Country music’s biggest night is underway in Nashville as many of the genre’s biggest stars are gathered at Bridgestone Arena for for the CMA Awards show.
In addition to honoring winners in categories such as Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and more, the event also brings some of the most anticipated live performances of the year. One of this year’s best performances came from Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde who teamed up to perform their hit song “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.”
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The track is from Pearce’s recently-released album 29: Written in Stone and was written by Pearce, McBryde and Shane McAnally. The co-write was a dream come true for Pearce who had long desired to write with Ashley McBryde.
“Ashley is such a great drop-into-the-moment writer, she was able to bring that reality bomb truth to what we were doing,” Pearce said. “She’s fearless, and she understands human nature in a way that let us both really write to the hurt of realizing we’ve been lied to by someone we’re intimate with.”
“Carly isn’t afraid to face the less potable subjects,” McBryde offered. “As a writer she’s willing to get in there and get very honest. Writing this song together with Shane strengthened our friendship and taught us more about one another and ourselves. Seriously, nobody wants to be the other woman. And when you find you are…damn. It’s such a gut punch.”
Watch Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde’s television debut performance of “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” below.