CARLY PEARCE & LEE BRICE WIN ACM AWARDS MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR
After CMA Awards Musical Event Win, “I Hope You’re Happy Now” Makes It A Pair
Lee Brice Alongside Carly Pearce Still in the Hunt for Single of the Year for ‘I Hope You’re Happy Now’ at Sunday Night’s “56th Academy of Country Music Awards” on CBS
Carly Pearce and Lee Brice knew that rarely does the CMA Awards Musical Event take the ACM Awards matching honor, so when the pair headed into their rehearsal last night they were “just happy to be nominated.”
People magazine’s Topher Gauk-Roger interrupted his interview to congratulate them with the Music Event trophy for “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” The surprised pair stopped cold in their tracks – watch reaction. Striking a chord across the world of Country music fans, industry and people who look for real life in their music, the song introspectively details erosion of a relationship over time and finding out what you thought you wanted doesn’t always provide the comfort you thought it has.
“I’m over the moon on winning this award but especially happy for Carly,” says Lee of their PLATINUM certified No.1 collaboration, which they perform live on Sunday’s (4/18) telecast. “This is her story, her song and I am honored to be a part of it. Seeing this from the very beginning from her prospective to now winning awards is full circle – and humbling but rewarding.”
Carly, the young woman who left high school to start playing five shows a day at Dollywood, turned her love of Country and Bluegrass music into a focused vision. Spinning her own life into songs, Carly realized the unspoken parts of other people’s lives too. Carly enlisted Luke Combs, Randy Montana and Jonathan Singleton for the surging lyrical narrative the offers remorse in reflection.
“Everyone at some point in their life has found themselves caught in a relationship where you love the other person so much, yet over time, it all falls apart,” explains Carly. “When we all started talking about our lives and our journeys, every one of us had been in this position – and it’s the worst feeling. You get to a point where you have to do something, and even that doesn’t really make things better, it just creates a hole where your heart used to be.
“To see people respond to ‘I Hope You’re Happy Now’ the way that they have has been is incredibly affirming, because I think it makes you – wherever you are in your life – feel less alone. And having Lee’s voice, which is a bit of hurricane the way he comes in, it really brings home how hard it is for both people in these kinds of situations.”
Having been nominated for Song of the Year at the 2020 CMA Awards, “I Hope You’re Happy Now” is up for Single of the Year at this weekend’s ACM Awards. The power ballad faces off against a precedent-setting all-female category that includes Miranda Lambert’s “Bluebird,” Gabby Barrett’s “I Hope,” Ingrid Andress’ “More Hearts Than Mine” and Maren Morris’ “The Bones.”
“It has been such an incredible year for women in country music,” says the first-time ACM Female Artist nominee, “and the Academy of Country Music really showed that with this year’s nominees. Having grown up on so many dynamic, awesome women, I am so proud to be part of this year’s group of incredible female artists who inspire me so much and support each other when the going gets tough.”
ABOUT CARLY PEARCE:
Fiercely rooted in the classics, the girl who left her Kentucky home and high school at 16 to take a job at Dollywood has grown into a woman who embraces the genre’s forward progression and is confident in what she wants to say. Lighting a fire with her debut album Every Little Thing and the Platinum-certified history making title track, Carly has since become “Country’s ‘it’ girl” (ABC Radio), touring alongside Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts and Luke Bryan. With the most CMA Awards nods for any new artist in 2020, she won Musical Event of the Year. In a year of uncertainty, Carly turned to the comfort of records she’s drawn inspiration from since her childhood dream started to take hold – Dolly, The Chicks, Trisha, Reba, Patty Loveless. Like those before, she leaned on her own intuitions with Top 25-and-rising single “Next Girl,” and a clever new video. Carly explores more of a pivotal time with a seven-song collection called 29 (available now via Big Machine Records), finding creative simpatico with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne following the unexpected death of her mentor and former producer, busbee. With her catalogue already boasts over 1 billion streams, she opens up even more in Carly Pearce’s 29 – The Interview. As Carly marks a new chapter coming of age, she is nominated for ACM Awards Female Artist and Single while already winning Music Event of the Year with her PLATINUM-certified, No. 1 duet with Lee Brice “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” Leaning into her faith, Carly joins five-time GRAMMY® nominated singer/songwriter Matthew West on a new version of his No. 1 “Truth Be Told” and watch the video here. For the latest information and more, visit Carly’s website.
ABOUT LEE BRICE:
When Curb Records recording artist, Lee Brice, isn’t selling out arenas, writing and recording songs, or building new brands like American Born whiskey, you’ll find the family man with his wife Sara, two young boys, and daughter. Meanwhile, with 2.4 billion on-demand streams, and over 3.3 billion spins on Pandora, Brice continues to enjoy massive success at country radio, digital streaming services, and on the road. He recently released his current single, “Memory I Don’t Mess With” which was his #1 most added radio single upon its debut. He also reached #1 at Country Radio with “One of Them Girls,” which followed his #1 with Carly Pearce on “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” and his #1 just prior to that, “Rumor,” which was nominated in the category Single of The Year at the 55th Annual ACM Awards. One of the most-played country artists of all time on Pandora, he is a member of the company’s “Billionaires Club,” becoming only the second country artist behind Keith Urban to receive the Pandora Billionaire plaque. Lee is also a GRAMMY nominee, a CMA and ACM award winner, and he’s taken eight radio singles to Number One: “A Woman Like You,” “Hard to Love,” “I Drive Your Truck,” “I Don’t Dance,” “Drinking Class,” “Rumor,” “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” and “One of Them Girls.” Garth Brooks, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and others have recorded his songs, and he’s performed on numerous TV shows, including NBC’s Today, ABC’s The Bachelor, NBC’s The Voice and FOX’s Miss USA 2018. Lee performed as part of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song honoring Garth Brooks, aired on PBS March of 2020. At last year’s 54th Annual CMA Awards, Lee took home the prize for Musical Event of the Year for his song with Carly Pearce, “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” Lee’s new album, Hey World, is available now everywhere you find great music.
ABOUT CURB RECORDS:
Celebrating 57 years in business, Curb Records is one of the world’s leading independent music companies. Owned and operated by Mike Curb since 1964, Curb Records has achieved 435 number one records, over 1,500 Top Ten records and charted over 4,500 total records. With over a half century in operation, Curb Records has been influential in the careers of some of the biggest names in music, including: Tim McGraw, Hank Williams, Jr., Rodney Atkins, Lee Brice, LeAnn Rimes, The Judds, Dylan Scott, Sawyer Brown, Wynonna, Lyle Lovett, Jo Dee Messina, Hal Ketchum and Desert Rose Band, among many others. Today’s roster includes some of the top names across multiple genres of music. For more information, visit their website.
