Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde were just crowned ACM Awards winners, taking home the Music Event of the Year trophy for “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” at the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards.
The award was given off-camera ahead of the two-hour ACM Awards show.
“Never Wanted To Be That Girl” is currently climbing the charts at country radio and appears on Pearce’s latest album, 29: Written In Stone.
“Ashley knows how to bring real emotion to a song like this.” Pearce says of her co-writer. “Songs about cheating aren’t something you hear much anymore, but I don’t think it’s because it doesn’t happen. When Ashley and I sat down to write, we wanted to dig into something so classically country and really play to our roots. This is what happened, and people have been responding in such a way that it makes me believe there is a place in the world for real country.”
McBryde agrees. “Not everyone is brave enough to go straight into the raw parts in the writing room. When we were trying to decide what to write about, Carly’s like me: someone who wants to jump into the deep end. So we took ‘being the other woman,’ something that’s typically a little taboo, and turned it into a reflective moment, where two women are forced to face being someone they never intended. And, it doesn’t hurt that it’s a lot of fun to sing, too.”
Pearce and McBryde are set to perform the song during the ACM Awards on Monday evening.
The ACM Music Event of the Year trophy is awarded to the artist(s), producer(s), and the record label(s).
Also nominated in the Music Event of the Year category were “Buy Dirt” by Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan, “Famous Friends” by Chris Young and Kane Brown, “Half Of My Hometown” by Kelsea Ballerini featuring Kenny Chesney, and “If I Didn’t Love You” by Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood.
