NEW YORK – Carly Pearce has an announcement about her fifth studio album, "Honest Woman" (out now): None of the songs on the LP are about her current boyfriend, entrepreneur Jordan Karcher.
"There's dog-hating songs on the album," Pearce, 36, tells USA TODAY. "I kill two people on the album. There's cheating. All of the songs were written when I was still dating clowns."
So what is on the Grammy winner's LP? "You Don't Like My Dog" is about how a guy not liking your pet is a red flag. "WWJD" is a play on "What Would Jesus Do" but substitute Jesus for Jack Daniels (Pearce was born in Kentucky). That track and "Daisy" are (fictional) revenge songs. And there are a few more songs about the aforementioned "clowns," including "Same Circus."
But for
all of the talk about ex-partners, sensationalized or otherwise, Pearce says the album's first song and "north star" is "Dream Come True." A 12-hour period in which she won a Country Music Television Award and then the following morning failed to receive an Academy of Country Music Award nomination spurred the track.
Pearce recalls that the rollercoaster of feeling "wonderful" and then "not enough" ultimately "defined the journey that I needed to go on to make this album."
"I had to go find the girl that grew up in Kentucky loving bluegrass music, dying to sing on the Opry her whole entire life," Pearce continues. "And I found her."
Carly Pearce's Opry connection to Dolly Parton
Of her many awards and accolades, Pearce's dream to sing at the Grand Ole Opry may be one of the more astonishing parts of her career. The singer dropped out of high school to work at Dolly Parton's amusement park Dollywood as a teenage performer at 16. Fast-forward 15 years, Parton surprised Pearce with an invitation to become a member of the Opry. It's the first and only time that the "Jolene" singer would personally extend the invitation to someone for Opry membership.
Parton died Aug. 25 after a battle with cancer. She was 80.
On Aug. 29, the Opry dedicated its Saturday night show to Parton. In a kismet moment, Pearce was already booked for the venue's concert, so she was able to help pay tribute to the late icon.
"There will never be anybody that can touch her," Pearce says of Parton's legacy. "I knew Dolly was a global icon, but that doesn't even feel like it's enough when you see the tributes about her."
Carly Pearce gets candid on the sisterhood in country music
Pearce began working on "Honest Woman" about two years ago, around the time she was diagnosed with recurrent pericarditis, a chronic autoinflammatory disease that causes heart inflammation flare-ups. The music artist says she manages the condition through lifestyles changes and by listening to her body. The initial diagnosis forced Pearce to monitor her heart rate on and off stage, but the singer says her live performances are back to normal and she's become an avid runner, regularly clocking 10-plus miles on the road.
She'll tour behind "Honest Woman" with a 14-date run of two-night residencies at cities across North America, running from Sept. 10 in Detroit through Oct. 22 in New York. Belle Frantz is her supporting act.
Pearce mentions Frantz along with up-and-coming country artist: Carter Faith as artists that she's an "open book" with. Faith, a 26-year-old who released debut album in 2025, cowrote a number of songs on Pearce's latest LP, including on the honky tonk track, "You Can Have Him."
Pearce says mentoring younger artists "has brought me more joy than I could ever experience." And the Grammy winner believes she's paying it forward from other artists like Trisha Yearwood and Lee Ann Womack. Pearce also remembers when she was a backup singer for Lucy Hale, the "Pretty Little Liars" star who released a country pop album in 2014. According to Pearce, Hale did "more for me than anybody ever knows."
And then Pearce talks about Kelsea Ballerini. While Pearce now refers to her as a "sister," the two weren't always close.
"She was younger than me and I didn't like her at first because I was jealous of her," Pearce recalls of Ballerini. "She had a record deal. She had a (hit) song. And that this is back when no females were working except Kelsea. And she took me on the road. She believed in my music and she gave me a bunk on her bus because she saw that I was driving a 12-passenger van and she was like, 'I want you to be a get a good night's sleep.' And I've gotten to do that now."
Carly Pearce marked two occasions in New York City
After the release of her album, Pearce traveled to New York City. She treated herself to a gift from Louis Vuitton in honor of her new album. And then Pearce visited the Manhattan bar where she first met Karcher. The two initially linked through the online dating app Raya.
"He lived in Pittsburgh at the time," Pearce says. "I was traveling for work. He said he wanted to meet me, so I said, 'I have one day off in the next 10 days, in New York.' And he said, 'I'll be there.' So he drove to New York and took me on a date."
The two began dating in April of 2025. Karcher has since moved to Nashville, although Pearce plays coy on whether they are living together. The only thing she'll confirm is that he's not a subject on "Honest Woman."
As for the next album, that's to be determined.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carly Pearce says 'Honest Woman' revenge songs came after 'dating clowns'
