confident to just put my flag on the ground with all that I am,” she adds
Pearce hasn’t shied away from writing and singing about her personal life, and hints that she is ready to share even more of herself with the rest of the world.
“I think I’m known for writing the things that maybe some people are too uncomfortable to write about,” Pearce tells Audacy‘s US99. “ “I think I am the artist that maybe makes you go, ‘[gasps] Did she really just say that?’ And that’s the kind of person that I want to be. That’s the kind of artist that I want to be.”
Pearce will embark on her headlining Country Music Made Me Do It Tour next month, before she joins Tim McGraw on his 2024 Standing Room Only Tour next year. She also has a Top 40 hit with “We Don’t Fight Anymore,” her collaboration with Chris Stapleton which earned her a CMA Awards nomination for Musical Event of the Year. Pearce, who is also nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, still can’t quite believe how many of her dreams are coming to fruition.
“I get to literally do what I love every single day,” Pearce says. “I get to be the artist that I always wanted to be. I get to sing the kind of songs that I always wanted to and write the kind of music I want, be a part of events that I always wanted to be. I’m not chasing anything anymore, and that feels really good.”
Find music and tour dates at CarlyPearce.com.
Photo Credit: Allister Ann