ACM Awards New Female Vocalist Nominee Joins Jan Crawford for Unfiltered Discussion
Listen Now: https://soundcloud.com/cbsthismorning/carly-pearce
NASHVILLE, TN – CARLY PEARCE has never known a time Country music wasn’t her dream, but struggling to find her footing after moving to Nashville nine years ago, she is defying the odds. Thursday morning (4/12), Carly opened up to CBS News National Correspondent Jan Crawford about the hardships she endured on the long road to her first No. 1, spots on major tours and an ACM Awards nomination for New Female Vocalist of the Year on the latest episode of CBS This Morning Podcast. LISTEN HERE: https://soundcloud.com/cbsthismorning/carly-pearce.
With an aching heart and bruised spirit, Carly walked into a studio with producer busbee and Emily Shackelton, penning a raw ballad that she thought only they would hear. Little did she know, that three minutes of sadness would make her the highest charting solo female debut since July 2015. Yet, her GOLD-certified debut, “Every Little Thing,” did just that as she joined an elite group of only three women to accomplish this feat in the past twelve years. The milestones are a far cry from the tough years prior she spent playing countless writers’ rounds while nannying and cleaning AirBNBs to make rent and eventually having to leave center stage to be a backup singer for Pretty Little Liar’s star Lucy Hale.
The breakthrough track steered a trio of chart-toppers on SiriusXM’s The Highway with “If My Name Was Whiskey” and current Top-35-and-climbing Country radio single “Hide The Wine” following. Each are featured on her full-length album EVERY LITTLE THING, which Uproxx deemed “the best country debut of 2017.” Carly’s textured vocals and emotive songwriting prowess are emphasized across the 13 tracks.
A perfect pairing – Jan’s Twitter bio raves of “red wine in big glasses” – as Carly shares more about her full-bodied new song. “You don’t hear a lot of women signing about being in control when they’re drinking and ’Hide The Wine’ is my version of a drinking song but I’m in control and I’m not upset. What makes this song so fun is that it’s a flirty confession. Sometimes you maybe drink too much and call up that person you shouldn’t, so you have to hide the vice that makes you do that. I think every woman can relate to it and that’s kind of my demographic .. the everyday woman.”
Sunday’s (4/15) ACM Awards at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will undoubtedly be a full circle moment for Carly. Her childhood best friend Kara, who will be attending alongside Carly, was instrumental in re-fueling the budding stars’ confidence after she lost her first record deal. “You feel like everything has been ripped out from under you before you even get started and I was like ‘How could I get that close to have it all taken away?’ It was really difficult. People told me to move home to Kentucky and that I had had my shot. At one point I even began looking at apartments there and if you read the liner notes of my album I thank Kara for telling me that I couldn’t move home because she believed in me. She cried to me and said ‘you can’t move home. I won’t let you. You’re supposed to do this.’”
Now, with her first arena run under her belt on Blake Shelton’s COUNTRY MUSIC FREAKS TOUR, Carly also joins Thomas Rhett’s LIFE CHANGES, Rascal Flatts’ BACK TO US and Luke Bryan’s WHAT MAKES YOU COUNTRY (including stadium dates) tours throughout 2018 in addition to being added to the CMA Fest bill for both Nissan Stadium and Riverfront Stages. For a full list of tour dates and more, visit CarlyPearce.com.