Carly Pearce and Lee Brice Speak out About Heartbreaking Duet, ‘I Hope You’re Happy Now’

Carly Pearce and Lee Brice are speaking out about their upcoming duet, “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” The song, which will appear on Pearce’s upcoming, still-untitled sophomore album, came from a particularly painful time in Pearce’s personal life, long before falling in love with her future husband, Michael Ray.

“I am so excited to share such a personal part of my story with one of the best male vocalists in our format,” Pearce said in a statement. “Lee has the kind of gruff yet vulnerable quality to his sound that I envisioned for this duet and am grateful he agreed to join me. This song is raw and real, truly something I think many people around the world will relate to.”

“It was an absolute pleasure working with Carly on this track,” added Brice. “She has such a beautiful and powerful voice and definitely has a huge career ahead of her. Hope everyone loves this song as much as we did recording it!”

Brice previously opened up about the duet, which he was honored to be part of.

“I got a call to be on a duet that Carly Pearce had already recorded but she just wanted a guy,” Brice recalled to PopCulture.com and other media. “Carly texted and she’s like, ‘Lee I’m just a fan of your voice, and have been a fan of you and just your passion and singing.’ The problem was I was on the road. I wasn’t at home at all to sing or put a hook on this thing. And so, I had to end up doing that on the road, but we have a studio on the road. So we got it done.”

Pearce revealed the upcoming duet earlier in the week on social media, sharing the inspiration behind the sad song.

“Sometimes our hearts don’t know how or when the right way/time to say goodbye is, and often our hearts don’t break equally,” posted Pearce. “While the story is sad, I’m so excited to announce my new single is ‘I Hope You’re Happy Now’ and will be available everywhere 9/27. Thank you [Lee Brice] for lending your unsurpassable voice to perfectly tell my story. You know who you are & truly… I hope you’re happy now. [broken heart emoji].”

Photo Credit: Getty images / Mat Hayward