Riley King and Carly Pearce.Photo:John Shearer/Getty
John Shearer/Getty
After two years together,Carly PearceandRiley Kinghave decided to call it quits.
“For the most part, it was great. People date to see if they’re gonna go the distance, and we weren’t,” she told PEOPLE following her appearance on Wednesday’s Women in Country panel atBillboardCountry Live. “We just simply were not right for each other, and that’s the bottom line. I am on such a beautiful journey, and I am really excited about the next chapter of my life.”
TheGrammy winner— who just got her gramophone in the mail last week! — is currently gearing up for a main stage performance at the2023 CMA Festthis weekend, where she’ll appear at Nissan Stadium in Nashville for a set alongside artists includingLuke Combs, Ashley McBryde,Dan + Shayand other country stars. “I’ve waited 13 years to be able to play this stage,” she said.
“You work, and you work, and you work, and you wanna get to that main stage. This is the first full set that I’ve ever done. It’s going to be one of the most special moments of my life,” continued Pearce, before teasing: “I do have a special guest that I think people are gonna love!”
Carly Pearce.Michael Buckner
Michael Buckner
The New York Post’s Page Six was first toreport the split news, as the real estate agent told the outlet on Wednesday, “Carly and I have parted ways and I wish her nothing but the best in both her career and personal life.”
The outlet also reported that their relationship ended over “trust issues” — but Pearce, who is preparing for a busyCMA Fest weekahead, told PEOPLE: “That is absolutely not why we broke up.”
She and King, 29, had been linked since early 2021. That May, the country star toldPEOPLEof the then-rumored romance, “All I will say is I’m happy. I’ll tell you, I’m very happy about that.”
Pearce, 33, was previously married toMichael Rayfor eight months before shefiled for divorcein June 2020.
Carly Pearce.Jason Kempin/Getty
Next week, Pearce will release a new single, “We Don’t Fight Anymore” featuringChris Stapleton, on June 16. The song came together after she senthis wife Morganea message on Instagram and asked to send her a song, which Chris later heard and wanted to record with her.
“He’s been my dream collaboration, and for it to have happened like this and so organically, just feels really, really meant to be,” said Pearce. “I feel like it’s a whole new era. It’s a whole new chapter.”
“There is absolutely not a correlation to what is going on in my life at the moment at all,” continued Pearce, noting that the song “was just so special because I told a story that so many people are living. I was able to tap into that, but [the split] is not because of this song.”
“We Don’t Fight Anymore” is just a taste of more music to come from the singer-songwriter in the near future. “These new songs are just a reflection of where I’ve been over the last few years and the stories that I feel like are important to share,” she detailed. “Some of those are in my life, but also things that I see in other people. I’m just excited for the new chapter and for people to hear this song that I’m so proud of.”
source: people.com
