Carly Pearce Explains Why She Is Grateful for the Hard Times

Carly Pearce almost wasn't a country singer. After quitting high school to sing in Dollywood, [...]

Carly Pearce almost wasn't a country singer. After quitting high school to sing in Dollywood, Pearce moved to Nashville where she was signed, and then dropped, by a record label, without having any success. After several years of struggle and disappointment, Pearce considered moving back to her native Kentucky, before realizing that her determination was bigger than her fears.

Of course, her instincts proved correct, and Pearce's debut single, "Every Little Thing," the title track of her freshman album, landed at the top of the charts, helping her earn spots on four major tours this year. But the sting of those early years still linger in her mind, although now she feels nothing but gratitude for the hard times.

"I don't think that I would change anything about my personal journey through the music industry," Pearce shared with PopCulture.com at a recent media event. "I think that it's so easy in the moment to wonder why things aren't happening for you and in hindsight I understand exactly why, because I needed to figure out who I was as an artist and do a lot of things on my own to understand what a career means as far as being one of the artists in the country music industry. I don't think I would change it."

Still, the success comes with a price, although the ACM New Female Vocalist of the Year nominee admits it's a price she will happily pay. After spending the end of 2017 serving as the opening act on Brett Young's Calliville Tour, Pearce just wrapped up her run as the opening act on Blake Shelton's Country Music Freaks Tour, and will hit the road this year with Thomas Rhett, Luke Bryan and Rascal Flatts. The busy schedule means little time for the place Pearce enjoys the most.

"I love my house," conceded Pearce. "I'm actually a homebody, which is not good for this career. So, I think sacrificing that normalcy of going to the grocery store – I'm a girl who likes to cook and go to bed at 9 p.m. a lot of times. So, I think just my idea of a schedule as a normal person is a little different, but if that's what I have to sacrifice to get this kind of life that I get to live every day I am fine with that and the boys on the bus just have to figure out that I'm gonna be up at 8 in the morning."

While Pearce was wondering if she would ever get her chance in country music, she imagined how her life would be if she actually was a country artist. Fortunately, those dreams, which fueled her during the dark times, were not disappointing.

"I don't think that you can ever really prepare yourself for something like this but also it's surpassed all of my wildest dreams and I'm so thankful," she said. "I'm so grateful I didn't get it at 21, because now I can appreciate it a lot more ... It just keep getting better and I just thank God every day that I get to do this and that my music is translating the way that I always hoped that maybe it would and that other artists want me to be a part of their tours. I'll take it!"

A list of all of Pearce's upcoming shows can be found on her website.

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