Carly Pearce shares the process of writing ‘I Hope You're Happy Now’ with Luke Combs - a country classic we still have on repeat, and one of Pearce's biggest hits to date. Although Pearce recorded it with Lee Brice as part of her self-titled 2020 record, she penned the track with Combs, Randy Montana and Jonathan Singleton.

In an interview with Absolute Radio Country, Pearce told of the vision she had for the track, and how Combs and Brice fit perfectly in the thresholds of the writing and recording process.

Reflective on coming up in the same country era as the 'When It Rains It Pours' hitmaker, Pearce shared, "Years ago, when we were on what's called ‘radio tour’ in the States, this guy had a song out called 'Hurricane,' I thought he was really good, he was sitting, like, two down from me on all of these radio shows, so I just asked him after a show, hey I really like your voice, would you ever write a song with me? It was Luke."

Though having played a vital role in bringing the hit to life, acting as a trusted voice for Pearce's deep vulnerabilities within the song and a co-writer on the track's ever-flowing melody, at the time, promotional scheduling for the 'When It Rains It Pours' hitmaker took the lead and much of his attention. This ultimately caused Combs to step down before a studio-polished version of the song with his feature would ever see the light of the day.

However, when one door closes, another one opens, and that second door led to a version of the song that almost feels like destiny, when Brice stepped in to put the duet in motion instead.

Pearce had reached out to Brice figuring he would be a perfect fit for the male perspective of the duet because of his "gruff yet vulnerable" vocal style, and honestly, this writer couldn't agree more. With Pearce's female lead that represents her certainty behind ending the long-term relationship - and the acceptance of the pain she must cause to do so, Brice's counterpart moves against the tide of heartbreak - where his verse of the duet reflects hurting, longing, and a broken heart that's far from healing.

Ultimately, the song wouldn't be what it is today without all three of these stars and the roles they played. Pulling from a trying time in Pearce's real life, Brice's emotional vocals span perfectly to the vision she had for the male perspective. Meanwhile, Combs’ writing, along with his loyalty to helping Pearce make her vision come to life as best as he could, combined to create the country radio and chart-soaring hit. The track reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay charts in June 2020.

A full-circle moment for the stars, and a bittersweet call to the time they had spent together creating it, Pearce and Combs did get to perform the song together for the first time at London's Royal Albert Hall as a part of the Grand Ole Opry's international debut - in the fall of 2025, six years after the song's release.