It wasn’t a typical night for Grand Ole Opry goers as Carly Pearce took the stage and debuted a brand new song inspired by the one and only Loretta Lynn.
Pearce kicked off her set with some recent releases: her sassy narrative of “Next Girl” and the poignant piece about her personal life, “29.” She also flew solo when she performed her duet with Lee Brice, “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” taking on his verse and blowing through the choruses with her powerful runs.
Taking her acoustic guitar into hand, Pearce boldly let the audience know the next track in her set would be a new one, and told the crowd it is her way of sending a letter to Lynn. As a woman from Kentucky and working in country music, the singer explained how meaningful the similarities between the two are before strumming into the emotional melody.
“I ain’t a coal miner’s daughter / but I’ve sung it all my life / I ain’t been a widow / but I’ve been an ex-wife / And I hear your truth / and I feel your pain / Now I know why you sing that way,” Pearce sang with great grit and grace.
Sharing a clip of the acoustic moment on Instagram, Pearce explained further why this song was an important one to write for her at this point in time.
“My grandma introduced to me to her music when I was a little girl, and made sure I understood that if I was going to sing country music being from Kentucky— I had to know the importance of Miss @lorettalynnofficial. I’ve always loved her, but it wasn’t until the last year that I really FELT what she’s sang about all these years— and just how much we really do have in common,” she captioned the video.
The “Every Little Thing” singer just recently released 29, a set of tracks documenting the turbulence Pearce has experienced in the last two years. Her efforts have led to multiple nominations for the 56th Annual ACM Awards, including nods for Female Artist of the Year, Single of the Year and Music Event of the Year.
Fans can tune in to the 56th Annual ACM Awards, hosted by Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton, on Sunday, April 18, at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.