At the age of 19, Carly Pearce ventured from her home state of Kentucky to Nashville to pursue her country music dreams. Along the way, she made a stop at Dollywood in East Tennessee where she worked as a singer and dancer in one of the variety shows.
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Long before she was a country superstar with hits like “Every Little Thing” and “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” featuring Ashley McBryde, Pearce made ends meet by cleaning Airbnb’s in Nashville, writing songs all the while. While Pearce is known to write her own material, she’s also had several outside cuts by other artists. Check them out below.
1. “Always Kiss the Girl” by Lindsay Ell
Written by Carly Pearce, Bobby Hamrick and Jarrad Kritzstein
Pearce and Lindsay Ell aren’t only singer/songwriters in Nashville, they’re also close friends, which is why it’s even more special that Pearce appears as a co-writer on “Always Kiss the Girl.” This deep cut from Ell’s 2017 album, The Project, which was produced by Sugarland’s Kristian Bush, explores the uncertainty of how to make the right move in a relationship – but one fact is for certain. But watch any movie/It’s all the same ending/If you’re ever in doubt/It’s not even a question/Always kiss the girl, Ell proclaims in the final line of the chorus.
The Project debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart and No. 4 on the Top Country Albums chart.
2. “Wild” by Kendra Kay
Written by Carly Pearce, Jeff Pardo and Molly Reed
In addition to friend Ell, Pearce also lent her pen to a track on new country singer/songwriter Kendra Kay’s 2023 album, Homegrown Heart. “Wild,” the second to last song off the project, and shows off Kay’s smooth voice as she sings such romantic lyrics as, I wanna be the reason you lose control/Surrendering slowly/Shut the world out/Setting up free/Let it rain down/Baby love me wild. It was released as a single in 2022.
3. “Heavy” by Baylou
Written by Carly Pearce, Melissa Peirce and Jennifer Schott
Pearce’s lyrics also made their way across international waters when the Australian duo, Baylou, recorded “Heavy” for their 2017 EP, Bang Bang. The song features a bluesy, swampy melody and lyrics that find the sister duo of Barb and Victoria Baillie in the middle of complicated love. All you ever do is bring me down/Ooo-hoo tied to an anchor making me drown/Why so serious/Come on now/Baby lighten up on me/Why’s our lovin’ got to be so heavy, they croon in the chorus.
Photos Credit: Alexa Campbell/Courtesy Big Machine
