One of the most talked about new artists of 2018 is Carly Pearce. Her song, “Every Little Thing” has brought much success to her and has also won her the CMT Breakthrough Video of the Year, and was nominated for Female Video of the Year. I had the chance to talk with Carly about the past year and what’s in store for her fans.

Carly says, “I’m a big fan of the late 90s and early 2000’s women. So Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Shania and Sara Evans. I grew up loving bluegrass, Alison Krauss, Reba, Dolly, all those women. One of the most challenging parts about getting my name out there is constantly being told no. Saying that my music, I should have been out in the early 2000’s because that was the era that my music would have worked. I just wasn’t unique enough, all those things; that was rough. That caused a lot of internal doubt because those were my early 20’s. Such a shaping time as a woman, and it can mess with your head because, Carly Pearce, at the end of the day, is Carly, and that was hard at times.”

I asked Carly what is the process for songwriting and she said, “It depends. Sometimes it comes easier because it’s a situation that I have to get off my chest immediately. Sometimes the lyric comes to me. Sometimes something melodic comes to me. Every song’s different.” “Every Little Thing” has had an overwhelming response, including number one on country airplay. Carly says, ” I think the most rewarding thing is seeing how much it has been accepted and loved in the country music world. I’ve had the year that every new artist dreams of, but probably doesn’t get. I’ve been really lucky. The most challenging, hands down, was the first three to four months on a thing we call the Radio Tour. That tested my limits on every level.”

“Every Little Thing is the one that I’m most proud of. I think fans have really gravitated towards a song that’s called, “If My Name Was Whiskey,” and I love that song as well,” says Carly. Carly won CMT’s Breakthrough Video of the Year for “Every Little Thing” this year and she said, “I really thought that a male artist would win it. And when they called my name, I was sitting with my best girlfriend, and 30 seconds before they called my name, she leaned over to me and said, ‘What do you want me to do if you win?’ I just looked at her and was like, ‘Shut up.’ She was like, “Do you want me to hug you?” I’m like, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know.’ When they called my name, we looked at each other and just screamed. I mean, I’m sure you saw it. It was one of the coolest, maybe the coolest thing that has happened to me so far,
because the award shows are what you dream of as a little girl. Just to hear my name called was crazy.”

If you know anything about Carly’s song “Every Little Thing,” is that someone broke her heart and at the CMT Award’s show, she thanked him and I asked her how satisfying was that. She responded, ” It’s extremely satisfying. I mean, I’m not a vindictive person by any means, but that human being, always told me I would never make it in music. He broke up with me because I was chasing a music career and didn’t want to get engaged. Just to be able to not have to say a word because it says everything, is really, really awesome. I hope that it’s empowering for people who are going through breakups to see how happy I am after writing something that is pretty much as devastating as you can get, and I really felt that way.”

Having tons of success from the song and album, I asked Carly if that puts more pressure on her to prepare for her next album and she said, “I think I’d be lying to you if I said no. Yeah, for sure. I think that when you have a successful first record, everybody always says the hardest is the second album. I just continue to remember why the first album worked, and it’s because I was 100% authentic to myself. I have to do that while still evolving, for sure, and making sure that I create something that’s an evolution from the second, but also, write what I know and write what makes me feel and stay true to who I am.”

People ask Carly all the time, “When did you know you wanted to sing,” and she said, “I have never known a day that I didn’t want to sing. I feel like it was wired into my brain, and I knew from a very small age that this was my destiny. That can be a blessing or a curse because, at times, it can be really difficult to make this thing work. I think when you know, you know, and I knew.”

Now Carly has been on some pretty major tours this year like Blake Sheldon, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Flatts and Luke Bryan. I asked her what was that been like and she responded, “I think you learn something different from each. None of them tour the same, nobody put on a show the same. Nobody writes the same kind of songs, so I think that’s really special that I get to kind of see how each one of these guys do this.” Carly has performed at the Grand Ole Opry over 50 times, which some people dream about performing there once. I asked what that experience has been like for her and she said, “It is one of the most precious things to me. It will forever be one of the most precious things. I love the Grand Ole Opry so much and feel like they’ve really taken me under their wing and wanted to be there as part
of the story from the beginning. As an artist, you understand the importance of the Opry and understand that is the most precious stage that you’ll ever walk on and the most precious circle that you’ll ever stand on.” And the first time she performed there, she said, “I tried really hard to not throw up! I was so terrified and just really understood the importance of it. It was one of the most special nights of my life. I remember it very, very, very vividly and will never forget it.”

Carly says one of her favorite songs that she likes to perform live is, “Hide The Wine.” She explains, “It is probably my favorite to perform, I think just because it’s super fun, and you see the crowd really get into it. It’s just a really sassy, fun song.”

Carly tells me, “I have the biggest love affair with my fans and I will forever keep reminding them that they’re giving me truly the life of my
dreams!” Check out Carly on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for upcoming tour dates. This will definitely be a show you don’t want to miss.