9 Things to Know About Carly Pearce

Carly Pearce burst onto the country scene in 2017 with her single “Every Little Thing,” and her star has only risen higher in the time since, with Pearce releasing her debut album of the same name that year and her latest single, “Closer to You,” in 2018.

The singer celebrates her 29th birthday on April 24, and she’s poised for a big year ahead, which includes a major milestone in her personal life. Pearce is preparing for her upcoming wedding to fellow country singer Michael Ray,

Read on for nine things to know about Pearce.

She dropped out of high school to work at Dollywood

Pearce left school at 16 with her parents’ blessing and moved to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to work at Dollywood, where she performed six times a day, five times a week.

“I always knew that I wanted to move to Nashville, and I think that Dollywood was a good college for me for a few years of understanding what it meant to have a real singing job where I had to learn how to sing sick, I had to learn how to put on a show every day, I worked with other artists,” she told Nash Country Daily of the experience. “It was really a boot camp or a college or something like that where I learned a lot of valuable lessons that I use even today.”

She moved to Nashville when she was 19

After her years at Dollywood, the singer packed up and headed to Music City at age 19, where she used her connections to start co-writing. After getting to Nashville, she landed a publishing deal that didn’t work out.

“First and foremost, I’m an artist,” she told Wide Open Country. “But I was willing to do whatever I needed to within the industry to connect the dots.”

She was previously signed to Sony Nashville

Pearce signed a development deal with Sony Records in 2012, where she planned to become a bluegrass star. That deal failed before she released an album, and she was let go.

“In hindsight, I’m really glad it didn’t work,” she told Wide Open Country. “I wouldn’t be the songwriter, performer or business mind I am now.”

Her favorite food is brussel sprouts

Pearce shared this fact with Battered and Brewed, noting that she knows the vegetable is an unusual choice for a favorite food.

“You’re going to laugh, but brussel sprouts are my favorite food ever!” she said. “I order them everywhere I go out to dinner and cook them almost every night.”

However, the singer did choose a bit of a different option when asked what food she could eat every day for the rest of her life.

“Chips and guacamole,” she revealed. “I seriously can NEVER get enough. I’m a salt fan, a crunch fan & an avocado fan. It’s an addiction.”

She sang on the song ‘Wasn’t That Drunk’ with the Josh Abbott Band

Pearce appeared as a guest on the 2015 tune from the Josh Abbott Band, which peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard Country Airplay charts. The song gave Pearce major exposure, as she performed the track everywhere Abbott did, including television and radio.

“It put me on the map more than things I’ve done just by myself,” Pearce told Wide Open Country of the song. “It was great exposure, but also a great kick in the butt. Like, this is the big leagues.”

After losing her first record contract, she worked cleaning Airbnbs

The Kentucky native picked up a number of odd jobs after losing her first contract, including nannying, retail jobs and cleaning Airbnbs.

“Cleaning toilets in Airbnbs and cleaning sheets is pretty horrible,” she told Nash Country Daily. “I would say that’s pretty terrible. People were nasty. Just parties, bachelor parties and stuff. I just was disgusted at how people left them. Leave your Airbnbs clean, y’all.”

Her favorite wine is Caymus Cabernet

An appropriate fact considering Pearce’s second single was titled “Hide the Wine,” she named this red as her favorite.

As for who she’d like to share a glass of wine with, the 29-year-old picked a familiar face.

“I’d have to say a glass of wine with Meryl Streep,” she said. “She seems like the classiest lady on the planet!”

Her celebrity crush is John Mayer

Pearce named the singer as her celebrity crush during a 2017 interview with Billboard. She noted that he was her biggest crush in high school, “and probably still today.”

Pearce even told Battered and Brewed that her cooking playlist would consist of Mayer’s music.

She is an only child

Pearce’s parents supported her dreams from day one, with her mom even moving to Pigeon Forge with her when she worked at Dollywood.

“I didn’t know they cried so much until now,” Pearce told PopCulture.com at a media event. “All they do is cry when they talk to me. This is all I’ve ever wanted, but times it by two for them. I’m their only child. They devoted everything to me being able to chase this dream and they were sitting, watching it live as I was and there’s a little text chain between us and couple members of my family, just freaking out, genuine. They’ve never wanted anything else for me.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Jeff Kravitz