Category: Rising Stars

Invested years building toward success

“I wouldn’t change anything about my personal journey in the industry. I had to figure out who I was as an artist. I’m glad this didn’t happen when I was twenty-one. I wouldn’t have appreciated it as much as I do now.” – Carly Pearce

It’s a long way from Taylor Mill, KY to Nashville, TN, but perseverance paid off for the 28-year-old singer-songwriter who never gave up on her dream.

Nashville’s music community came out to celebrate the success of Carly Pearce’s ‘Every Little Thing’ (Big Machine Records) on Monday, March 19.  The Number One party, co-hosted by ASCAP and BMI was held at the CMA’s headquarters on Music Row, to honor Carly and her co-writers, Emily Shackelton and busbee.

The party celebrated ‘Every Little Thing’ topping Mediabase and Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.  Not only was it Carly’s first No. 1 single, it was also the first No. 1 for one of her co-writers, Emily Shackelton. busbee, who also produced the song, is a music industry veteran with a string of hits both as a songwriter and producer.

Carly’s whole life, she told us, has focused on music. She was speaking at a media session before the awards presentation. “I dreamed about being on stage since I was nine years old,” she said.

“I’m an only child, and my parents have always supported my dreams,” Carly said. When she was sixteen, her family relocated from Taylor Mill in Kenton County, KY, to East Tennessee so she could follow her dream by finding work at Dollywood, the entertainment complex and theme park owned by Dolly Parton. When that dream took her from Pigeon Forge to Nashville, she had to find ways to support herself, often with menial jobs such as cleaning Air B&Bs. She said that her parents’ support and encouragement kept her going, even when she became disheartened and didn’t feel she could go on.

Long way from Dollywood to Number One

It’s been a long journey from those days in her mid-teens at Dollywood to standing on a stage, holding an award for a Number One hit song. There have been ups and downs in her career, but “I wouldn’t change anything about my personal journey in the industry,” she said. “I had to figure out who I was as an artist. I’m glad this didn’t happen when I was twenty-one. I wouldn’t have appreciated it as much as I do now.”

Speaking about this special occasion, Carly revealed, “I’ve dreamt of what it would be like to have a No. 1 song since I moved to Nashville.” She continued, “If I am living proof of anything, it’s that one song can change everything. I have experienced that with my peers over the years and have listened to the stories behind the songs that changed other people’s lives.” She added that, at the time she recorded ‘Every Little Thing’ she had no idea that was going to be the song that changed her life.

Carly was scheduled to appear at The Grand Ole Opry the next evening. I asked her if it will be different this time, with a GOLD-certified single to her credit.

“I’m nearing my 50th Opry performance,” she said. “The Opry has always showed me support, even when I didn’t have a record deal or a publishing deal [and] I had nothing going on. It’s a special time every time I step on the Opry stage.”

Carly added, “I dream of being an Opry member one day.”

The song’s co-writer and producer, busbee, has written or produced songs for artists such as Christina Aguilera, Tony Braxton, Adam Lambert, Lady Antebellum and Gwen Stefani. I asked Carly what it was like working with busbee. Carly said that, when she first met him, she thought, “he’s more pop and I’m country. I’m not sure he’s going to ‘get’ me.”  However, she soon realized that it was a great working relationship. “It was amazing,” she said. “Like it was meant to be.”

ACM nomination: “I just screamed!”

Carly was asked how she found out she had been nominated for an ACM award in the ‘New Female Vocalist of the Year’ category. She said she was in-flight on a plane when she received the news. “It’s hard to explain my feelings,” she said. “I just screamed!” She said that she used to sit on her couch, watching the show and dream of being nominated one day.  Even if she does not win, “Being recognized in an honor on its own,” she emphasized.

Carly also talked about her experiences as part of Blake Shelton’s ‘Country Music Freaks Tour’ with Trace Adkins and Brett Eldridge. She said that Blake and Gwen Stefani were so kind to her. “Gwen is the most ‘down to earth’ person I’ve ever met, even though she’s a megastar,” Carly recalled. However, she admitted she was ‘too scared’ to ask Stefani for any fashion tips!

Learning how to ‘work’ an audience

Asked what she learned from the tour, Carly said, “I’m stronger than I think I am. I can go with less hours sleep than I thought I could!”  She added that she learned a lot just from watching Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins.  “They know how to ‘work’ an audience,” she said.

“If I am living proof of anything, it’s that one song can change everything.” – Carly Pearce

Carly is a true ‘country’ girl, born and raised in the small town of Taylor Mill in northeastern Kentucky, and is ‘pure country’ to her soul. Her next single, ‘Hide the Wine,’ is already climbing Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.  More at https://www.carlypearce.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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  Co-writer Emily Shackelton, a native of Biwabik, Minnesota, is signed to Liz Rose Music/Warner-Chappell publishing in Nashville. In addition to ‘Every Little Thing,’ her first No. 1, her songs have been recorded by Wynona Judd, Sara Evans, Cassadee Pope and X-Factor winner Tate Stevens, among others.