Two of country music’s leading ladies teamed up for a performance at the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards on April 11. Trisha Yearwood and Carly Pearce joined forces to sing a medley of Trisha’s hits at the award show. The set began with “Wrong Side of Memphis” before transitioning into “XXXs and OOOs.” Next up was “She’s In Love With The Boy,” which closed the set.
@trishayearwood and @carlypearce. I missed the first snippet of Wrong Side of Memphis. Great performance ladies! pic.twitter.com/57mvQeA4DI
— 🎶 Tracie 🎵 (@txgb_fan) May 12, 2023
While onstage, Carly sparkled in a mini dress, which she paired with red heels. Meanwhile, Trisha was pretty in pink, wearing a jumpsuit that stood out as she shone onstage. Both ladies wore different outfits when they walked the red carpet earlier in the night. Carly was a bright light in her orange dress, while Trisha stunned in a tight red ensemble.
Carly and Trisha’s performance was done in honor of the 25th anniversary of Trisha winning Female Artist of the Year at the ACM Awards in 1998. Carly took home the same honor in 2022, making them the perfect combo to fuse country music from the 1990s and today. Ahead of the performance, Trisha took to Instagram to share her excitement. “I’m so excited to share the ACM Awards stage with my friend Carly Pearce,” she wrote. “I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of my Female Artist of the Year win than with the reigning queen!”
Back in 2021, Trisha was actually the one who inducted Carly into the Grand Ole Opry, so the ladies’ connection is already strong. In a subsequent interview, Carly called Trisha her “career crush,” and gushed over how much she admires her. “She’s classy, she’s classic, she loves animals, she loves to cook, she’s an amazing singer, she’s married to Garth [Brooks] and she inducted me into the Grand Ole Opry!” Carly raved to CMT.
Carly actually met Trisha for the first time ever when she was backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. It was only her second time ever performing at the show, and Garth came backstage to introduce himself. Trisha was by his side, and that’s who Carly was REALLY starstruck by. “I screamed in her face,” Carly recalled in a 2021 interview. “I don’t know if she remembers that, but she probably does. She was probably scared!”