Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde delivered an intimate rendition of their smash heartbreak ballad, “Never Wanted To Be That Girl,” at the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards on Monday night (March 7). The acoustic performance resonated at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, telling the story of two women who discover they’re in a love triangle with the same man.
Pearce released the song on her latest album, 29: Written in Stone. The 15-track collection is packed with heartbreak anthems that rings relatable to many fans. She surprised fans with an acoustic version of the song earlier this year, and has often opened up about the vulnerability and honesty in her songwriting. Pearce also previously explained in a statement that she knew that she and McBryde would blend their voices well: “Ashley and I have always been fans of each other, I think because we’re both kinda cut from the same cloth. You can’t listen to somebody sing like that – and I think she’d say the same thing about me – and not think we have some of the same influences and that we are going in the same direction. And I just wanted to do something that was a little unexpected, and I didn’t know if she would ever be up for writing. It’s really the only other artist, other than Luke Combs [who co-wrote “I Hope You’re Happy Now” with Pearce], that I’ve ever asked to write a song with me, and we speak the same country music language.”