"If That Isn't Some Loretta Lynn Shit, I Don't Know What Is": Carly Pearce Discusses New Music, Divorce and Tying A Bow On Hummingbird

It's the middle of February.

Carly Pearce is stood alone, front and centre on stage, receiving a mid-set standing ovation from a sold-out crowd in London, England, after playing 'We Don't Fight Anymore', her emotionally harrowing duet with Chris Stapleton.

Over 4000 miles away from home, Pearce is close to tears as those in attendance pierce the acoustics of the room to show their appreciation.

For many in the room, Carly Pearce is an artist who has helped them through all manner of pain, grief and sorrow in their lives, even from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

The moment feels like both a prophetic and pertinent one. It marks a point where the Kentucky country star puts a figurative pin in all of the suffering that she went through, comprehending the impact her music - particularly that blossomed from such emotional anguish - has had on those she was kind enough to share it with.

It also shows the path to where she's heading next, starting as she introduces 'If Looks Could Kill', one of three new songs as part of the deluxe edition of her latest album, Hummingbird.

These three songs offer real significance to the larger narrative of Hummingbird that the broader notion of a "deluxe edition" doesn't tend to offer. It adds up, too. Carly has never been one to release her music for its own sake.

They find Carly at two different metaphorical pitchforks on the road of life - on one, with 'Heart First' and 'If Looks Could Kill', she's amidst the writing of 29: Written In Stone (Holler's 2021 Country Album of the Year) and the eviscerating examination of the end of her marriage. On the other, with 'no rain', she is merely a couple months away from sitting down for a conversation with us, travelling the world and seemingly in a contented place of fulfilment, both creatively and personally.

It ties a bow on the Hummingbird era, bringing to a close the second half of a chapter that Pearce has spent the best part of half a decade processing and sharing with the world. "I'm on a very big journey in my life. All of these songs fit into it, and I feel like to leave it with 'no rain' is the perfect way to enter into what will be a new chapter".

These past five years have certainly been no picnic in the park. 29 and Hummingbird captured both a marriage, a divorce, the envisioning and eventual realisation of a breakup, the excessive subjection and external commentary of fame and the (literal, we hope) setting on fire of a truck. Carly genuinely seems to take these rollercoaster highs and lows in her stride, understanding them to the point where she feels comfortable sharing them in the way that's right for her.

"A secret that my hair would tell you is I filed for divorce the same week 'I Hope You're Happy Now' went number one. If that isn't some Loretta Lynn Shit, I don't know what is".

"Truly, to get married and divorced in a year, that is legit country".

Why does the universe work this way, we ask. Carly reminds us that it isn't all highs and lows running in parallel, we can have the moments that are sealed by further happy moments too. "My favorite is, Lainey just had a US No.1 with '4x4xU' on the week she got engaged. I had a No.1 on the week I filed for divorce. So, that's wild".

From the beginning of 29: Written In Stone, right through to the deluxe edition of Hummingbird that we're about to receive, Pearce made the choice to put herself on the line to speak from the heart and the mind, mainly because she didn't know how else to.

Whether it be through an autobiographical rupture of heartbreak and betrayal, or a candid narrative on reflection and self-betterment, Pearce channels herself into her art, thus her music comes to embody her. That has come with no shortage of emotional exhibition, media intrusion and critical analysis, particularly from those behind a screen at the heart of a toxic algorithm.

When considering this, Pearce's feeling is that, simply, she's human. She's working things out, just as we are. She will do what feels right to her, and however much harmful exposure is thrust upon her, there's more positive and empowering energy from those who have been helped by her music. "I think everybody wants to attach an opinion about anything in this day and age. They're not afraid of it. So I think what I have learned is, at the end of the day, it is my duty as a songwriter to write the most honest thing to me".

"I try. I don't always do a great job, but I lay down every night and know that I'm putting out the most authentic music I can. Yes, that's the only thing I feel in control of".

So, what does the next chapter hold, mainly as it's happening now? Pearce shares that she's at least "halfway done" writing the new album, but is very much in the process, so attempting to find a way of capturing any collective feeling or expression around it is difficult at this stage.

Pearce is careful not to imprint on anything too early, seemingly not wanting to colour a period where the art of creation is still very individual to her. You get the impression, though, that she's driven and determined this time around to reach a particular place as a songwriter, and that's through a larger sense of empathy that she's attempting to embrace.

"I want to get to a place where I'm writing music that is absolutely about me, but I'm also writing what I feel to be every woman's story". Pearce explains.

"I think I'm in the process of using that as a muse to maybe tell a friend's story, or my story. The next song could be somebody else's advice, something that they've gone through. Just to give me a little bit of diversity, maybe, but still make it feel compelling to me.

"I'm looking a little bit more outward at the lens".

You come away from any conversation with Carly feeling more confident and courageous in yourself, buoyed by her determination and drive to create a better place, not only for herself, but those her music reaches. "'The hummingbird flies on by, and so do I'," she answers when asked what her favourite lyric from the album is since its release. "It's my little sentiment, I'm not gonna let things bother me".

That's all we can ask for - as long as Carly keeps writing and not letting the pain and the hate in this world get her down, we'll feel that bit stronger to take on this big ol' hurdle called life.

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The deluxe edition of Carly Pearce's 2024 album, Hummingbird, is released March 14, 2025, via Big Machine Label Group.

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