Carly Pearce realized a lifelong ambition Tuesday night, as Trisha Yearwood made her the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Thirty years to the day that Trisha’s debut, “She’s in Love with the Boy,” topped the chart, the two-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year presided over her first Opry induction. 

Carly wore a pink and white ruffled gown she bought online, one her mother wasted no time replicating as a memento.

“Y’all, my mom actually got a Barbie made with a dress that looks like this, and an Opry mic,” Carly told reporters before the show. “Like literally a Barbie that looks like this is at my house right now. It’s pretty awesome.”

Introduced by her neighbor and mentor, Opry legend Jeannie Seely, Carly opened her set with her career-defining hit, “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” before calling Trisha onstage for an impressive duet version of Yearwood’s Oscar-nominated “How Do I Live.” 

Afterwards, Trisha presented her with the coveted statue — a miniature version of the iconic Opry mic stand — which signifies her membership. A tearful Carly paid tribute to her late grandparents who helped inspire her love for the country music institution, having earlier expressed what it means to her.

“Singles will come and go, awards will come and go,” she said. “The arenas will be full, and then maybe they won’t be. But this is something that nobody can ever take away from you.”

Carly then strapped on her guitar to play her new track, “Dear Miss Loretta,” before calling out Trisha and Jeannie to close out the night. The three alternately traded lines and harmonized on 1955’s “Making Believe,” a tribute to country’s first female superstar, Kitty Wells. 

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