Carly Pearce Jokes Michael Ray Is 'Side Stage Fiance' on Jason Aldean Ride All Night Tour

Carly Pearce is out on the road with Jason Aldean, serving as the opening act, along with Kane Brown, on his Ride All Night Tour, where, thankfully, this weekend her future husband, Michael Ray, will join her for a couple of shows.

Although the tour is only in its second week, Ray has already given himself an official title while Pearce opens for Aldean.

"My fiancé gets to come out all weekend," Pearce told PEOPLE. "He jokes and says he's side stage fiancé. But everybody loves him in Jason's band, Kane's band. Everybody's always like, 'When's Michael coming?'

"Excuse me," she added with a laugh. "I'm on this tour!"

Pearce hopes to celebrate her CMT Music Awards nomination with Ray this weekend as well, since her "Closer to You" video, which includes a cameo by Ray, is nominated for Female Video of the Year.

"This is all I've ever wanted to do," Pearce acknowledged. "To see my name amongst people I love so much: Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, my friends Kelsea Ballerini and Maren Morris, just to be one of those girls in that female category, it feels amazing."

The "Closer to You" video marked the first – but likely not last – time Pearce and Ray were on a video shoot together.

"It was really fun," recalled the Kentucky native. "We had never done anything really together in that capacity, but he was so fun, and it felt so natural. It's nice to do the same thing. He's an artist as well, so he's made music videos."

While both Pearce and Ray are quickly making their mark in country music, Pearce insists there is no competition between the two stars.

"We are really big fans of each other," Pearce said. "We've been friends for five years. I was a fan of his music, he was a fan of mine. We really do respect each other as singers, songwriters and as business people. It's really fun."

"Closer to You" is Pearce's debut single from her upcoming, still-untitled sophomore album, which she promises will give fans more of a look into her personal life than she did with her first record.

"Seeing the girl on the Every Little Thing album cover, I see her and there's so much that she doesn't know yet," Pearce reflected. "I think that's how I've approached this next album is, 'What doesn't she know?' And there's a lot of songs on there and a lot of just moments. Even the images that we're using for this new record, I think there's a lot that you're going to see and feel that wouldn't have worked on the first record.

"There was a reason for that – because I hadn't lived it yet or hadn't faced it yet or I hadn't become exactly who I'm meant to be," she continued. "And I think because I was so welcomed with open arms into the country music family, I feel like I have my foundation so now I can kind of fly a little."

Photo Credit: Getty images/ Jason Davis