It might seem to country music fans that Carly Pearce just burst onto the radio with "Every Little Thing" like an overnight success story.
But it's taken eight years to be an overnight success, she says. Inner drive and perseverance have gotten her to where she is today.
At age 16, she convinced her parents to let her quit high school to work at Dollywood - singing in six shows a day in Country Crossroads. Through homeschooling she got her high school diploma.
"I didn't go to college. I moved to Nashville eight years ago, got a music deal, it fell through. I had all kinds of odd-end jobs to make a living," says the 27-year-old.
One of those jobs was as a back-up singer for Lucy Hale, star of the TV drama "Pretty Little Liars."
While working for Hale, she met producer busbee (Lady Antebellum, Katy Perry and Keith Urban) and publisher Daniel Lee, which ultimately led to a publishing deal and a second chance to record, this time on Big Machine Records' label.
Her first single was a heartbreak ballad, "Every Little Thing," defying convention to break out with an up-tempo, danceable single.
It's currently No. 17 and still rising after 18 weeks on Billboard's Hot Country Songs. "Every Little Thing" has been streamed more than 15.5 million times on demand.
"I believe good music is good music," Pearce said in a phone interview. "Once I saw the reaction that country fans gave 'Every Little Thing," I believed they wanted to hear real music."
Now life is pretty sweet for Pearce.
The singer once told that her sound was "dated," is raking in honors - among them CMT Listen Up Artist: 17 for 2017, Siriux/XM Future Five for 2017, iHeartRadio On The Verge artist and a Highway Find on Sirius/XM's The Highway.
Her first album will be out Oct. 13 and she will tour with her friend, Brett Young, on his Caliville Tour this fall.
But before then, Pearce is making a stop in Chattanooga on Wednesday, Sept. 6, to headline the free Made in Tennessee concert. Made in Tennessee is a kickoff party for Ironman 70.3 World Championship, with events taking place through Sept. 10. The party is for athletes coming into town to compete as well as for locals to show these guests some Southern hospitality.
The event will include a Southern shop and dine-around along with music on Broad Street between West Aquarium Way and West Third Street. The concert stage will be set in front of the Tennessee Aquarium. Strung Like a Horse will open at 6:30 p.m. before Pearce comes on at 8.
Pearce co-wrote eight of the 13 tracks on her upcoming album, also named "Every Little Thing," and she picked the remaining five.
"I have been in Nashville, so I know the songwriting community is full of amazing songwriters. I felt there were eight songs of mine that were significant and crucial to the album, but I fell in love with five others that capture my story, fill in the missing pieces and make the album whole," she says.
Although a second single, "If My Name was Whiskey," has been playing on Sirius/XM, Pearce said that is not officially her second single. She says the second release will be "super upbeat, fun and funky."
"I think what people are wondering is if I'm a heartbreak ballad singer. I am a happy girl," she jokes. "And they will hear plenty of up-tempo, mid-tempo and all kinds of things on the album."
She thinks fans will get to know her better at the upcoming show "and get a better sense of what my album will be like, who my influences are. Getting to know Carly past the song is what they can expect."
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757- 6284.