Carly Pearce released her highly anticipated, unapologetic record, Honest Woman. It’s “the album that I truly believe I moved to Nashville to make.”

Honest Woman is Pearce’s fifth studio album, yet in many ways, she said she feels as though she’s making her debut again. The Grammy-winning artist, 36, recently caught up with iHeartCountry about the project, which embraces “my true self.” Honest Woman showcases Pearce’s stunning vocals and expertly crafted songwriting that will feel familiar to longtime fans. The album also introduces them to some of Pearce’s most cherished influences she hasn’t previously shared with fans.

“I didn’t realize that so many people did not know that I grew up singing bluegrass,” Pearce said. “I got my start when I was 9 years old singing bluegrass, so to have this moment with Molly and Dan [Molly Tuttle and Dan Tyminski] is like giving that little girl a hug in the best way. I’m so happy that I finally get to have this moment.” Many fans know that Pearce later moved to East Tennessee as a teen to accept a job as a performer at late legend Dolly Parton’s Dollywood amusement park. Pearce, who spoke with iHeartCountry before news broke of Parton’s passing, continued, “I feel like in a lot of ways this is my first album because I think I’ve gotten to the place where I know exactly who I am as an artist, and I know exactly who I am as a person. And I feel like I didn’t compromise at all on this album. So, I think my younger self would be so proud that I let nobody else’s influence get in my way, and I made the album that I truly believe I moved to Nashville to make.

“I feel like I got reinvigorated on this album and fell back in love with music.”

Pearce created Honest Woman over the course of the last two years, beginning with her deeply vulnerable ballad, “Dream Come True.” The Kentucky-born artist said that was “the saddest I’ve ever been in my life. And I feel like, what that did for me, is it opened up this whole landscape because I had the time. I wasn’t chasing anything. I felt like I had the opportunity to write exactly what I was feeling.” Pearce co-produced Honest Woman with Ben West, a longtime friend she met through late produced Busbee. Busbee, who was born Michael James Ryan, died in September 2019 after a battling cancer. He was 43. Busbee had a significant influence on Pearce’s career and on many other artists, including introducing her to West and to recording engineer Dave Clauss. Pearce said she would tell Busbee that she’s “so grateful” to him, and believed he “Busbee kind of orchestrated this perfect moment. …And we finished the album on Busbee’s birthday, which was just the craziest thing in the world.”

The 16-track record includes Pearce’s “Dream Come True,” in addition to “Church Girl,” “She Don’t,” “You Can Have Him,” “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay” featuring Riley Green, and other previously-released songs. Some of Pearce's standout tracks include “Happy For Myself,” “because that was such a vulnerable moment,” and “He Don’t Like My Dogs,” which calls out an ex who didn’t appreciate her two beloved Shih Tzus, Johnny and June. Disliking a dog is “the biggest red flag,” she said. The wide-ranging project delves into “love, heartbreak, comparison, faith, self-discovery and the complicated realities of growing into the person you are meant to be,” according to a press release from Pearce’s record label.

Honest Woman Track List

1. “Dream Come True”

2. “Church Girl”

3. “She Don’t”

4. “You Can Have Him”

5. “How Long”

6. “WWJD”

7. “Same Circus”

8. “Happy For Myself”

9. “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay” Carly Pearce & Riley Green

10. “I Don’t Have The Heart”

11. “He Don’t Like My Dogs”

12. “Leave My Heart Alone”

13. “Who’s Lying Here” Carly Pearce & Dan Tyminski

14. “Daisy”

15. “What If You Loved Me” Carly Pearce, Molly Tuttle & Dan Tyminski

16. “Why God Why Me”

Pearce’s music has brought people together at fan listening previews and other events. “I love that people feel vulnerable with me. I love that they want to share their stories,” she said of the feedback she’s received so far. “I think the conversation of vulnerability is so special. I think we’re all trying to act like we’re all fine. You know what I mean? And I think just having a true dialogue with my fans where they feel like they can be open with me, that, to me, is an Honest Woman, where I’m willing to share the not-so-pretty parts of my life with you. And in return…instead of just being this whole highlight reel of ‘oh, I’m all great.’ ‘Me too.’”

Next, Pearce is getting ready to bring Honest Woman to intimate venues across the country. Her “Honest Woman: Up Close” live shows will kick off next month in Detroit, Michigan, with stops in Chicago, Los Angeles, and more. The run of tour dates wraps up in October in New York. Pearce will play back-to-back performances in each city, and “no two shows will be the same.” Before the “Honest Woman: Up Close” tour begins, Pearce will perform on a historic stage in Nashville, Tennessee.

Pearce is part of the lineup at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday (August 29), where she’ll celebrate Honest Woman’s debut and pay tribute to Parton. The Opry’s show will be dedicated to Parton, who surprised Pearce with an invitation to become an Opry member in 2021. The former Dollywood performer said earlier this week, “I’ve said often in my life, ‘What will the world be without Dolly?’ …She was exactly who we all hoped she would be — kind, funny, gracious, and one of a kind. Heaven got a whole lot sassier, funnier, and brighter today. I will do my part as a woman in country music to continue carrying the light she shined so brightly for all of us. I love you, Dolly.”

Pearce brought fans further into the Honest Woman era with the premiere of her cinematic “Same Circus” music video, directed by Joshua Shoemaker, on Friday (August 28). The visual captures “the chaos of bad dates to life as a spectacle of its own,” the release states.

“I’m just so happy that it’s finally getting to come out, regardless of what happens, regardless of all of the things, I do think it’s my best album that I’ve ever made. …What this album represents for me is celebrating wherever you’re at in your life,” Pearce said of Honest Woman. “I think as women, we’re told to be younger, and to not be, you know, if you don’t have this at this time, then there’s something wrong with you. And there’s all these stereotypes, and all of these different, I guess just timelines that we all feel, and I wanted to celebrate the fact that I’m 36 and I’m proud of it. I’m proud of all of the life experience I’ve had, and I want women to know you don’t have to compare your story to somebody else’s.

“I hope they get to know me better. I feel like I really stretched my songwriting and kind of peeled a layer back on the onion, if you will, and I hope they learn more about me. And I hope that they, at the end of it, really hear my heart.”

Bob Delmont