Dumb Blonde Podcast: Carly Pearce

Summary

Dumb Blonde Podcast: Carly Pearce

Date: March 5, 2026
Host: Bunnie XO
Guest: Carly Pearce

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Episode Overview

This episode features Bunnie XO in an in-depth, honest, and engaging conversation with country music star Carly Pearce. They cover everything from Carly’s Kentucky roots, struggles with anxiety and OCD, music career hurdles, overcoming public and private heartbreak, and her passion for authenticity in life and music. Throughout, the tone is candid, funny, supportive, and deeply real — staying true to the Dumb Blonde Podcast mission of embracing humor, healing, and unfiltered truth.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Getting to Know Carly: First Impressions & Ice Breakers (03:06–05:47)

• Polarizing Online Presence:

  • Bunnie claims Carly is “a down home girl from Kentucky who doesn’t take any shit and stands up for what’s right.” (03:35)
  • They laugh about being labeled intimidating or polarizing, recognizing that strong women “either get love to hate you or hate to love you.” (03:16)

• Recent Injury Debacle:

  • Carly recounts how she was sensationalized in media after needing two stitches on her thumb from a ranch dressing bottle, not anything dramatic, despite the headlines:

    “So all these outlets are like, ‘Carly Pearce rushed to the hospital in an ambulance for hurt thumb.’ ...No, I literally just have two stitches.” (03:58)

• Quick Fire Questions (Love & Dating):

  • 1st date red flag: "If they don't ask you any questions about you." (06:03)

  • Paying on first dates and old-school values.

  • Worst pick-up line:

    “Are you seeing anybody? Not that I would care either way.” — Carly (06:43)

  • Celebrity crush growing up: “Lance Bass. Before we knew he was gay.” (10:11)

  • Embarrassing wine stories, falling on stage vs. falling in love, and body image as a tall woman nicknamed “Shrek.” (08:50)

2. Early Life: Music, Bullying, and Family (13:09–16:25)

• Growing Up Creative in Kentucky:
  • Carly was bullied for loving country/bluegrass at a time when pop was the trend.
  • She was homeschooled from 15 so she could perform at Dollywood, with her mother making major sacrifices to support her ambition.

Notable Quote:

“I always felt just different because I loved country music… and I was very bullied for it growing up in Kentucky.” (13:14)

• Family Support:
  • Pearce’s family is shown as deeply supportive, gathering around her dream and sacrificing for her to succeed.

3. Building Her Career: Hard Times, Tenacity & Breakthrough (16:25–36:53)

• Nashville Grind:

  • Moved to Nashville at 19, had a development deal fall through, worked cleaning Airbnbs (hair & stains = nightmare fuel).
  • Persevered despite rejection, relayed by a particularly memorable quote:

    “When I lost it, I think my journey…the biggest thing that has happened is I was just relentless. Like, I went to fight or flight. Absolutely not.” (32:36)

• Breakthrough with “Every Little Thing”:

  • The song was rejected over and over, only getting a shot when SiriusXM’s The Highway gave it airplay.
  • Multiple people in the industry told her she would “never be a star.”
  • Eventually, “Every Little Thing” led to a record deal, her big break, and lasting validation.

Notable Quote:

“When I was sitting at an awards show or …Female Vocalist of the Year, I’m like… do I belong? … all those years…it was just like, ‘No, you’re not enough.’” (35:57)
“You found your three minutes.” — Alison Jones (36:36)

4. Songwriting, Mentorship & Loss (37:08–39:42)

• Mentor Busbee:
  • Producer and friend who helped Carly find her artistic voice and confidence.
  • Passed away from brain cancer; last song they worked on was “I Hope You’re Happy Now.”

Notable Quote:

“I can buy anything in the world except the one thing I need, and that’s time.” — Busbee (38:24)

• Legacy & Healing:
  • Busbee’s influence helps Carly produce her own music and face industry challenges bravely.
  • Song “Show Me Around” honors his memory.

5. Handling Anxiety, OCD, and Trauma (24:45–29:58)

• Open Dialogue on Mental Health:

  • Carly shares that her anxiety and OCD date back to childhood, exacerbated by perfectionism modeled by her mother:

    “I’ve had crippling OCD since I was a child … checking my backpack over and over, checking my alarm over and over.” (25:00)

• Mental Health Journey:

  • COVID and public divorce forced her to confront, recognize and begin treating her mental health more seriously.
  • Therapy and self-advocacy emphasized.

6. Divorce, Infidelity Rumors & “Album 29” (48:20–57:44)

• Marriage and Divorce with Michael Ray:

  • Whirlwind romance and short marriage; Carly admits:

    “I knew the night I got married I shouldn’t have. If I’m being completely honest.” (50:25)

  • Divorce was finalized after eight months; infidelity rumors confirmed as basis for some heartbreak songs.

• “Jolene” Situation:

  • Intense hurt related to a specific woman in the infidelity (“Is she Jolene?” “I’m not a fan of her. Or him.” (53:33))
  • On handling the aftermath:

    “At the end of the day, my friends who walked that with me, they know. My parents know, and God knows, and that is enough.” (52:39)

  • Healing through art—album “29” written in the wake of loss.

7. Professional Triumphs: Opry, Grammys & Resilience (58:00–62:51)

• Career Milestones After Hardship:
  • 2020–2022: Divorce, Busbee’s death, then Grand Ole Opry invitation, Female Vocalist of the Year (twice), and a Grammy win for “Never Wanted to be That Girl.”
  • Overcoming injury: Attending the CMA Awards days after losing front teeth in an accident, performing through pain without public complaint.

Notable Quote:

“Authenticity is the name of the game.” (59:09)

8. Health Challenges & Advocacy (63:32–68:33)

• Recurrent Pericarditis Diagnosis:
  • Persistent heart inflammation misdiagnosed as anxiety for years; Carly stresses advocating for one's health.

    “Doctors dismissed me for years. ‘Oh, it’s anxiety…’ I’m telling you, my body is telling me something.” (63:53)

  • Now involved in the “Life Disrupted” campaign to raise awareness.

9. Recent Music & Personal Growth (68:43–73:47)

• Recent Albums:

  • “Hummingbird” (2024) marks a healing period, blending authentic, traditional country—her roots (“It was a healing journey for me.” (68:46))
  • New album “the most me that I’ve ever felt.”

• Tattoos and Ownership of Self:

  • Shows off “29” and hummingbird tattoos as marks of survival and growth.

• Romance Reboot:

  • New relationship, “hard launched,” found via Raya, celebrating defying stigmas about age, relationships, and what women “should” do.

    “I hard launched it because I just don’t care anymore.” (71:38)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “If they don’t ask you any questions about you.” — Carly, on first date red flags (06:03)
• “Not that I would care either way.” — Carly, recounting worst pick-up line (06:43)
• “When I was 18…my grandpa …knew my dream was to sing on the Opry. …Now, when I go back to the area…their name is carrying on into country music history.” (19:47)
• “[Busbee] was like, ‘I can buy anything in the world except the one thing that I need, and that’s time.’” (38:24)
• “I knew the night I got married I shouldn’t have.” — Carly, on her short-lived marriage (50:26)
• “I just want you to fly, and I want you to know you can.” — Busbee’s last advice (39:03)
• “Authenticity is the name of the game.” — Carly (59:09)
• "I hard launched it because I just don’t care anymore." — Carly, on her new relationship (71:38)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• First Date Red Flags & Dating Talk: 06:03–08:00
• Bullying and Childhood: 13:09–16:25
• Early Nashville Struggles & Breakthrough: 29:58–36:53
• Anxiety, Mental Health: 24:45–29:58
• Music Industry Sexism & Empowerment: 45:29–48:08
• Divorce Discussion/Jolene: 48:20–55:18
• CMA Accident, Resilience: 60:41–62:46
• Heart Condition, Health Advocacy: 63:32–68:33
• Music, Tattoos, Finding Joy: 68:43–73:47

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Tone & Style

• Real, unfiltered, funny, and empathetic.
• Both Bunnie and Carly keep the conversation honest and light, often laughing through hard truths and ending heavy discussions with wisdom and support.

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Conclusion

This rich, open-hearted episode is a testament to Carly Pearce’s resilience, authenticity, and artistic evolution — from overcoming bullying, heartbreak, and professional rejection, to becoming a Grammy-winning, chart-topping artist unafraid to speak her truth. Bunnie and Carly’s rapport makes for a deeply relatable, inspiring listen for anyone navigating their own path or healing journey.

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Find Carly Pearce online:
@carlypearce on all social platforms (74:15)

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For the full, real experience and all the wisdom, humor, and hard-won life lessons Carly shares, this is an unmissable episode for country music fans and anyone chasing their dreams or fighting through tough seasons.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Finally. I'm so excited to be here.

[A]

I am stoked you're here. I feel like you're this polarizing figure online, and people are pretty obsessed with you.

[B]

That's good. Good or bad, I guess.

[A]

I mean, I. It's. It always goes both ways. Because some people, you know, the thing is, is, like, when they're obsessed with you, it's either they love to hate you or they hate to love you. There's no in between. There's just one. Black or white, one or the other. But I got to discover a lot of things about you that I didn't know. And I actually was like, this is just a down home girl from Kentucky who doesn't take any shit and stands up for what's right.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I think if people really got to know, like, I can't talk today.

[B]

Words. Golly.

[A]

And I think if people really got to know your story, they would just fall in love with you the same way that I did.

[B]

So that's so nice.

[A]

I can't wait to dive into that. But how's your finger?

[B]

Oh, my God. Have you seen, like, media? I know that you know better than anybody, they will blow up something for a clickbait all day. So the short answer is, I was on stage the other night and I had to get two stitches in my thumb because I broke, like, a piece of glass from a ranch dressing bottle on my hand. But it was, like, really dramatic because they made me ride over to the hospital in an ambulance to go to the er and so all these outlets are like, carly Pierce rushed to the hospital in an ambulance for hurt thumb. I'm like, no, I literally just have two stitches. So it's fine.

[A]

I mean, but two stitches is kind of a big deal. I've never had stitches in my life.

[B]

It's pretty. It's, like, inconvenient. And it was just a gross experience. Cause I could feel them sewing my skin together.

[A]

What happened? So it just cut the skin open?

[B]

Yeah. I went to open a ranch dressing that was a glass bottle, and it just cut. And immediately I looked at my fiddle player and I was like, oh, my God. It's not good. It's not good.

[A]

Girl, how fucking buff are you? You were breaking f glass bottles of ranch.

[B]

I know. Everybody's like, it was wine, right? You're like, gross. Ranch. It was literally a ranch bottle. But it's fine. I get them out tomorrow.

[A]

So are you A wine drinker?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Red or white?

[B]

I like both, but red for sure.

[A]

Have you ever had a moment where you're drinking red wine and you just smile and your teeth are all black?

[B]

My bass player always says he knows it's bad when my lips turn purple.

[A]

Oh, no. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

I've been known to have purple teeth.

[A]

Yeah. No. I tried to have a sexy night in Hawaii with my husband one time. And we're not wine Dr. And we drank red wine. And let me tell you, I caught a glimpse of myself being hot in the mirror and I looked like I was missing teeth. I will never do it again. I was like, holy shit, how do people do this?

[B]

Mine, like, gets, like, in my lip, too. Like, it's. It's disgusting.

[A]

Yeah, no, I think if you're a red wine drinker, that is a choice.

[B]

Yeah. You gotta do it right. You gotta at least pay attention.

[A]

True dedication. Totally. So I wanna ask you a couple of rapid fire questions to just kind of open this up. And then we're gonna get into some of your history here.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

All right, so the first segment is going to be on love and dating. What is a first date? Red flag.

[B]

Ooh, a first date. Red flag. If they don't ask you any questions about you.

[A]

Right. And they only talk about themselves.

[B]

They only talk about themselves and they're not interested at all in, like, anything about you. Red flag.

[A]

I couldn't agree more. That actually happened to Monica, one of my best friends the other day, she went out with some guy on Bumble. And literally, this man did not ask her one question about herself.

[B]

Nope. Out. Done. And I gotta be honest. I'm old school. Like, a guy should pay on the first date. Just the first. I feel. I feel really strongly about that. I agree.

[A]

Especially if they ask you out.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yes, definitely. And then, you know, if you guys want to go, what is it, Dutch or.

[B]

Yeah. Or split it or 50.

[A]

50, then figure that out. But definitely think the first date. Yes, for sure. All right. What's the worst pickup line you've ever heard?

[B]

Oh, God. She said, oh, God. I. I feel like anybody. I had a guy say to me, are you seeing anybody? This actually happened not that long ago. So he says, are you seeing anybody? And then the next line was, not that I would care either way. And I was just like, you're disgusting. Like, that was for real. Not that I would care either way. That's disgusting to me.

[A]

The ego, though.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's like he even just thought he had a chance no matter what yeah,

[B]

he never got a text back. Back.

[A]

Do people DM you stuff like that all the time?

[B]

Honestly, No. I feel. No, I don't get, like, a lot of really weird stuff. Like, I feel like. I don't know, I feel lucky that I don't get a lot of weird stuff.

[A]

You don't get, like, your eye poked out or anything like that.

[B]

None of that. None of that. I've had some weird, like, fan messages, but I feel like. But, yeah, like. And this is somebody that's, like, successful. I'm like. You're just like, no. Yeah.

[A]

What? Who's one of the craziest people that is have DM'd you? Can you, like, give us a hint that you could never have believed would DM you romantically or not?

[B]

We'll.

[A]

We'll make it.

[B]

I would say. I'm not going to say who I'll tell you after, but I'll say back when I first started, like, when every little thing was hitting.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

A very, very famous football player DM'd me. And I thought it was, like, a joke. And we, like, FaceTimed some, but it never worked.

[A]

Did he want to take you on a date?

[B]

Yes. And I was like, look at you, girl.

[A]

Look at you getting your back on.

[B]

But now. Not anymore. Yeah. No.

[A]

She's like, absolutely.

[B]

No, no, no. All right.

[A]

What's more dangerous, falling in love or falling on stage?

[B]

Falling in love, for sure.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I've fallen on stage several times, so, yeah, I've seen. Yeah.

[A]

You poor baby.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Are you just accident prone?

[B]

Yeah. Can you tell, like, my stitches?

[A]

I know.

[B]

I think I just, like, don't know my size because, like, I'm just lanky and. Yeah, but falling on stage is. It's pretty awful, too.

[A]

But speaking of your size, you said, I think, in an interview that you have been five, seven since, like, fifth grade. That's insane.

[B]

She has on a Shrek shirt and it literally, like, gave me ptsd because Shrek came out when I was, like, in middle school and that was my nickname. Oh. Not even, like, when I saw it, I was, like, triggered.

[A]

Oh, no. Oh, my God.

[B]

Ogre Shrek. Not Fiona. Not like Shrek's wife. Shrek.

[A]

It's because you're so tall, though. You're beautiful.

[B]

Thank you. I was. I was this tall when I was in fifth grade.

[A]

So did you just, like, have a growth spurt?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And then you just haven't grown since?

[B]

Yeah. I mean, I wear, like, a size 10 and a half shoe. Most men have the same size. I Have, like, bigger hands than most guys. Like, it's just been. It's been a journey.

[A]

I'm five seven.

[B]

Are you? Yeah, I know. I guess, like, just when I don't feel that tall anymore, but, like, I guess in fifth grade, it was like, but Shrek, that's triggering.

[A]

That is so funny. I remember I saw you at an award show, and this is before we knew you. Do you guys remember when we saw her backstage? And you were dressed in, like, all black, right? And you're just walking, and you literally look like you're floating, and we were all just like. We were like, there goes Carly. Like, and it was just like. You had this aura to you that it was just, like, so Stevie Nicks. Like, it was crazy. Yeah. And I. I was like, I wanted to say hi, but at the same time, I was kind of, like, intimidated. Oh, my God.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then now that I've gotten to know you and, like, see how you are, I was like, I should have just said hi.

[B]

Y. Most definitely.

[A]

Yeah. No, you were. You were very polarizing. All right, last question. What was your celebrity crush growing up?

[B]

Oh, Lance Bass.

[A]

Really? Yeah, before he was gay.

[B]

Before I was like, before we knew he was gay. Well, yeah, yeah. Lance Bass, for sure. He was always, like, my favorite. I loved NSync.

[A]

I feel like everybody loved Lance. And then I remember I used to hang out at the Palms all the time because I was dating a certain someone that owned it, and Lance and all them were there one night, and I just remember he never looked at any females. And I looked at my friend, and I was like, he's not into females. And then it came out, you know, a couple months later that he's not into females.

[B]

He looks so good, though. Like, yeah, I've. I've seen him several times and met him at Stagecoach, and I was like, you are so hot. Like, he's living his best life.

[A]

Looks great. And he's so sweet.

[B]

He's the sweetest. He loves country music. I'm like, what?

[A]

I love that. I wonder why he doesn't do country music.

[B]

I know. I know.

[A]

So tell me if this is wrong or not, because this was a crazy little tidbit that I found on you. You play bagpipes?

[B]

Bagpipes. That's what it says.

[A]

It says she plays some unexpected instruments like bagpipes in addition to singing guitar.

[B]

Singing guitar. No, it does not. Where does it say that?

[A]

And mandolin. I'll have to pull it up, because I had a feeling. I was like, I don't know. If this is true or not, but. So it's not.

[B]

No, but I'm wondering. I used to yodel. Like, I was, like, known for yodeling.

[A]

Stop it right now.

[B]

Like, won some contests. Stop it.

[A]

Yodel for us, Carly, please.

[B]

It's like, a whole thing. I haven't tried to do it, but if you notice in my voice, like, I do, like, a flip into my falsetto, and I think that came from yodeling.

[A]

Dude, we love yodeling.

[B]

I'm a little bit like bagpipes yodeling. I think it's the same thing.

[A]

Same thing. Totally same thing. It's fine. Oh, my God. You can't yodel for us. Please give us a little yodel.

[B]

I would be. So we'll cut it if it sucks.

[A]

We'll cut it.

[B]

I can't do it. It's been, like, 20 years since I did it.

[A]

Okay, so when did you discover that you could yodel?

[B]

I loved Leann Rimes as a kid, so, like, blue. And then she had a version of an old song called Cowboy Sweetheart that I was obsessed with, and I had never heard anybody do that with their voice. And so my mom always says, like, the worst part of her journey was me trying to sing Broken wing by Martina McBride in my bedroom because I could not belt that loud high. And when I was learning how to yodel, she said it was, like, horrendous. But that's, like. I wanted to be like Leanne so bad. I love that.

[A]

That's like, a hidden talent. Are there any more hidden talents you have double jointed?

[B]

Are you double joining? I was about to say. I'm really, like. It's not good.

[A]

That is so crazy.

[B]

It's really bad.

[A]

Do you guys see that? Look at me, Mimi.

[B]

It's really bad.

[A]

Oh, my God. Is that. Golly. Is that the only joint that does that? Or can you do that with, like, your knees, too? It's only.

[B]

It's only my.

[A]

Right there.

[B]

And I never even realized it until in school when I was, like, raising my hand, people were like, what the.

[A]

Oh, you poor thing. They're calling you Shrek. You're double jointed. It's up.

[B]

It's honestly been a real. It's been a journey for me. So much therapy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Stop it.

[A]

Do you feel like you were bullied at all as a child because of that?

[B]

Yeah. Yes, I was. Well, growing up, country music was not what it is today.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I loved country music from the time I was, like, in elementary school. And I. I felt really out of Place, like, being a creative person and being somebody that just wanted to sing. And, like, I always felt just different because I loved country music, and I loved bluegrass music, and I loved performing, and I wanted to be in theater, and I wanted to sing with all these different bands growing up in Kentucky, and so I always felt like I had a lot of friends, but I was very bullied for, like, loving country music.

[A]

And now I'm, like, even growing up in Kentucky.

[B]

Yes. It just wasn't.

[A]

What the hell were they listening to?

[B]

I have. It was not the cool thing when I was growing up. It was, like, almost. I. I would feel, like, embarrassed because I loved it so much.

[A]

Yeah. How old are you?

[B]

35.

[A]

You're 35. Okay, so you're 10 years younger than me. So that they would probably. That would have been, like, what, the pop era?

[B]

Yes. Growing up.

[A]

So it was like, pop. Yeah.

[B]

It's like Britney and In Sync and all that stuff. And so I just. And I loved that, too, but people just didn't understand, and that's why I think I have such, like, a passion for young kids in school that maybe don't academically feel like that's their path and they want to be creative. It's like, you have to have a space for that, because there's so many kids that feel like me that just were like, wait, I'm not, like, fitting in socially?

[A]

Yes. I couldn't agree with that more. Our daughter is a creative, and it's been. But she's also so freaking smart. So it's like, you know, Jay battles with letting her be the creative but also be studious at the same time. Well, how. How did you convince your parents to let you homeschool? Like, how old were you?

[B]

When I tell this story now, it's like, what? I have no idea what they were thinking. I was really good in school as well, so I was, like, a very disciplined kid. So I think that they knew I wasn't running from school. And I saw an audition to sing in the country show at Dollywood when I was 15.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

In our, like, local Cincinnati. I live right outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. And so I see in the Inquirer, it's like, ooh, auditions. And I'm like, dolly Parton. I would love to sing at Dollywood. Hey, can I do this? And they're like, no. And so I took the summer to find a homeschooling program that wouldn't require any attention from my mom, because my mom was like, I don't know how to teach you. And so it was like an online kind of like college, but for high school. And I just kind of presented this to them, and I'm an only child, and they were like, okay, let's do it. And so I auditioned, and you just think about the sacrifices that your family make for you and for me. My parents were married, and they still are married, but they sacrificed. Like, my mom lived with me in Pigeon Forge. My dad stayed back in Kentucky and took care of my grandfather that was sick at the time. And, I mean, I don't know. I just feel like I got such a head start being able to go and perform and kind of have that regimented, like, grueling schedule of shows.

[A]

Yeah, no, that's crazy to take on. And how old were you? 14?

[B]

15? 16.

[A]

16.

[B]

It's crazy.

[A]

So to be that headstrong to go and seek out the homeschooling that you were gonna do and then to go and work these shows because you were doing, what, four shows a day or five shows a day?

[B]

I was doing six shows a day, five days a week. And, you know, just as a kid, I think it just really solidified for me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What I wanted to do, because it just taught me, like, how to sing sick. How to. How to do a show when you don't feel like it. How to work hard.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know? Yeah.

[A]

Do you think that that's maybe a trauma response? Like, maybe because of something that could have happened in your childhood or even the bullying at school? You were like, you know what? I'm gonna do this because I'm not going back to class.

[B]

I think I was so determined to prove everyone wrong and really to prove to myself that I could do it. And so I feel like my. From the time I was tiny, tiny, I knew that that's what I wanted to do. And it was just kind of like, no matter how difficult, because it was even after that, like, I spent almost 10 years in Nashville before I ever, quote, unquote, made it, but I just was like, no. Like, I am absolutely gonna do this.

[A]

I think it's amazing that you look up to Dolly as much as I do, because obviously, I named my podcast Dumb Blonde after her song, her first song on the radio. And then I. To see the tie that you guys have together, do you feel like she's really just shaped and molded your career

[B]

for you in more ways than just obviously, like, as a songwriter, you think about. You know, she wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love youe in the same day. It's like two of the most iconic songs in history. So, like, as a songwriter and as a singer, for sure. But more than that, I think what I admire about her, she's, what, in her late 70s, and she's still reinventing her brand and gaining fans and just trying to push the envelope. And I've gotten to work with her a few times, and I'm sure that, you know this. It's like, she is just so focused and so on her shit in everything she does to where it's just, like, she doesn't have to, but she's so determined to not be stagnant. And that is just something that I really. There's very few people that continue to do that decade after decade, like, she does.

[A]

I love the way you said that. That she refuses to be stagnant.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, that's really. I think she could just. You do that, too, though. I do that, too, though. I think a lot of people can relate to that phrase right there. Y. Yeah. And she's crazy. Like, we went to go see Dolly at her. Her little compound.

[B]

Compound.

[A]

Yeah. I love her compound. It's not little guys. And she literally is just, like, on it. Like, everything is timed, and, like, she just.

[B]

It.

[A]

She cracks the whip over there.

[B]

She does.

[A]

And it's so admirable. And she's just this tiny little thing, and so sweet. And she's sassy.

[B]

She's so sassy.

[A]

Yeah. I tell everybody. I'm like, you guys think Dolly's a sweet little old lady? I was like, she is sassy and a spitfire.

[B]

She's. When she. We went to her compound, I thought I was doing a commercial for Dollywood, and she surprised me and invited me to be a member of the Opry a few years ago. And literally, it was like. Like, you're saying, like, this, this, this. I mean, she had a schedule. Like, we had a few moments. She handed me some of her new perfume, and she was like, you're my little Dollywood girl. And she was out onto the next thing. Like, just, like, no bs. Yeah.

[A]

It's like she leaves enough to where it's like, you love her and that you want more.

[B]

Yes. Because you get.

[A]

You only get those. That little bit of time with her.

[B]

But she's.

[A]

And. But those moments count so much because it's just. She's so full of soul.

[B]

It's. It's crazy.

[A]

Yeah. Take me on the journey of picking out your name, Carly Pierce, because I want to know some of the names that you were thinking about doing before you settled on Carly Pierce.

[B]

So my Legal last name is Carly Slusser. Horrible name for a country singer. And when I was, like, 14, my mom, you know, she would take my pictures and we'd go to Staples and get the CDs printed so that we could pass them out. And so my middle name is Christine. So for a long time, I was Carly Christine, you know? Cause that felt right. And then my grandparents, my mom's maiden name is Pierce, and they were super influential in my life. They were the ones that kind of shaped my love of country music. My grandpa, way back in the day, used to ride the school bus with Skeeter Davis of the Davis Sisters. And that was, like, his girlfriend for a little bit of time. And she was, you know, like a country music artist and somebody that's been influential. And my grandma loved Loretta Lynn. She loved Tammy Wynette. So that was always in the home. And when they figured out that I loved country music, they kind of taught me what the Opry was. And my grandpa would buy me these CD decades of all the different eras of country music. And he just really wanted me to understand who came before me. And so they both. My grandma passed away when I was 14. My grandpa passed away when I was 18. And they knew that my life dream was to sing on the Opry. And When I was 18, I went to see my grandpa for the last time when he was in the hospital, and he knew I was taking a meeting in Nashville, and he was like, you're gonna be late. You gotta go, you gotta go. And they just. I wanted to honor them in some way. So although it's not my legal last name, it feels so important. And now when I go back to the area where we all lived and where I feel like my whole love of country music started. The signs that say Home of Carly Pierce. And it's like their name is carrying on into country music history, which I'm the only grandchild. And it's just, like, a really special thing for me that continues to just keep them alive for me, and I get to talk about them. And again, like, all these years later, it's like they still live on.

[A]

I love that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think that is so sweet. I love how your family just kind of gathered around you and was like, this is your dream. We're gonna help you make it.

[B]

They totally did.

[A]

I love that, because not a lot of families are like that. And to be able to see where you are now, I mean, does your mom ever just look at you and be like, I knew this was going to happen, or can she not believe it?

[B]

She has, like, moments of both. But she'll tell you. I mean, she convinced a vocal coach when I was six. She's like, I'm telling you, like, she has great pitch and she's got rhythm. She told me, like, as a baby, I would, like, keep the beat in my car seat. She just said she knew. And so she's always like. I mean, I'm not really surprised, which is funny just to hear, but she had unwavering belief that this was gonna happen for me.

[A]

I love that so much for you. Do you ever feel. Do you ever look back on your childhood and feel like you didn't get to do, like, normal childhood things because you were working so much?

[B]

No. And I say that only because when I left. So I left when I was 16. I still went back for prom. I went back for my graduation, you know. Yes. Did I. I didn't graduate with my class, but I always say, like, I had a wonderful childhood. I had a lot of friends. They would come visit me in Pigeon Forge when I was working at Dollywood.

[A]

How fun though, right?

[B]

It was. I mean, and they loved it. It was super fun. I think I've always felt like if. If, like, my middle school and high school college years were the best years of my life, that's not probably a good sign for me personally. Like, I didn't want that to be, like, the greatest season of my life.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So I view it as, like, it was fun, but I don't feel like I missed it.

[A]

You don't want to be like, Al Bundy reminiscing about your freaking high school?

[B]

Not at all. I'm not like that at all. And, like, I loved it. But what I get to do now, it was like a trade off, but I still had a lot of normalcy. But I also got to experience things that, like, a lot of kids didn't get to experience.

[A]

Yeah. Working so much. Were you able to even have, like, a rebellious teenage phase? Because I know I went through one, but I didn't work like you did. I couldn't even imagine being under that amount of pressure and, like, even having time to be rebellious.

[B]

I wasn't rebellious, really. I had parents that kind of, like, if I wanted to say shit, I could say shit. If I wanted to drink, it was like, drink in the house.

[A]

I love your parents.

[B]

They're really. I mean, honestly, it made, like, space for me to not have to rebel. Like, a lot of my friends wanted to come over because my parents were, like, understanding. It's not like they were like, here, go out and never, you know, text us or whatever. But, um, when I got to Pigeon forge, I was 17 and everybody else was, like, in their late 20s. So, you know, I learned, like, what power hour of drinking was. And I learned the hard way of, like. Cause I just never, I never really cared until I, like, got of age because my parents just allowed me to experiment. And yeah, they were just like, if you, if you want to try it, just try it here.

[A]

Yeah, they were your safe space.

[B]

They were.

[A]

Did you. So you talk about how you talk very openly about having anxiety, which I relate to also because I have severe anxiety all the time. When did your anxiety start? Was it in childhood or did that come later in life?

[B]

This is probably something I haven't really shared. I've had to understand because I would have told you, like, three years ago. My anxiety started during my divorce in Covid, but I've had crippling OCD since I was a child. So, like, checking my backpack over and over and over, checking my alarm over and over and over, making sure that my mom, Are you sure that everything's in my bag? Are you sure? And my mom would just try to calm me down or I would freak out over storms. And I remember her taking me to the local library to meet a meteorologist to, like, try to calm that. So I've had to, I've had anxiety my whole life. I still struggle with ocd. I, I, I think it just really came to a head of me wanting to do something about it during COVID Yes.

[A]

Sometimes it becomes so debilitating, you don't have a choice but to face it head on. We can run from it as long as we want to. And I tell. I preach this on my podcast because we talk about mental health care very openly. I literally ran from my anxiety, my ocd, all that. I never had depression. I always had anxiety. I never had depression, always had anxiety. But in 2019, after I had my implants removed, I got hit with the worst suicidal ideation and depression I've ever had in my life. And that was just the time that my body finally said, you can't run anymore. You know, like, you can try to fix it by having surgeries and do this and do that, but if you don't fix what's on the inside and what's really going on in your heart and your soul, it's going to come out in other ways a thousand percent.

[B]

And I feel like that was like, just the being taken off the road, going through A public divorce. It was like. I think my body just had, like, a visceral reaction of like, oh, my God. And then I. I mean, I. I can't tell you how many interviews I sat through trying so hard to just, like, keep myself together after, like. I mean, it's been, like, a journey for me of just like, oh, my God. Can anybody tell? Can anybody tell? And everybody's like, no, we can't tell at all. And I'm, like, dying inside because it was so. I felt like I was trapped in my own body.

[A]

I have never felt so seen. There are so many podcasts that I've done where I've had to sit here. Like, sometimes you'll see me if you watch any of my podcasts, and I'll hold my breath, and then I'll breathe out. And I'm literally doing box breathing while I'm doing an interview, because I'm having a panic attack, you know? And I don't think people understand that, because we don't react on the outside. We hold it all inside. Like, there's. My husband will be like, you handled that so great. And I'm like, I did, because literally, in my head, I'm freaking the fuck out, you know? And it's just. That just goes to show that you can't judge people from the outside because you never know what's going on inside.

[B]

You really don't. Mine was always in interviews. Now everybody's gonna know. But it's like. Like, I would clear my throat because I just feel like I can't breathe.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And it's. It's interesting to be. And I know you understand, like, in the public eye, when the camera's on, it's like, you better shut it down. And I think that I got really conditioned over the last 10 years to just zip it up and deal with it. And it just kind of got to a place where a couple years ago, I just had to really start back into therapy. Start really, like, trying to figure out all of these different things, like, recognizing OCD was something. No, that didn't come in 2020. That's been there since I was 6 or 7.

[A]

Yeah. Where do you think that stems from for you? Like, the ocd? I know mine was a traumatic childhood. I had a terrible family life. Yeah, you seem to have the opposite. Where do you think yours stems from?

[B]

I had a mom, and she's still like this to this day. She's the best, but she's a perfectionist. So, like, as a child, I would watch her. I had Like, Barbie shoes. This is like a core memory, and she wanted to put every individual pair of Barbie shoes in the perfect little spot and keep everything, you know, So I learned. Yeah, she never left the house without her makeup on. She was always just so put together that I think that perfectionism just became not. Not intent. She didn't mean to do that to me. It wasn't like she was like, you have to be this way. But I watched and led by example. So then I wanted to have everything perfect.

[A]

Yep. You internalize that pressure and. And, you know, she was just being herself, and you just. You wanted to be like your mom. So I wanted to be perfect and. Oh, my gosh. But I love that you recognize that. I love that you've gotten help for that, because it's. I preach therapy on this podcast left and right because it is so important. I mean, even just if you can't even afford therapy, just talking to people or. There's so many resources that are online now also that you can, you know, teach yourself and learn. Even just meditation and box breathing, like, we just talked about, anything like that can help soothe that. So moving on to you moving to Nashville. You moved to Nashville at age 19 and signed a development deal with Sony in 2012, and you lost that when your producer was fired, so you started cleaning airbnbs.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

What is one of the grossest situations you've ever had to deal with with Airbnb?

[B]

I have two things. Hair. Like, even my own hair, like, on my bathroom floor really grosses me out. Or, like, when it's on the shower wall, but other people's hair that I don't know who they are, and you

[A]

don't know where it came from.

[B]

Yeah. But the worst.

[A]

I'll throw up.

[B]

Stains.

[A]

Stains. Oh, God.

[B]

It's, like, anywhere on the sheets, you know, and I'm, like, 22, just, like, wanting to die. Oh, God.

[A]

Especially have an ocd.

[B]

Oh, yeah. It probably got worse after that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, my God. Yes.

[A]

I wouldn't be able to. I'd have to literally have gloves on and a hazmat suit. There's no fucking way I would. Because I have contamination ocd, too. So if, like, I touch anything, I have to count down for an hour and, like, wait to make sure that I'm not gonna overdose on Fentanyl because, you know, who knows? Somebody might have snorted a rail of fentanyl off the bathroom stall or something, you know?

[B]

Yeah. That's disgusting.

[A]

Yeah. That would freak me out so much. So take me on this journey of, you being 19, moving to Nashville, did you come by yourself or was your mom with you?

[B]

My parents ended up moving north of town. And again, like, just the sacrifices. So they move so that I didn't have to work super hard. But again, like, that perfectionist in me, I was like, no, I'm not just going to live rent free. Like, I'm going to do the thing. So I worked retail, I cleaned Airbnbs, I did all this stuff. So they came with me. And it's so crazy the things that you think at the time. I was so heartbroken at 19, thinking, how could this not be the time for me? I got a developmental deal pretty quickly and got to record with my dream producer. And I was like, oh, my gosh, this is so exciting. But at that time, female artists were like, non existent. It was like in the bro country time, you were almost like, penalized if you were a female. Right. So I almost feel like I was protected to not be released. Like, there are so many girls that I remember, like, nobody knows who they are now because they came out in a time where it just. Like so much of this life is like, yes, it's the right song, yes, it's the right timing, but there is, like a luck of the draw to this. Like, in my opinion, like, you have to catch fire in a certain moment. And it's like, there's no rhyme or reason why some of us are chosen to be able to do this and not because there's so many talented people here. Like, it's crazy. And so when I lost it, I think my journey, like, the biggest thing that has happened is I was just relentless. Like, I went to fight or flight. I was like, absolutely not.

[A]

Were you relentless? I highly doubt that.

[B]

I was like, I'm going, like, this is not an option. I have to do this.

[A]

You seem so tenacious and like, you just know what you want.

[B]

And I knew that it was what I was supposed to do. And even in the moments where, like, it was dark, I would get a text or an email or somebody would want to meet with me or all these different things, Even if it was just like one little thing, like, hey, I have a right tomorrow. Do you want to jump in as a third? Like, just these little light moments that made me like, no, I should keep going.

[A]

Yeah. Like, never give up. It was God. It was literally God, like, saying, like, please don't.

[B]

Absolutely God. And so I go and I do all these different things and I'm playing shows and I took a job as a backup singer for Lucy Hale, she was singing country music for a little bit. And even that, like, introduced me to a whole slew of fans back when, like, Instagram was starting and all these different little connecting moments.

[A]

How did it feel being a backup singer when you know that you're like, main energy, main character energy?

[B]

The biggest, like, moment that I remember from that time, she had a music video on the Grand Ole Opry stage. And I always told myself I would never step on the Opry stage, never in the circle, until it was my moment and we had to perform on the Opry stage and I would not step in the circle. And I'm just standing there and it was almost like the. That movie, was it like, I don't know, something 50ft from stardom or whatever that was, where it's like, you're on the stage, but you're so far from the circle. Like, that's how I felt. But I did it and I was just like, whatever keeps me making music. And for a moment I remember thinking, like, maybe I'm supposed to be a backup singer. Like, some of my favorite voices are backup singers. And I'm like, maybe that's what I'm supposed to do. And I met a producer named Busby, and he changed my life. Along with a. Or a publisher in town that I still work with, Daniel Lee. We wrote Every Little Thing and made like a five song ep. Took it around to labels, no one cared. Took it to managers, no one cared. I mean, when I tell you, like, not one person cared. And it's truly, like, part of my mission for young artists and just young people with a dream is to, like, understand that, like, no one thought that that song was a hit, right? Except for at the time, SiriusXM the highway was like, the thing. It was like the TikTok. You know, it's like everybody wanted to get played on the highway. And J.R. schuman, who worked there, he heard Every Little Thing. And this is after I'm talking, like, managers in town telling me I wasn't special. People on my team telling me to move home. I had a record label person who still works in the industry literally look me in the face and say, you will never be a star. And, you know, those are things you. I still deal with, like that imposter syndrome.

[A]

Like, have you gotten to look that dude in the face again? I'm assuming it was a dude.

[B]

Have you.

[A]

Okay, dude or female, have you got to look that person in the face

[B]

and be like, you know what's fun is I've got To look all of them in the face. And I don't have to say anything, and I won't, because they don't deserve it.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I hope that they learned

[A]

you can't

[B]

do that to people. And I carry that. I mean, truthfully, like, when I'm sitting at an awards show or I'm sitting when I was Female Vocalist of the Year, I'm like, oh, my gosh, do I belong? Do I belong here? And it's all those years where it was just like, no, no, no, you're not enough. You're not enough. You're not enough. And J.R. heard every little thing after everybody else heard it, and they didn't think it was special. And overnight, I'm talking within 12 hours, I put that song out. Alison Jones over at Big Machine, she sent me a dm, and I still work with her to this day. And she said, you have to call me in the morning. You found your three minutes. And literally the next day, it was

[A]

like, I got goosebumps.

[B]

My whole life changed. And I think it's just so important to remember you just never know when that moment is gonna shift. And, like, my life has never been the same since then. And it was on the song that was, like, not the hit.

[A]

Yeah. Can you tell me about you and Busby's relationship? Because you guys were very close. And I remember when he passed, I remember seeing your post about him and stuff, and my heart just broke for you. Can we just get a glimpse into you guys relationship?

[B]

He. So this is when I'm feeling, at 25, like I'm old news. And he was just kind of getting into the country scene. He was working with Maren, and he was like, no, I want to work with you. And he just started writing with me, and we started working together. And so we started having this success together, and he became family. When you work so closely with these people and you make music with them and you let them into, like, your brain and your secrets and the things that you really want to sing about and what you stand for. I feel like in a lot of ways, he helped me find my voice, obviously, as Carly Pierce, but also just, like, as a human. Like, he reinforced to me that, like, I was enough. And he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, brain cancer. When we were finishing, the last song he ever worked on was I Hope youe're Happy Now. And that's super special for me. But he was diagnosed and died very, very quickly after. But I got to see him, like, days before he passed, and we had this beautiful conversation, and he said to me he was sitting in his bed, and I'll never forget it. And I think it's so important for people that have success to understand this. He said he looked at his clock and he was like, you see that right there? And I was like, yeah. And he said, I can buy anything in the world except the one thing that I need, and that's time. And in so many ways, I feel like he told me that day, he was like, I just want you to fly, and I want you to know you can. And I mean, I've been working on a lot of new music, and I feel like that voice has been in my head because it's not been, you know, an easy. Even, like, getting to this place in your career. It's like, there's ups and downs and, like, it's tough. But I think remembering why I started this in the first place and the dream that I had as a kid has continued to make me understand I can fly and I can do this and make music because of that girl that was growing up in Taylor Mill, Kentucky. And he's that voice in my head, and I get signs from him a lot. I know he's around, but it's been a really special thing. And honestly, I wrote a song for him called Show Me around, and, like, that has continued to make his presence live on. And I've gotten to talk about him and just see so many people relate to that song and, like, his legacy lives on.

[A]

I really respect your loyalty to people who made you feel good in times where you didn't feel good. Yeah, like, you know, like your grandma and your grandpa believing in you and then Busby coming along. Do you think that Busbee also inspired you to start producing yourself? Because I noticed that you did start producing after he passed.

[B]

Yeah, I think he helped me trust myself and trust my instinct. And again, he knew I struggled with feeling confident. And it's funny, you talk about people either really love you or they really hate you. I feel like a lot of times people have said, oh, Carly's not very nice. And it's not that I'm not very nice. I'm painfully shy at my core and kind of want to be in the room and don't really want you to look at me. Not because I'm a bitch, because I'm just really shy and struggle with that confidence. And really, the only time that I feel alive is when I'm on stage. And I feel like he helped me really wrestle with that and be honest. With myself, that I struggled with that, and then get more confident and trust myself and trust myself in the studio and trust the kind of music I want to make and not try to chase a trend or not try to do this because it's what's working right now or, you know, all those different things. So I. And he was like, a very. Did you ever meet him?

[A]

I don't know. I don't know if I did or not.

[B]

Love you, but he was a very strong personality. And, like, he didn't take any shit. And he was like. I love that about him. Like, he was very much like, what you see is what you get. And I. I feel like he taught me to, like, be tough in that.

[A]

Yeah, I love that. I also want to clarify when I said that people either love you or they hate you. I have the same type of fan base, and it's because I tell everybody. Because I heard you say in an interview, you said, I'm not nice. And I was like, respect. Because I tell everybody I'm cool, but I'm not that cool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, and I think a lot. I think, let me choose my words here, so I don't get canceled. I think powerful women are forced to shrink themselves down because we. Boundaries. But if we don't have boundaries, then we're spineless and we're weak. So it's like, which one do you guys want? Do you want somebody who you can look up to that actually does have boundaries and, like, speaks up for herself and stands up to what's for, what's right? Or do you want somebody who cowers down in a corner every time, you know, something happens?

[B]

Well, and that's why I've. I mean, I slide up on your stories all the time because I find it so refreshing, especially in our business where the women in the South. Cause we sing country music and we love Jesus, we have to shut up and take it. And I've been guilty of it. And I just think you have brought so much, like, realness to that. And that's why I'm always like, yes. And I laugh at you because I'm like, do you know how to say that? No, I'm just like. It's so. It's like, why should you have to allow that? You know, like, that kind of energy and like, whoever's sitting behind a freaking computer, it's like, it says so much more about you than. And I just love it. I love. I love watching you, like, stand up,

[A]

but I love that you stand up, too, and you stand up to bullies, and you stand up to men who are treating you wrong. And, like, I love that about you. Like, never stop doing that. No matter what anybody says. I don't fucking care. Yeah, like, we need. I call all my crew that I hang out with. I call us a coven because it's not. Because it's witchcraft or anything like that, but a coven is a bunch of powerful women who stand together. And I feel like. I do feel like country music does make women shrink down. And I married a rapper, guys, you know, and to me, he's always going to be rapper Roll, and to you guys, he's jelly. But. And I get that. And we love that dad. Daddy's grown and, you know, he's who he is now. But I don't. I don't feel like I have to shrink down just because my husband's a country artist, you know? And, I mean, I do watch what I say because there are a lot of shit that. There is a lot of things that I say that get made into news articles. And sometimes I'm like, oh, maybe I shouldn't have said that, you know, but life short. You have to say it. And I love the fact that you do stand up for yourself. So don't ever feel like you have to always explain, you know, like, I'm shy or I have this or, like, own it, baby. You know, you have boundaries and you know what you want in life, you know? So moving on, let's talk about this. Every Little thing song that your song. Every Little thing that came out in 2017. What was that like when it started taking off for you? Like, what were you feeling? Tell me what Carly was and who you were in that moment.

[B]

I mean, when I tell you I was like, crying on the couch of my publisher the week before it went out on the highway being like, oh, my God, it's a heartbreak ballad. Like, nobody's ever going to care. This is my last chance. And he's like, it's fine. Like, just let him play it and then we'll get on to the next song. It was selling at the time, like, outselling every song on itunes as an

[A]

independent artist, sold 500k and helped launch her debut album, Top 5 on country charts.

[B]

Yeah, it was like, I think there's only at the time, it was like, in the last decade, three female artists that their solo debut went to number one. It's now multi platinum. I think what it did is it solidified my artistry. That's the song that broke me. So it's Been a really fun thing for me to remember. Like, artistically, that song was the exception to the rule. It was a heartbreak ballad in the middle of summer, very little production in a world where it was very male driven and, like, very bro country, if you will. And I just, you know, I remember it happened so fast. It was just like a rocket. I was just trying to hold on.

[A]

That's amazing. Brooks and Dunn just did an interview, I believe, with Theo Vaughn. And in the clip, they talk about how competitive country music is. And at first I was kind of like, I don't know if that's true or not, but I'm also not an artist. Do you feel like country music is competitive, or do you also feel like they cater to the men more than they do the women?

[B]

So many thoughts. What I struggle with is I always say I feel like now this is the best I've ever seen. Like, the female artists right now are like, I listen to them. Yeah. You know, like, in my free time, I'm listening to these.

[A]

Who's some of your favorite artists? Really quick.

[B]

I think Ella Langley is a superstar, babe. I think Lainey has been the best thing to happen to female country music in the last 20 years. I love, like, new female artists like Carter Faith. I think she's gonna be a big star. I obviously am super close to Kelsey. I love what Casey stands for. Megan Maroney. Like, I don't. I don't know that we've had a girl be able to have ticket sales like she's having right now. You know, she's got a cult following that reminds me of Taylor Swift. What is hard is if you are not part of the five, you can feel left out. It's almost like there's only room for the few. And I hope, because right now, I do feel like we have an abundance of amazing female artists that we're starting to see that shift. Because for me, growing up, like the 90s, the females ruled. And I think what's difficult is you see so many male artists. I always call them faceless number ones because it's like, yeah, I couldn't tell you who so many of them are on the radio because they all just are kind of interchangeable.

[A]

But then a lot of them sound the same too.

[B]

They sound the same. But then, you know, you've got Cody and Chris Stapleton and Jelly, and it's like, those are the ones that really have a brand. But it's almost like the females have to. They just have to be so much more branded. But I do think like, you can differentiate every single one of us on the radio, which I think is really a special thing. But, I mean, it's just hard. I think it's harder for women, but I think the women hit much bigger. Like, they can really, like, their art artistry is just really, like, defined. Yeah.

[A]

They can hold their own. You guys can hold your own up against the men. I feel like women are dominating country music right now.

[B]

I mean, it's the most excited I've ever been.

[A]

Yeah, let's keep it here for a while. So moving on from that, in 2020. Wait, 2019, you meet Michael Ray. Can we talk about this for a little bit?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Where did you guys meet? How did you guys, you know, even start this razor blade romance?

[B]

You want to talk about the most whirlwind? We knew each other. We had played shows together, but, like, Instagram. Right.

[A]

And did he slide in the DMs?

[B]

I think I did. I'm gonna be honest. Like, I did. I thought he was so cute. I had heard, like, he's the nicest guy in the world, and I invited him to my number one party for every little thing. And, I mean, it was just. It was a very. Looking back on it, it was just a very, very hot and heavy, like, lust. It wasn't love passion. Yeah. It was just passionate.

[A]

So you guys made. And I'm sorry I misquoted. You guys met in 2018, right?

[B]

2018.

[A]

Okay. So you guys met in 2018, and then you guys were married in 2019. So take me on that journey of, like, dating and then deciding to get married so early because I, you know, I understand it. My husband and I got married a month after we were together. Yes. And now we're going on almost. We're going on nine years this month, 10 years knowing each other.

[B]

Well, See, it can happen. So I think in my brain, that's what I thought. Yeah, I thought. And, you know, at the time, his career was. Was rising. And honestly, like, he was more successful than me. And when our relationship started, it was like, oh, this is so exciting. I think we both got caught up in that. Like, oh, everybody's so excited about this. But, I mean, genuinely, I got married to go the distance. I absolutely did. When I married him, it was for the right reasons. I think that when you travel like this. And I thought I was doing the right thing by, like, waiting to get married till I was 29, but we didn't have, like, real conversations, and we didn't really know about each other, and we were kind of living this life that wasn't really reality. Now looking back on it. So I just think we didn't really know each other because we're just in it.

[A]

We're just in it in the moment.

[B]

We're in it. And, you know, I knew the night I got married I shouldn't have. If I'm being completely honest with you. I think the best thing that ever happened to me was Covid, because it allowed me to deal with that in private. I think that I probably would have stayed in it longer if I could have avoided it and not had to. I was embarrassed when it happened, you know, of course, and I had shame around that and was heartbroken. But I think if I had to do that in front of people, I would have prolonged that relationship longer.

[A]

Was there one thing that separated you guys or was it. Was there just like, what was the final breaking point for you to be like, you know what? I'm filing for divorce. Because you're the one that filed for divorce.

[B]

I did. It wasn't what I signed up for. Right. It just wasn't the marriage that I know I deserved. I knew that very quickly. And I think in the first, we were only married for eight months. Plenty happened to where it was very clear to me this was not. This just wasn't a marriage. Right.

[A]

Was there ever any infidelity or anything that would make you question his love for you? Because, you know, there's so many rumors and I have to ask. Yeah, of course I have to ask. There's so many rumors that have come out of the.

[B]

What he didn't do wasn't written just out of thin air. Album 29 wasn't, you know, written out of like. Yeah, I mean, it wasn't good. It wasn't good. And I've always, you know, what's been so hard is everybody has a different opinion. Right. And I think what I've been able to do, I am in the happiest season of my life. I'm actually. If I ever saw him, if he ever watches this. Thank you. Because you taught me more about myself. You taught me how strong I am. You put me through things that have made me better now. And I don't wish him evil. I don't wish anything on him. I'm so glad that I'm not in that anymore.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But I think I was really shown just how much I care about me, you know, Like, I actually really have a lot of self worth, and that showed me that. Yeah, that wasn't it. And what's been Hard. What I was gonna say is people have all their opinions, and at first, that was so hard for me because I was like, that's not true. That's not true. That's not true. What he's saying isn't true. But at the end of the day, like, my friends who walked that with me, they know. My parents know, and God knows, and that is enough. It's enough.

[A]

I love that. I think one of the things that might have speculated, the infidelity rumors was this whole situation kind of got a lot of tract. Is that true? Is she Jolene?

[B]

Yeah. Let's just say I'm not a fan of her. Yeah, I'm not a fan of her. I'm not a fan of him. I could have. I could have done so much more than I did.

[A]

I can see the rage in you when this gets brought up.

[B]

It's tough, you know, it's tough to think that it's just like, just leave me instead. And that. That. Yeah. I think, to your point, I shut my mouth for so long. Yeah. Are you dying?

[A]

He's over there, butt cheeks clenched.

[B]

But, you know, I mean. But truthfully, like, I shut my mouth for so long because I felt like I had to. And I'm not here to blow anybody up or, like, I don't care anymore. But, yeah, I mean, when you're faced with somebody that was a really dark season for you, and then they go and blow it up on the Internet, like, it's just like, yeah.

[A]

Her response was kind of icky, but,

[B]

you know, also, you go, I don't know if he told her we were divorced. I don't know. I don't know. All I know is, yeah, that wasn't. That was not a fun situation for me. And I think what's harder is you want somebody at the end of it to just look you in the eye and be like, yeah, I did this, and. But I never got any of that. And so it's like I had to piece together a lot of things after the fact. But they were facts.

[A]

Yeah, absolutely. Well, I told my daughter this a couple days ago, and it's one of the best quotes I've ever heard. But do not set yourself on fire to keep others warm.

[B]

No, you can't do it. So good.

[A]

Yeah, you can't do it, man, because it will just eat you inside. And the rage that I saw in your eyes when you started talking about that, like, that's a woman that's been hurt. That's not a woman who's being petty that's not a woman who's trying to start drama. That's a woman who is hurt.

[B]

Well, and that's what's so hard is like people don't think you're a real human being when you have a microphone or you have a platform or you have like a public name. Yeah.

[A]

You have to be stone faced. They want you to have no emotions.

[B]

Yeah. And it's like, yeah, I did have a visceral reaction to what she said and I did have a reaction when she was sitting in the audience when I'm singing this song. Like, of course I did. Because I'm a girl who got hurt. And that at the end of the day, that's what it was. And it's like, if people aren't able to see that, like me as a human being, that's on them. Like, yes, I can't. I'm to the place in this like a decade in where I'm like, I can't do everything perfect. Like, I'm a girl. Like, I'm Carly and like, I'm just a girl. I'm just a freaking girl. Like, and I'm sorry, but I get pissed off and like, I get hurt and I lash out and like, yeah.

[A]

And that's okay.

[B]

I get petty.

[A]

I get it. And that's okay.

[B]

Yeah, it's hard, sister.

[A]

We here, we are here for you. And listen, this is a safe space. I'm pissed off all the time. I'm ranting and raving about something, especially on the Internet all the time. So I love that you're actually speaking your truth.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like not you're. But you're still doing it so eloquently too. Like, and I admire that because me, I'm the complete opposite. I will blow up and then look back and be like, oopsie, you know, but you're still being so eloquent about it and loving and that that says a lot more about you than it does anybody else that's involved in that situation. So.

[B]

And you know what has been the most healing thing? Nothing to do with that. Nothing to do with my divorce or marriage. The women that come up to me every day, whether it's after a show on the street at the grocery store and say to me, you helped me through my pain. Cool. I'd do it all over again because it really is worth that. And I stand on stage singing songs like, what? He didn't do that literally, like crushed me to write. And I'm just like, just wait to see yourself after that situation because I don't identify with her anymore. Like, I now, if you would have ever told me, I would have 29 times tattooed on my arm the year, like, the worst year of my life. And I have it as a reminder of, like, oh, no, no, no, no, no. That was like a defining moment of, like, your happiness.

[A]

I love that. That's so powerful, too. And women who are listening to this podcast, I know, are going to get so much more insight to who you are and just, I don't know, you're leading by example. And that's the best thing that you could ever do to walk through life is just to show people how you get through your shit.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Moving on from that nightmare, you write your album 29 in 2021, and you were reflecting on the divorce, but also your producer Busby's death. And then you got invited by Dolly Parton to join the Grand Ole Opry. So it's like you went through this bullshit and then finally you get invited to your dream.

[B]

Literally in like a 12 month span, I released 20. I get divorced, I released 29. I get invited by my idol to become a member of the Opry. I win two time Female Vocalist of the Year and I win a Grammy. And I'm like, how? How is that real? Yeah. But again, like, I think what I continue to be reminded, authenticity is the name of the game. Like, look at your husband and what he's like, brought to our format. It's like when you are authentically yourself, it's like, it's so powerful. And I wasn't writing again to like, slam anyone. No, I was writing what I was going through. Yeah. And it just transcended, like the pandemic, even, like, I feel like my career took off in the pandemic.

[A]

Yeah. It was almost like you needed that darkness because there was so much light that was about to come in. What is it like winning your first Grammy? Like what?

[B]

Well, it was the first time I'd ever been nominated too.

[A]

Yeah. Wow. Good for you. The odds for that is insane.

[B]

And, you know, it was this song that Ashley McBride and I wrote together.

[A]

And we love Ashley.

[B]

Yeah. And like, we're sitting in the back of like the pre tel where they do the pre televised awards and whoever was like, doing our category. She had like a really strong accent, like, she was foreign. And so when she said we're up against, like, really big Grammy darlings, as you know, it's like, it's very hard. And she just goes, kelly, Pierce and Ashley. And once she got to Pierce, I Was like, did she just say my name? I mean, it was like a total out of body experience. Yeah. I never even thought I could get to the Grammys. Like, that wasn't really, like, female focus of the year at the CMAs was like, the thing to me. And, like, the Grand Ole Opry, but, like, the Grammys didn't even seem like a possibility to even be a part of it.

[A]

Yeah, no, that's amazing and so exciting. I heard. Okay, so I heard you say, this is. This is a testament of who you are as a human, which is crazy to me. But you went to an award show after you had gotten in an accident and had two of your front teeth knocked out. And then you go to an award show two days freaking later. Like, why not sit the award show out?

[B]

Oh, my God, This. I'm telling you, 2020 was. 2020 was a bitch. I got in an accident. I knocked my two. Like, I knocked half of my two front teeth out. I had seven stitches in my lip. Cause I almost bit through my lip.

[A]

Carly.

[B]

Seven days before I was up for my first CMA award. And it was during the pandemic when, like, only the award or only the artist got to go. I don't tell anyone. I, like, do all my interviews, like, at my house. My face looks insane. I had to get, like, bonding and stitches and the whole thing. And I end up going to the award show. And I took my best girlfriend. She's still my best friend from childhood. And I'm sitting there and, like, my lip starts bleeding because it's, like, so messed up. And she's like, you gotta, like. You gotta, like, pat your lip. But that morning, we were watching Good Morning America and they announce music event of the year. And never in a million years did I think I was gonna win that. But I won it for I Hope youe're Happy now, the song that Busbee last worked. And that, like, was the craziest experience. And of course, I wake up the next day and all these radio stations are like, carly Pierce had a bad botched job of her lips being done. And I'm like, no, I don't. No, you have no idea. You have no idea what I've gone through. Like, my teeth were moving.

[A]

And then you still didn't speak publicly about that.

[B]

No, I didn't. I didn't.

[A]

How do you have that much reserve? I'd have been on fricking TikTok. Hello. No, this is what happened. You know? Like, you just are so, like, I don't know how you do it again.

[B]

I think I. I think for so long I've been afraid to, like, rock the boat. And I didn't. I just didn't want to feed into it. But, like, if you saw these pictures, they were insane.

[A]

The seven stitches in your mouth, like,

[B]

almost bit straight through my lips. And again, like, I'm singing, I hope you're happy now on the stage. And my teeth are, like, moving in my mouth because I had to let them set. Oh. And the next day I got three root canals when my first cma. Three root canals the next day.

[A]

Carla, you're a beast. You're straight up savage, girl. Like, I don't. That's just barbaric.

[B]

It was crazy.

[A]

At this point, it's like, are you. Do you like the pain?

[B]

Oh, my God. I'll show you the picture. Maybe when this airs, I'll post a picture of my teeth so that you can see it.

[A]

Yeah, you can send it to Mimi. I just.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

I had to ask you about that. Cause I was just like, this is crazy.

[B]

I, like, sent a picture to my now manager. He was my drummer at the time. And I was like, hey, so I've had, like, an accident. I sent him this picture and he just calls me. He's like, what happened? Like, what happened? I mean, I looked like I got beat up.

[A]

You poor baby, dude. And then to just go and face the world like that, you're just. You're a fricking soldier, dude. So let's talk about this heart condition that you have. How did you discover it? What were your symptoms? How long were you dealing with it for?

[B]

I have something called recurrent pericarditis. And back in 2020, I was headed to a place in Nashville called on site, which is.

[A]

I love on site.

[B]

Hey, Miles. Hey, Miles. Sup?

[A]

I always tell Miles when we walk through an awards show, I'm like, I know who got counseling from you. Because they're all everybody and their mom is hey, Miles.

[B]

So I go to a three day intensive with Miles when my OR at on site. And I remember walking up the hill from the parking lot and I had like, this really intense chest pain and, like, really short of breath. My dad had a widowmaker heart attack when I was 19. He's still here. I remember he was at my house because I was going through my divorce. And so when I got back from onsite, I was like, man, something is like, not right. He was like, you know, him of all people should have been like, are you okay? Like, should we go get it checked. And he's like, I'm telling you, it's anxiety. You're going through a lot, blah, blah, blah. And I think the thing is that I wanted people to understand and why I went public. Doctors dismissed me for years. Oh, it's anxiety. Oh, it's in your head. Oh, it's. You're fine. You just live a really stressful life. And it's like, I'm telling you, like, my body is telling me something, like, I've never felt like this in my life. So I had shortness of breath, but it kind of went away. And at the time, like, I'm an avid runner, so I was, like, running on this when I shouldn't have been. I was just like, like, doing my life.

[A]

Not shocking, I know. Like, an admission goes and runs eight miles.

[B]

I'm like, oh, it's fine. But I knew it wasn't fine. I ended up fainting and went to the er and they told me I had pericarditis, which is, like, inflammation. Your. Your heart is in a. In a sack, and it's the inflammation of the sac around it. And a pericardial effusion is when it, like, fills with fluid. And so. So I had that, but then I got better. Well, then I started having these, what they call flares, like, over the last few years, like, these little flares where I would take a bunch of ibuprofen and I'd be fine. And last year, I was on the road with Timmigirl and had a flare on a shoot where I knew it was bad, ended up going, getting checked, had to go to the ER and was finally diagnosed with recurrent pericarditis, which a lot of people deal with, especially young people, where that happens. A lot of times it's from a virus that you've had a lot of people get it, like, after they've had a major surgery or whatever. I didn't really have anything like that. So it's still kind of unknown why, but it's something that I have to be kind of, like, aware of. I had to really change last summer, like, how I was operating on stage and couldn't get my heart rate up and all these different things. Luckily, I've not had another major flair, but I wanted to go public with it, obviously, because my shows had to be different. I was, like, standing stationary for a lot of the shows, but also just. You have to advocate for yourself, because even when I had that last flare, it was like I had a very, like, prominent sports coach, like a doctor of Like, a very big sports team.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Tell me this is not pericarditis. And it was. And it's like, if you're not advocating for your own self, like, who's gonna advocate for you?

[A]

Absolutely. Hold on one second.

[B]

I'm obsessed with him. He's like, I, like, wanna hang him up, put an apple in his mouth and, like, roast him. I, like, so sorry.

[A]

I'm like. And you're talking about your health.

[B]

And I'm just like, can I look at him? He's like, I got a heart condition, too, girl. Yeah.

[A]

All right. If he could just lay there, that'll be great. So is there. No. Are you gonna live with this for the rest of your life? Is there?

[B]

I'm a part of this campaign called Life Disrupted, and it's actually allowed me to meet one of the very few, like, pericardial doctors in America, which has been, like, a total godsend for me. The short answer is you could. But a lot of people don't, like, it's kind of something that they live with for several years or whatnot. Hopefully I don't, but if I do, I feel like I know now how to manage it. It's not detrimental. You think? Oh, my God. And this was something that I really wanted people to understand. Like, you think shortness of breath and chest pain. You're automatically having a heart attack. Especially being, like, the daughter of somebody who's had heart disease.

[A]

Yeah, it's ptsd.

[B]

Oh, my God. But it's totally fine. And many people live with this and they are really affected. Like, some people have flares all the time. I'm lucky that I don't. But it's been really a beautiful thing to meet so many people through this campaign that are dealing with the same things. And I have a friend that I grew up with that I had no idea she was dealing with it. She lives in South Carolina, and she's my age, avid runner. She has it. And she's like, oh, my God, I didn't know that you did. And so it's like giving me this community again just to be like, oh, you're. You have this. Okay, cool. Like, I'm not the only person dealing with this because I'd never heard of that.

[A]

Just one more thing to add to your testimony.

[B]

Yeah, for sure.

[A]

Let's talk about Hummingbird. You dropped it in June of 2024, and you co produced that album.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Take Me on that Journey.

[B]

That album, I feel like, was so special to me. Just being able to really put a flag in, like, the kind of country music that I want to make. It's so funny. I feel like that album really has set me up for what I've. I've just finished my next album. It's the most me that I've ever felt in an album, But I feel like what Hummingbird did is it allowed me to really put a flagship on, like, traditional country music and that rootsy sound. But it was like a healing journey for me. It was finding my happiness again and kind of like going through some darkness, because really, with 29, I didn't have time to really process what was going on. And I went through, like, a lot of anxiety and depression during that of just, like, kind of trying to wrestle with, okay, I've had all this success, but I feel pretty empty inside, and I feel sad, and I feel like Hummingbird was kind of me grieving, Busby. Grieving, like, the loss of a relationship and finding myself on the other side of that.

[A]

Why'd you name it Hummingbird?

[B]

Hummingbirds are a sign that the healing process can begin and that good luck is on the way. And I had written that song, not. I had a song called Hummingbird on the album. Had no idea that that was the meaning. So I now have a little Hummingbird.

[A]

I love that. I love that you have tattoos, because I never. That's why I smiled when you showed me the 29 earlier, because I was like, carly's tatted up.

[B]

She's got some tats.

[A]

I love this. Yes. Are we gonna do full sleeves?

[B]

I listen, I think it'd be hot on you, right? Yeah, I have kind of like a cluster going.

[A]

That's how she started. Now look at her. Haley. When I first. When Haley first started working for me, she didn't have one freaking tattoo or she had one little one. It was a to Taurus sign or something like that. And then now she's, like, freaking tatted up.

[B]

I'm very addicted to them. I, like, recently went in to get one because I kind of just started doing all this, and somebody was like, oh, you have, like, the stamp look. And I was like, wait, I have a look? Like, it's starting to become like. I mean, I'm like, I've got to commit here. So I love it.

[A]

Sleeve it up, baby.

[B]

Sleeve it up. I love it.

[A]

I love that. So let's talk about this new relationship that you hard launched.

[B]

Is this.

[A]

Are we serious?

[B]

Yeah, we're serious. Yay.

[A]

Talk all about it.

[B]

You know, again, like, the stigmas that people put on women, I was like, I'm 35. I'm never gonna meet somebody. And it's like, oh, it's so funny. I'm happier than ever.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I met him on a dating app. Like, don't think that you.

[A]

Which one? Which one?

[B]

Raya. Girl, girl.

[A]

I gotta get my girls on Raya because I hear it's great over there.

[B]

Well, it's also like, awful. Like, I don't know.

[A]

I mean, they're on Bumble.

[B]

That's probably worse. I just didn't think you could meet a real person on Raya. I don't know. I just felt like, how am I gonna be able to meet somebody that's aligned with me? He's not in any kind of entertainment, which is the best thing ever.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But yeah, I'm just really happy. And again, I'm in this season of my life where I'm like, I don't care what you think about me. Because for so long it was like, well, everybody thinks I'm like dating too many people and there's something wrong with me because my relationship didn't work. And it's like, absolutely not. I hard launched it because I just don't care anymore.

[A]

How are you supposed to find. Isn't that the point? Dating is to find somebody that you want to spend the rest of your life with?

[B]

I'm like, I'm sorry. I've had a few relationships since my marriage. Isn't that the point? Like, I didn't. It's not like I've married six people. It's like, everybody.

[A]

I've been married three times and I've just decided at 45 that I want to have a child. There's nothing in the world that anybody can tell you what the fuck to do. It's not your, their life, it's yours.

[B]

I literally, at 35, just accepted that. And like, literally one day was just like, Like, I'm so happy.

[A]

Freeze your eggs now, girl.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Do it now. Don't be going through what I'm going through.

[B]

No, no, no. I know, I know. I'm like, there's no timeline and there's no right way to do it. And if somebody wants to judge me for it, do it. I don't care anymore.

[A]

They're at home judging and they've got freaking three divorces. And, you know, like, come on. Like, it's people that live in glass houses, throw stones all the time.

[B]

They do.

[A]

The only thing that matters is how you feel about your life. Nobody else is living your life for you, you know? So I'm happy.

[B]

I'm really happy for you.

[A]

Thank you. And you seem giddy when you talk about.

[B]

I am.

[A]

How long have you guys been together?

[B]

It's like, newer. Okay. No, six months.

[A]

I love that.

[B]

But he's the best.

[A]

I love. As long as he makes you happy and as long as he makes you smile, that's all that matters. What can we expect from you? Coming up.

[B]

Like I said, I have made my favorite music that I've ever made, and I feel like in a season where it's so easy to want to chase the trend, like I told you, and I just doubled down on the kind of music that I came to town wanting to make. I grew up loving Appalachian, Kentucky, like bluegrass, roots music, and bring it back. I just dove into it, and it's truly my favorite music I've made. So there's a lot.

[A]

When's it. When's it coming?

[B]

Are you like.

[A]

Tell us. Soon.

[B]

Okay. Really soon.

[A]

All right. Carly, thank you so much.

[B]

Thanks for having me.

[A]

I'm so happy we were finally able to sit down together and get to spend some time together. Anytime you want to come back, my couch is always open.

[B]

Thanks, girl.

[A]

And anytime you want me to tell somebody off, just send them my way.

[B]

Don't you worry.

[A]

I got your back, girl.

[B]

Now I know you do for life.

[A]

Don't.

[B]

With my girl.

[A]

Carly. I'll be coming for you. And if people don't know where to find you, just shout out your socials. I'm sure they can find you everywhere

[B]

at carlypierce on all the things.

[A]

There we go. Thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of Don Blonde. I'll see you guys next week.

[B]

Bye.

[A]

Promise here.

[B]

Time to lock in. Men's Wearhouse makes it easy.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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