CMA Fest: Carly Pearce Wants to Return the Love to Her Fans With Multiple Appearances

Carly Pearce first performed at CMA Fest eight years ago, and she will continue to proudly take [...]

Carly Pearce first performed at CMA Fest eight years ago, and she will continue to proudly take the stage, as many times as she can during the four-day event, if only to meet all of her loyal fans.

"I came here so many years as a fan and got to meet so many of my heroes, and that was something that I think just made me even more of a fan of certain people, and maybe not as big of a fan of others," Pearce told PopCulture.com. "And I think that what's so unique about CMA Fest is we're getting to give unique experiences to them.

"So rather than them just buy a ticket to a show," she added, "why don't we go the extra mile and do small performances like the HGTV Lodge, or come and do fan club parties that kind of tailor-make it to them, and just really show them love because throughout the year they show us love."

Pearce has definitely seen her star power increase since her inaugural CMA Fest performance, which is what she has always wanted. But it does come with a disadvantage.

"I've been playing at CMA Fest since 2011," Pearce said. "So it's been really interesting. I've got to play every stage here, every little stand. But my first experience was standing in line at the old Convention Center for Fan Fair and going to LP Field and seeing people like Jo Dee Messina and going to the Flameworthy Awards and watching Sara Evans perform wondering one day if I would get there.

"So just to fast forward and to be able to play every single stage at some point and slowly watch like a few people coming in my meet and greet line to now I can't really walk on the street because people know me is crazy," continued the singer. "And to be able to say that I played Nissan Stadium last year, won my first CMT Award ... It's pretty awesome."

The Kentucky native admits there are times when she doesn't necessarily want to be recognized, but it's a price she will gladly pay for all of her success.

"I remember that this may be and probably is their first encounter with me," Pearce said. "It's my duty as an artist to understand that these are the people that made my dreams come true and I need to respect them the way that they've respected me."

Photo Credit: Getty images/ Jeff Kravitz

0comments