Carly Pearce on Women in Country Music: ‘I Think We’re Doing Just Fine’

Carly Pearce knows the odds might be against her as a female artist, but she adamantly refuses to be discouraged. The 28-year-old is proud to be a woman — especially one in country music, and will continue to believe the opportunities for her, and other women in the genre, are limitless.

“I would say that more than ever we are taking a stand,” Pearce told PopCulture.com. “You will find that I don’t really play into the woman thing, because I feel like it’s a really exciting time to be a woman in country music. I, obviously, think it’s really hard for us to get noticed but I think just as it’s always been even back with Trisha [Yearwood] and Faith [Hill].”

Pearce is excited not only for herself, but her friends who are also in country music, like Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini and more.

“When a woman hits, she hits big,” Pearce noted. “I think that finally people like Maren, and Kelsea, and myself, and Lindsey [Ell] are showing country radio very authentically that women want to hear women. Women can work. Women can hang with the big boys. They can go on the road with them. They can sell out shows, too.

“Look at Kelsea doing a headlining tour where Brett Young is her opening act,” she continued. “If that’s not a large statement for women everywhere, I don’t know what is. I think we’re doing just fine, and I think you’re going to see a lot more girl power going on.”

Pearce certainly has plenty of girl power right now. The Kentucky native, who will marry Michael Ray later this year, is up against Ell, Danielle Bradbery and Ashley McBryde in the ACM New Female Artist of the Year category, but insists that being nominated really is validation enough.

“I think all of us are out here working really hard, and we obviously see the public reacting and connecting to our music,” Pearce told PopCulture.com. “But to be able to say that the Academy thought you were worthy of the nomination. For me I’ve grown up watching the ACMs, and dreamed of that. It’s kind of surreal to think that I now have a nomination.”

The 2019 ACM Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Pearce will soon hit the road with Jason Aldean on his Ride All Night Tour, which kicks off on April 12.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Jason Davis