This Friday, Valentine’s Day, Carly Pearce will release her self-titled sophomore album, and when fans listen to the project, Carly says what they’ll hear is, “There’s a common thread of who I am and what has happened to me, and that vulnerability taken to another level.”
Just as Carly has allowed her fans into her life through her social media, this album is all about letting them in through her music. “I feel like you see me on stage and you see me on social media but you don’t really know what’s been going on with me,” explains Carly. “And I feel like when I hand this record to somebody or they get to hear it for the first time, here you go. It is raw and real and honestly, some of it is, I think, more raw and real than anything I’ve put out, ever.”
With songs like “You Kissed Me First,” “Halfway Home,” “Heart’s Going Out of It’s Mind” and her latest single, “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” on this album, Carly says, “I hope that when people listen to it, fans that know me kind of can hear more of my story and more than just the girl that sang at Dollywood or whatever. And I hope that fans that maybe are just discovering me hear just like I’m more sure of herself girl.”
The album is self-titled and Carly explains, “I feel like so much has happened in my life, both professionally and personally through this process of making this record, that I felt falling in love and going through the experiences that I’ve gone through and seeing how country music fans have opened their arms to me, I wanted to show that that has given me the confidence, more than ever, to be exactly who I am. And I feel like this is a reflection and a body of work of that confident woman for the first time. And so I really just wanted it to stand alone with my name.”
Carly, who just married Michael Ray this past October, will get to celebrate the release of her new album with her husband since they are playing a show together in St. Louis, Missouri, on Valentine’s night, and she says, “Typically I’m not excited about Valentine’s Day I really don’t care. It feels like just a day. But this particular Valentine’s Day it’s like the first one that I’m married, it’s this album that means so much to me, and getting to play a show with Michael. It’s gonna be a really, really special night and I think one of my favorite nights ever.”
Carly Pearce – Valentine’s Day release :22
“I feel like the only way to release my album was to be on Valentine’s Day because love is such a theme of the album. And to be able to release it on Valentine’s Day, and to be able to play a show with my husband, celebrating my album celebrating our first Valentine’s Day married, it’s just gonna be really fun and will be a very, very special night for me for a very huge number of reasons.”
Carly Pearce – album release day Valentine’s :15
“It is a lot going on and typically I’m not excited about Valentine’s Day I really don’t care. It feels like just a day. But this particular Valentine’s Day it’s like the first one that I’m married, it’s this album that means so much to me, and getting to play a show with Michael. It’s gonna be a really, really special night and I think one of my favorite nights ever.”
Carly Pearce – why self-titled album :31
“I feel like so much has happened in my life, both professionally and personally, through this process of making this record that I felt falling in love and going through the experiences that I’ve gone through and seeing how country music fans have opened their arms to me, I wanted to show that that has given me the confidence, more than ever, to be exactly who I am. And I feel like this is a reflection and a body of work of that confident woman for the first time. And so I really just wanted it to stand alone with my name.”
Carly Pearce – what fans can expect from album :42
“It’s not a concept album. It’s not anything of that sort, but there’s a common thread of who I am and what has happened to me, and that vulnerability taken to another level. I mean, I feel like you see me on stage and you see me on social media but you don’t really know what’s been going on with me. And I feel like when I hand this record to somebody or they get to hear it for the first time, here you go. It is raw and real and honestly, some of it is, I think, more raw and real than anything I’ve put out, ever. And I hope that when people listen to it, fans that know me kind of can hear more of my story and more than just the girl that sang at Dollywood or whatever. And I hope that fans that maybe are just discovering me hear just like I’m more sure of herself girl.”