In November, a stunned Carly Pearce stepped onstage at the 55th CMA Awards to accept her very first trophy as CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. 

Since she spent July through October on the What a Song Can Do Tour with her pals Lady A, the threesome had a front-row seat to watch how Carly’s career has grown in 2021.

“I mean, gosh, I’m so proud of her,” Dave Haywood tells ABC Audio. “We had so much fun with Carly, you know, Niko Moon as well, Tenille Arts.”

“I don’t know, but we’ve known Carly, and I feel like our friendship just grew and grew and grew,” he continues. “I mean, you’re sitting around having lunch every day on the road backstage. And so… I coulda toured a whole ‘nother 30 dates with them. It was so much fun.”

Carly released her 29 EP in February, followed by the full-length 29: Written in Stone in September. You can count Lady A’s Hillary Scott among the music’s biggest fans.

“To be able to say that we were touring with Carly when she released 29… this album feels different,” Hillary reflects. “It feels so special and I love all of her stuff.”

“But to be able to be a witness to her life and her career that close on tour weekend after weekend,” she continues, “hearing the crowd get louder listening to certain songs. It was a privilege to get to witness just how this music is just connecting so deeply with people.”  

Watch for Lady A’s follow-up to their hit, “Like a Lady,” coming in 2022, while Carly continues to climb the chart with Ashley McBryde and “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.”

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