Carly Pearce is the latest guest on Anthony Mason’s long-form interview series Alchemy, discussing her upcoming album Honest Woman and how career success affected her sense of self-worth. In the conversation, Pearce says chart performance, award nominations and social media metrics had become her primary measure of self-worth, and that making the new record was part of a process of reconnecting with who she was before fame.
The album marks a return to the traditional country and bluegrass sound of Pearce’s early years, made with collaborators Dan Tyminski and Molly Tuttle. Pearce says it is the first album she has made without creative compromise, citing the track “Church Girl,” which addresses faith, sex and drug use, as an example of a more direct point of view in her songwriting.
The interview, recorded shortly after Dolly Parton’s death, also covers Parton’s influence on Pearce, who performed at Dollywood as a teenager, as well as memories of her late collaborator busbee and the role her mother played in helping her separate her identity from her career. The episode is available now on YouTube as part of the Alchemy series, which has previously featured artists including Paul Simon, Hozier and Brandon Flowers.
Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by The Press House.