Carly Pearce

Best known for chart-topping country duets like "I Hope You're Happy Now" and "Never Wanted to Be That Girl," Carly Pearce is a Grammy-winning vocalist from Taylor Mill, Kentucky, where she was born as "Carly Cristyne Slusser" on April 24, 1990. Pearce left high school at 16 years old and moved to eastern Tennessee, where she performed bluegrass music five nights a week at the Dollywood theme park. After moving to Nashville, she made her major-label debut by appearing on the Josh Abbott track "Wasn't That Drunk," which gave the young singer her first Top 40 hit on the Country Airplay chart. She capitalized on that momentum with 2017's platinum-selling "Every Little Thing," which went to Number 1 on Country Airplay. Her debut record of the name also dominated the Billboard charts, reaching number 4 on Top Country Albums later that year. Her self-titled second album followed three years later and cracked the US Top Country Albums chart top ten largely propelled by the duet with Lee Brice, "I Hope You're Happy Now," which won Single of the Year and Musical Event of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards 2020. In 2021, she was inducted into the Grande Ole Opry, invited by Dolly Parton, with her third album 29: Written in Stone landing hot on the heels of that triumph. Released in September 2021, the album yielded a number-one hit in "Never Wanted to Be That Girl," a duet with Ashley McBryde, which won the pair Musical Event of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards 2022 and the following year, their first Grammy (Best Country Duo/Group Performance). In 2023, Carly Pearce teamed up with fellow country star Chris Stapleton for the single "We Don't Fight Anymore," which reached number 14 on the Country Airplay chart and went gold. The song also appeared on her fourth album, Hummingsbird, which was released the following year.