Carly Pearce threw some shade at her ex in a subtle way during her debut performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
On Monday evening (Jan. 3), live from New York City, the reigning CMA Female Vocalist Of The Year performed “Diamondback,” which certainly made a statement as it appears she threw some shade at her ex-husband, Michael Ray. Her drummers custom kick drum head is reportedly an exact replica of the engagement ring that Ray proposed with in December 2018.
Donning a rhinestone studded black dress, Pearce, joined by her band, gave a rousing rendition of the song, which details not giving back an engagement ring following a breakup.
In addition to throwing shade via her drummer’s drum head, it seems she really highlighted the lyrics, “but who’s laughing now?”
Watch Pearce’s performance of “Diamondback” below.
The feisty song, which appears on her latest project, 29: Written In Stone, was co-written by Pearce alongside Kelsea Ballerini, Tofer Brown and Shane McAnally.
Fans picked up on the subtle dig hours ahead of the show after her drummer and tour manager, Mike Blong, shared a photo of his drum set.
“The devil’s in the details,” wrote a Twitter user alongside photos of the drum head and a cropped image of Pearce flashing her engagement ring from 2018. The quoted lyric references Pearce’s song “What He Didn’t Do.”
the devil’s in the details👏🏻💍💎
// @carlypearce @CarlyP_Connect pic.twitter.com/L7yhzSG2ff
— olivia (@oliviaa__w) January 4, 2022
Another fan commented, “tell me this isn’t the exact same as the ring” while someone else shared, “OMG are you telling me she put an image of her former Ring on her Drum!?!? That is so awesomely savage and I love it!”
tell me this isn’t the exact same as the ring💀😈😂 #diamondback @carlypearce @CarlyP_Connect @jimmyfallon pic.twitter.com/GO99eoFh0H
— jess (@just_jesssica) January 4, 2022
Pearce previously opened up about the song “Diamondback,” admitting it was her “go-off moment” on her album, 29: Written In Stone.
“I think it was the last song I wrote for this project,” Pearce said. “You try to do the right thing and you try to stay quiet, and I just stopped caring in that moment. I went, ‘Hmm … I gotta go there’ — and I did.”
Pearce and Ray divorced in the summer of 2020 following a whirlwind, eight-month marriage.
Months after the divorce was finalized, Pearce released a career-defining project, 29. The seven-track release found Pearce putting her heart on the line with autobiographical songs that painted a picture of heartbreak and healing.
Six months later, the Kentucky native expanded the project with the release of 29: Written In Stone. The 15-track project garnered praise from fans and critics alike and truly took Pearce’s career to new heights.
She closed out the year winning the title of CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. She also took home two fan-voted Country Now Awards, with wins for Favorite Breakup Song for “What He Didn’t Do” and Favorite Collaboration for “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” with Ashley McBryde.
Although Pearce sings about heartbreak, these days, she is quite happy in her personal life with boyfriend Riley King, a Nashville realtor and former MLB player.
Over the course of the last year or so, the couple has slowly introduced their relationship via photos on their social media accounts.
In early November, during an interview with Audacy’s Gunner & Cheyenne, Pearce opened up about King, saying he’s one part of her life that she just wants to “keep private right now.”
She later admitted, “It’s a big commitment to go public with somebody,” and said that she already “learned the hard way that [going public too fast] can sometimes kick you in the butt.”
She went on to share that she didn’t want to put him “out into the world” like she has with previous relationships, but couldn’t help but to gush over him.
“He’s hot. He’s so hot… And I’m certainly not trying to hide him, but certainly don’t want to exploit my whole thing,” Pearce said.
Just days after the interview, Pearce and King made their public debut together at the 2021 CMA Awards. While the couple didn’t walk the red carpet, they were seated next to each other during the show and even shared a kiss on the nationally televised awards show after Pearce won the CMA award for Female Vocalist of The Year.
