Taking the stage: Grammy Award-winning country artist Carly Pearce to headline Music Fiesta

Carly Pearce has heard about the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta but has never attended.

That will change when the Grammy-winning country singer will take the stage as headliner at Music Fiesta on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Taking the stage: Grammy Award-winning country artist Carly Pearce to headline Music Fiesta

“I’ve heard so much about it and I am looking forward to seeing the balloons,” Pearce says.

Pearce’s stop in New Mexico just happened to work out with her tour in support of her fourth studio album, “hummingbird,” which was released in June.

She is the latest country singer to headline Music Fiesta since it began in 2013.

“(The tour) starts in a couple weeks and we’re figuring out set lists and making sure that we can put on an amazing show from start to finish,” Pearce says.

Music has always been at the forefront of Pearce’s life.

She grew up in Kentucky, rooted in the country classics, and left home by the age of 16 to take a job at Dollywood.

Over the course of her more than a decade-long career, Pearce has racked up hefty accolades.

Her debut album in 2017, “Every Little Thing” and the title track helped her profile skyrocket from the beginning.

Her single, “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” with Lee Brice, won Single of the Year at the 2020 Country Music Association Awards and the 2021 Academy of Country Music Awards.

Pearce is now a Grand Ole Opry and Kentucky Music Hall of Fame member and has come a long way from the pain she felt writing her third studio album, “29: Written in Stone,” which includes country radio chart toppers — “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” with Ashley McBryde, and “What He Didn’t Do.”

“Never Wanted To Be That Girl” picked up a Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

With “hummingbird,” Pearce did feel some added pressure due to “29” being such a critically-acclaimed album.

She wanted to take her time with the album and fully leaned into her authentic country sound encompassed by the symbolism of the hummingbird which represents the album’s themes of growth, humility, understanding, playfulness and optimism.

“It took me about two years to write the album,” Pearce says. “It was important that I not only got it right, but that it was the album I wanted to write.”

The album is produced by Pearce, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne — which is Pearce’s debut as a co-producer and fully represents her new musical chapter — one of forward motion.

Since the album’s release, she’s appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” as well as “Good Morning America” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

In the single “truck on fire,” Pearce sounds downright dangerous, escalating a revenge scenario for cheating to straight-up arson.

She says she wrote this song for every girl who has gone through a similar situation and dreams of wreaking havoc on her ex.

Pearce received her second Grammy Award nomination this year for her top 5 hit “we don’t fight anymore” featuring Chris Stapleton.

The duo made their live debut of the song at The 57th annual CMA Awards.

Pearce admits that the song, “rock paper scissors” is an enjoyable one to perform live.

In it, Pearce cracks jokes about the end of a marriage.

“As I get older, I’m being a complete version of myself,” she says.