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Carly Pearce has often credited other powerful women in country with inspiring her throughout her career, and the award-winning singer-songwriter shared that Carrie Underwood is her biggest inspiration when it comes to the Grand Ole Opry.
Pearce shared that as she marked her 100th performance at the legendary venue on Tuesday evening (April 11). Pearce performed some of her biggest smash-hit songs and brought a few special guests on stage, including Ashley McBryde, Lady A’s Charles Kelley and others. She said of Underwood:
“I’ve always said Carrie Underwood is my inspiration for the way that she cares about the Opry and for the way that she has made it part of her platform and who she is. I hope the Opry knows at this point that I feel responsible to be one of the ladies in the next generation that carries the torch. Preserving this place is so special to me. Every person that has ever mattered in country music played here, and that’s important to me.”
Pearce’s inspiration of Underwood comes as the “Hate My Heart” superstar is set to celebrate her 15th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member next month. Underwood’s debut performance took place on June 10, 2005, just two weeks after she won American Idol. Fellow Oklahoma native and country hitmaker Garth Brooks officially inducted Underwood into the Grand Ole Opry on May 8, 2008 (Brooks’ wife, Trisha Yearwood, inducted Pearce into the Opry on August 3, 2021).
“So honored to have been an [Opry] member for 15 years!” Underwood gushed in an Instagram caption on Wednesday (April 12) as she shared a clip from her latest show on the Opry stage. “Come celebrate with us on Saturday, May 13!”
Pearce is the latest addition to the all-star iHeartCountry Festival lineup on May 13, at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Fans across the country will able to tune in to all of the incredible live performances at this year's iHeartCountry Festival as the event will be broadcast on iHeartRadio country stations nationwide, and on iHeartRadio.com as well as the iHeartRadio app on Saturday, May 13th at 8pm ET/5pm PT.