Carly Pearce has arrived to the CMA Awards already a winner! The 5-time nominated songstress took home Musical Event of the Year for her collab with Ashley McBryde before even stepping on the red carpet at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” singer looked stunning in a cleavage-baring white long-sleeve gown that featured a high-slit up her leg. Carly’s hair was pulled back in a loose up-do with pieces framing her face, and allowing a stunning pair of glittering diamond earrings to show. The Female Vocalist of the Year nominee paired her look with satin green, point toe heels that featured sparkling embellishments.
Carly is poised to join Kelsea Ballerini and Kelly Clarkson on stage at the Bridgestone Arena later in the evening to perform their new collab, ‘You’re Drunk, Go Home,’ from Kelsea’s new album. “I felt that there’s some sass and comedy to this song,” the “Dibs” singer told Billboard of bringing Carly and Kelly onto the track. “So I thought, ‘Who are the women in my life that are artists that have both of those things?’ Carly and I have been friends for, like, 10 years, before either of us had anything going on and we’ve just seen each other personally and professionally through so many seasons of life. We’ve always wanted to do a song together and this made sense.”
She continued, “I thought the biggest ask I could make is Kelly Clarkson, and I texted her that morning. She did her vocals that night.”
At rehearsals for the CMAs, Carly joked with ET that Kelsea is a “bad influence” on her, saying, “she makes me do things that I haven’t done since I was 21.” She went on to call her collaborator her “best girlfriend in this town.” “I love Kelly Clarkson. I’ve met her a few times, I’m a huge fan of hers, so maybe I’m nervous to be singing backup with Kelly Clarkson. But it’s gonna be so fun,” she teased of the performance. “We all are just fans of each other and actual girlfriends, so we’re really gonna bring the sass.”
Last year, Carly look home the top prize for Female Vocalist Of The Year, and she a contender for the award once again, in competition with Carrie Underwood, Ashley McBryde and Lainey Wilson. “Everybody keeps asking me that,” she told ET about the possibility of taking home the award again. “I mean, it was everything, everything, of course. It was the greatest moment of my life last year and it’s just continued to be the best year ever, so this would be a crazy way to end it. I mean, genuinely. I was like, ‘I just want one,’ and I remember getting the text that said, ‘You got five.’ And just to think that I’ve made music that is impactful in this way is so special, that’s all I ever wanted as a kid. So, it just really does feel crazy, I’m a little bit of a loss for words.”
