29

29 is an extended play by American country music artist Carly Pearce. It was released on February 19, 2021, via Big Machine Records and contains seven tracks. The project was co-produced by Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Jimmy Robbins. It is third music collection released in Pearce's career and her first extended play effort. Its lead single, "Next Girl", has become a charting country single since its release in 2020. 29 was nominated for the Country Music Association Award for Album of the Year at the 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards in 2021. Background In 2017, Carly Pearce had her first hit with the single "Every Little Thing". The track was produced by Pearce's musical collaborator, busbee, who died in 2019. In addition, Pearce would divorce husband, Michael Ray, in 2020. Both personal setbacks prompted Pearce to compose material and create a new music project. "In that grief, I started swimming to save myself from the sadness, then realized I've found something even deeper," she recalled. According to an interview with Rolling Stone, a new album collection was necessary especially since her previous release was about the idea of falling in love and happiness. Pearce found she had a significant amount of time to devote to the making of 29. Following her divorce and staying home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was inspired to create the album. "Quarantine has been good to me," she commented in 2020. The album's name was derived from Pearce's age at the time of her deciding to create the album. In an interview with Billboard, Pearce explained that she did not choose to do a "themed album by any means". Instead, she found that the record came from experiences shaped during her 29th year.