Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde In Shock After Winning First-Ever GRAMMY Award

“We won a GRAMMY,” Pearce shouted from the stage.

By

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

February 5, 2023

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4:51 pm

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Carly Pearce, Ashley McBryde; Photo Courtesy GRAMMY.com Livestream

Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde are officially GRAMMY winners. The pair took home the GRAMMY for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their chart-topping duet, “Never Wanted To Be That Girl.”

This marks the first GRAMMY win for Pearce and McBryde. They accepted the honor together during the GRAMMYs Premiere Ceremony at Microsoft Theater. 

After the duet partners entered the stage, Pearce spoke first and admitted she was shocked. 

“I did not expect this. Oh my God. I’m still working on pulling my grass. I’m out of breath. Oh my goodness,” Pearce said with excitement. ”You know what? I was working on a record and I heard… I’ve known Ashley for a long time and I just wanted to sing a song with her and we wrote this song and it has just transcended so many of my wildest dreams. Real music. Real country music. Thank you, Scott Borchetta. Thank you, Big Machine Records. Thank you to Country Music fans and thank you to The Academy. Holy. This is my first nomination, so I was not expecting this.”

Carly Pearce, Ashley McBryde; Photo Courtesy GRAMMY.com Livestream
Carly Pearce, Ashley McBryde; Photo Courtesy GRAMMY.com Livestream

McBryde then took to the microphone to accept the prestigious award.

“It’s Carly’s first nomination. It was my first number one at Country Radio and we’ve performed the song so many times on stage together. It’s been so nice for our friendship,” McBryde said. ”We did it together. Thank you. Thank you.”

“We won a GRAMMY!” Pearce shouted, before McBryde added, “Holy shit!” 

McBryde is also nominated for Best Country Album for her latest album, Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville.  

“Never Wanted To Be That Girl” was a monumental song for Pearce and McBryde. It topped both the Billboard and Mediabase/Country Aircheck charts in May of 2022, marking Pearce’s third No. 1 single and McBryde’s first.  

The song, co-written by Pearce and McBryde with Shane McAnally, is the second female duet to top the country charts in 30 years. 

“Never Wanted To Be That Girl” appears on Carly Pearce’s 2021 project, 29: Written In Stone.

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The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards will feature performances from Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Chris Stapleton, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and more. 

“Music’s Biggest Night” will also include an all-star 50th Anniversary celebration of hip hop, featuring performances by Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz, and Too $hort. LL COOL J will be on hand to introduce the segment and give a dedication to hip hop.

Several tributes will take place during the In Memoriam segment at the all-genre ceremony. Kacey Musgraves is set to take the stage to honor the late Loretta Lynn with a cover of Lynn’s signature hit “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” while Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt are slated to pay homage to late Fleetwood Mac member, Christine McVie, with a performance of McVie’s “Songbird.”

Maverick City Music and Quavo will remember the late Migos rapper, Takeoff, with a special tribute performance of “Without You,” a song that Quavo wrote after his passing.

First Lady Jill Biden, Cardi B, James Corden, Billy Crystal, Viola Davis, Dwayne Johnson, Olivia Rodrigo, and Shania Twain and more confirmed to present during the ceremony.

Beyoncé leads the pack with nine nominations, including the prestigious Album Of The Year (Renaissance). Following behind Beyoncé are Kendrick Lamar with eight nods, Adele and Brandi Carlile with seven nominations as well as Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, Harry Styles, Future, The Dream and Randy Merrill have six. For a full list of 2023 GRAMMY nominees click HERE.

Prior to the GRAMMY Awards, several winners are being revealed during the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in the City Of Angels. For a full list of winner, visit live.GRAMMY.com.

Co-hosted by GRAMMY-nominated comedian Trevor Noah, the 2023 GRAMMYs will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5 at 8/7c on CBS. The coveted awards ceremony are also scheduled to stream live and on demand via Paramount+.

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Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.