It’s been a whirlwind of a year for Carly Pearce. The “Next Girl” artist took to her social media channels heading into the new year, admitting that she was “so unsure of what was ahead for me” at the beginning of 2021.
Now, she says it was “TRULY the best year of my life.”
Pearce shared a highlight reel of some of the major milestones she marked this year, set to her song “29,” from her latest album 29: Written in Stone. “These songs are for anybody that’s on a journey, which, we all are,” Pearce explains at the start of the video. She wrote in the sentimental caption: “At the beginning of this year, I remember being so unsure of what was ahead for me. I knew I was making the music I had moved to Nashville to make, but I wasn’t sure how it would be received. I also was nervous to lay my heart out on the line to tell my truth. YALLLLLLL! I’m ending this year saying this was TRULY the best year of my life. Thank you for being a part of so many moments, so many dreams that came true & so much of my discovery of the next chapter of my life. 2022, let’s top it! ♥️”
Pearce has marked tons of highlights in 2021. One of the biggest was releasing 29: Written in Stone, extending her “transformative” EP. She told iHeartRadio earlier this year: “Twenty-nine was huge for me. I'm about to be 31. And, I think that what it did was it opened my eyes to a lot of things in life. And I think that we have to understand that life is always going to be this kind of ever-evolving thing. And sometimes things that maybe we thought would turn out one way, turn out another. And if you can just learn the lessons, I think that's been the biggest thing for me is like, I feel wiser because of the really hard stuff that I went through. And I feel like I chose to let it refine me instead of define me. And there'll be things that I take with me forever.”
Among tons of other milestones, Pearce took a moment to relive her nominations and wins at the ACM Awards, learning that she was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry (from country legend Dolly Parton), being inducted into the Opry by Trisha Yearwood, singing the National Anthem at the World Series, winning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year (and accepting the award with a little help from Ashley McBryde), and hosting the CMA Country Christmas, among many others. Ahead of the ACM Honors earlier this year, Pearce, who hosted the show, shared a wise word of advice to her younger self: “Just hold on and realize that everything is going to work out in the time that it's supposed to.”
“Thank you for making this an unforgettable year,” Pearce closed the montage. “Cheers to making more memories in 2022.” Watch Pearce’s best moments of 2021 here: