Carly Pearce Slams Fan Speculation That She's Feuding with Maren Morris by Releasing a Song with Her Ex Ryan Hurd

The country music star and the singer-songwriter are releasing a cover of Tom Petty's "Breakdown" for an upcoming tribute album

Carly Pearce, Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd
Carly Pearce; Maren Morris; Ryan Hurd. Photo:

Neilson Barnard/Getty; Taylor Hill/WireImage; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Carly Pearce is shutting down rumors that she’s feuding with Maren Morris

The country music star, 33, posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday to respond to and deny fan speculation that there is any sort of beef between her and Morris, 33, since she’s releasing a song with the singer’s ex-husband, Ryan Hurd

The Grammy winner cleared the air by replying to the co-founder of the chart data platform @USRadioUpdater’s quote tweet that referred to Pearce and Hurd’s upcoming duet of Tom Petty’s “Breakdown,” which is set to appear on a tribute album to the late rock star, and how it could allegedly be “shade” towards Morris. 

Pearce began, “Okay. Since I have seen this all over, I figured I would respond."

“Ryan has [been] a friend of mine for over 10 yrs,” she said of the singer-songwriter, 37, from whom Morris filed for divorce after five years of marriage in October of last year. (The former couple, who share son Hayes Andrew, 4 this month, finalized their divorce in January.)

Pearce continued by clarifying how her song with Hurd on the forthcoming compilation Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty came together. “I was asked by my label to record this song with him for the Petty tribute and of course I said yes because he’s a great artist,” she shared. 

The “What He Didn’t Do” singer concluded her post by slamming any further speculation of a feud. “STOP making something out of nothing!” the musician added. 

Carly Pearce performs onstage for the class of 2021 medallion ceremony at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on May 01, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee
Carly Pearce performing in Nashville in May 2022.

Terry Wyatt/Getty

The post that the CMA award winner replied to also speculated that she had unfollowed Morris on Instagram last year after she released “The Tree,” a song off her 2023 EP The Bridge about her decision to leave the country music industry and begin releasing music on Columbia instead of Columbia Nashville. 

Pearce’s upcoming cover with Hurd of the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1976 classic will appear on an album featuring fellow country music artists, such as Dierks Bentley, Luke Combs, Dolly Parton and others. The project was announced in late February and is due for release on May 31.

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The track marks the latest from Hurd since he released "Midwest Rock & Roll" last Friday, and it will be his first collaboration since he teamed up with Carter Faith in January for "Lights Out" for Apple Music's Lost and Found prrogram.

There is a great deal of solo music in store for Pearce, as well. 

On Friday, the hitmaker announced her fourth studio album hummingbird is set for release on June 14 and she shared the title track.

The "we don't fight anymore" artist announced the LP with an Instagram post featuring the cover artwork, and she opened up about how much the project means to her in the caption.

"The last few years have been a season of loss and growth, of healing and happiness," Pearce wrote. "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."

She continued by sharing that the 14-track record encapsulates “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,” Pearce wrote. “That we can all find the ‘hummingbird’  in the midst of whatever we’re going through.”

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