CURRENT SINGLE: “Next Girl”
Growing up, Carly Pearce would listen to the Grand Ole Opry shows every Saturday night on the radio, and she says, “I remember as a young girl when my grandparents found out that I wanted to sing, they made sure that I understood the importance of the people who came before me. And I think that this is the most prestigious place that you’ll ever play as a country music artist.”
As of last Tuesday (8/3), Carly is the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, and in discussing her membership, she said, “I don’t view this as another accolade. I don’t view this as another feather in my to check off my bucket list items. I look at this as a responsibility, and I feel like the way that Carrie (Underwood) has taken this as a part of her brand and been an ambassador and really entrenched herself into this Opry family, is the way that I want to do it. And I genuinely mean it from the bottom of my heart that this is just the beginning of what I will do for the Opry.”
Considering Carly played the Opry 85 times before she was invited to become a member, we have a feeling she’ll keep that promise. For any artists who may not have grown up with the same awareness and reverence for the Opry like she did, Carly saya, “I think that it is our duty as country artists to keep it alive, keep the circle unbroken, and to continue the legacy that it has built. And I encourage artists if they don’t know, to come and spend time here, really understand what you’re signing up for when you’re a country artist, and to me that’s understanding this place.”
One thing Carly has always understood about the Opry is how she should dress to perform on that sacred stage. Carly recalls, “Eddie Stubbs [Grand Ole Opry announcer for 25 years until he retired last year] told me when I first started playing, he said, ‘You understand the Opry because you are dressing to put on a show.’ And he said, ‘Never forget, you are here and people are here to see you, so make sure that you put on a show.’” And Carly says, “I’ve never forgotten that.”
So, it’s not surprising that for her Opry induction, Carly looked gorgeous in a delicate white lace column style dress with tiny pink ruffles spaced about every ten inches down the dress. As for how she chose it, Carly says, “I saw it online and I said, ‘That’s it.’ It felt like the right thing.”
And Carly revealed a funny story during a press conference right before her induction about why she will never forget that dress, besides the occasion for which she was wearing it. She said, “My mom actually got a Barbie made with a dress that looks like this and an Opry mic. Like literally, a Barbie that looks like this is at my house right now. It’s pretty awesome.”
Besides being inducted as a member of the Opry, which has been Carly’s lifelong dream, we asked her if she had any other favorite memories from all the times she’s played there, maybe something that happened backstage. Carly instantly had a story to share. She said, “On my second performance on the Opry we heard that there was a surprise guest, and we didn’t know who that was. And I’m standing with two of my band members, and we heard a knock on my door. We turned, and it was Garth Brooks. And he goes, ‘Hey, I’m Garth. Can I come in? I was like, ‘Yes.’ And then, in walks Trisha (Yearwood), and I screamed in her face. And I don’t know if she remembers that, but she probably does. She was probably scared.”
The irony of that story is that years later, Trisha Yearwood was the person who officially inducted Carly as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on August 3rd.
Carly Pearce – Opry responsibility :28
“I don’t view this as another accolade. I don’t view this as another feather in my cap to check off my bucket list items. I look at this as a responsibility, and I feel like the way that Carrie has taken this as a part of her brand and been an ambassador and really entrenched herself into this Opry family, is the way that I want to do it. And I genuinely mean it from the bottom of my heart that this is just the beginning of what I will do for the Opry.”
Carly Pearce – what tell artists about Opry :30
“I remember as a young girl when my grandparents found out that I wanted to sing, they made sure that I understood the importance of the people who came before me. And I think that this is the most prestigious place that you’ll ever play as a country music artist. And I think that it is our duty as country artists to keep it alive, keep the circle unbroken, and to continue the legacy that it has built. And I encourage artists if they don’t know, to come and spend time here, really understand what you’re signing up for when you’re a country artist, and to me that’s understanding this place.”
Carly Pearce – Opry induction dress :26
“I saw it online and I said, ‘That’s it.’ It felt like the right thing. Eddie Stubbs told me when I first started playing, he said, ‘You understand the Opry because you are dressing to put on a show.’ And he said, ‘Never forget, you were here and people are here to see you, so make sure that you put on a show.’ So, I’ve never forgotten that. And y’all, my mom actually got a Barbie made with a dress that looks like this and an Opry mic. Like literally, a Barbie that looks like this is at my house right now. It’s pretty awesome.”
Carly Pearce – memorable Opry moment :26
“On my second performance on the Opry we heard that there was a surprise guest, and we didn’t know who that was. And I’m standing with two of my band members, and we heard a knock on my door. We turned, and it was Garth Brooks. And he goes, ‘Hey, I’m Garth. Can I come in? I was like, ‘Yes.’ And then in walks Trisha, and I screamed in her face. And I don’t know if she remembers that, but she probably does. She was probably scared.”