Carly Pearce assured she’s “OK” after her diagnosis with a heart condition.
The hummingbird artist, 34, recently revealed she’d developed a “heart issue” called pericarditis, and would have to alter her live performances to help keep her heart rate under control. Pearce said when she opened up about her heart issue in a video shared to her social media pages on May 30 that she’s “asking for a little bit of grace,” and encouraged others to “take care of your body and listen to it.”
“I’m OK, yeah,” Pearce said when she caught up with Entertainment Tonight at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. “It was pericarditis and a pericardial effusion, which is an inflammation and fluid inside the sac of your heart. And so I’m just kinda figuring it out as I go.”
Pearce’s announcement about her pericarditis diagnosis arrives amid her tour with Tim McGraw (his “Standing Room Only Tour”), and as she gets ready to take the main stage at Nissan Stadium in Nashville during CMA Fest over the weekend. The star-studded event is hailed the longest-running country festival in the world. It takes place in Music City from Thursday (June 6) through Sunday (June 9), and will air in a televised concert special hosted by Jelly Roll and Ashley McBryde. CMA Fest will air on Tuesday, June 25 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on ABC, and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
Pearce is also releasing her next full-length studio album, hummingbird, following 2021’s 29: Written In Stone. The upcoming 14-track project includes “country music made me do it,” “my place,” “we don’t fight anymore” featuring Chris Stapleton and other highlights. Pearce celebrated her 34th birthday on April 24 by bumping up the release date by one week. the album will arrive on Friday (June 7).
“The last few years have been a season of loss and growth, of healing and happiness. A belief that if I did the inner work, I would rebuild myself stronger than I was before, and a knowing that I have done some living and will always be unapologetic about it,” Pearce said as originally announced hummingbird on March 1. “These 14 songs incapsulate my confidence that there is light on the other side of darkness and my true love of country music.
“When you hear this album — Wherever you are on your journey, I hope it shows you that pain can be a lesson that shows you just how strong you are and what you truly deserve,” she continued. “That we can all find the ‘hummingbird’ in the midst of whatever we’re going through.”