Some of the most painful emotions are the ones we're supposed to be ashamed of. Carly Pearce tackles one of those head-on with “Happy for Myself,” a standout from her new album Honest Woman.
During her appearance on Backstage Country with Elaina Smith, Pearce revealed that the song came from a very real and surprisingly uncomfortable experience.
Carly Pearce Talks About “Happy for Myself”
Her younger assistant was close to getting engaged and asked Pearce to go ring shopping with her. “I was so excited for her. I was like, ‘Oh my God, yes, of course.’ And I went i there and as I'm watching her get to have this experience, I'm having this very weird jealousy and almost anger. I was mad at her and I couldn't figure out what to do with it. And I remember going home and feeling really conflicted about it.”
Pearce added, “And I realized it was envy. I am so happy for you. But you're younger. You don't know what I've been through. You know all these things that we do as people. Where's mine, where's mine? I want mine. I want my happy ending.”
That's what makes “Happy for Myself” hit differently. Pearce doesn't pretend that being a good friend means never experiencing complicated emotions. Instead, she acknowledges that two things can be true at once: You can genuinely celebrate someone else's joy while still wishing your own story looked different.
Carly Pearce - Happy For Myself (Official Music Video)
“It's A Hard Thing To Remain Happy Through”
The song also reflects one of the central ideas running through Honest Woman: perspective.
Pearce pointed out how social media constantly reminds people of what they have—or don't have. “We live in a world where you open your phone and you are constantly reminded of what you have or what you don't have or if you're successful or if whatever. And it's a hard thing to remain happy through. And I think just hearing the stories, I knew that this song would relate in a relationship way.”
She added, “I knew that people who were struggling with infertility, it would reach them. I had a girl post her cancer journey and she's waiting to ring the cancer free bell. Comparison is a real thing. And I think two things can be true at the same time. You can be happy for somebody in your life, but you can long for your own story.”
