Carly Pearce Attends 2021 CMT Awards with Her Dog June as Her Date: Alert the Pup-arazzi!

The singer is nominated for female video of the year for her song "Next Girl" at the 2021 CMT Awards

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Updated on June 10, 2021 01:15 AM

Carly Pearce and her pup June Jolene are a paw-fect pair!

The country singer, 31, arrived at the 2021 CMT Music Awards red carpet in Nashville on Wednesday with her adorable 1-year-old rescue pooch by her side. June — who is named after country legend June Carter — even wore a pink, diamond-encrusted collar and leash to match Pearce's three-piece floral Ines Di Santo ensemble.

Ahead of the show, Pearce posted an Iams-sponsored video to Instagram featuring June playing with her brother Johnny, who is Pearce's mother Jackie's dog.

"We're best friends and our puppies are best friends," Pearce says of her mom in the clip, which she captioned, "June and I loved partnering with @iams for the #CMTawards. Her presence throughout this last year has been such a comfort to me. Don't forget to tune in Wednesday at 8/7c to catch more of our story."

In April, Pearce celebrated June's birthday on Instagram, writing, "HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TO MY GIRL 💗🐶🎂 I can't even begin to explain how much joy you've brought me over the last year."

At the CMT Music Awards this year, Pearce is nominated for female video of the year for her song "Next Girl."

Pearce debuted "Next Girl" last September, amid the finalization of her divorce from fellow country singer Michael Ray. In "Next Girl," she sings of hidden "red flags" and self-blame after a breakup.

"You're gonna think it's all your fault / It's just a switch that he turns off / He'll make you think it's love / But I promise you it's not," she sings.

Be sure to check out PEOPLE's CMT Awards coverage to get the latest news on country music's big night.

Elsewhere in the tune, Pearce speaks directly to whomever will be the so-called next girl as she tracks the crumbling of a relationship.

"Hey next girl, you don't know me/ I'm just the one he says went crazy on him/ That's just what he does/ But once upon a time I was/ The next girl, I've been where you're at/ You overlook a lot when he looks like that/ He'll charm your mama with that smile/ Hide the red flags for a little while," she sings.

RELATED VIDEO: Carly Pearce Felt Like She Was 'Failing in Front of the Whole World' After Michael Ray Divorce

In a press release at the time, Pearce said, "We live in a world where there are so many smooth-talking guys who're so quick to sweep you off your feet — and they always have a story about the girl before."

"So when we were asking ourselves, 'What would Patty Loveless do?' We figured not only would she warn the girl, she'd turn over all the cards: how he works, how he talks about the old girlfriend, what he'll do once he's got her," she continued.

Pearce said she was "nervous" to record "Next Girl," especially following the death of her longtime producer busbee, but she quickly felt reassured and connected to the message once she was in the studio.

"It was also so exciting because as the tracks started going down, I realized: This is who I am at my core," she said. "This is the music that flows through my blood, that comes out of my pores. It's everything I love and loved all in one song, and when it's rushing by, it just feels good."

In conversation with The Kelleigh Bannen Show on Apple Music Country, Pearce explained how broken relationships inspired the cautionary song.

"If a girl has not experienced this yet, God bless them that they haven't — they're going to," she said. "And I feel like the song is almost like preparation and also an anthem of just, like, this has nothing. ... We as women think it has to do with us. It has nothing to do with us and everything to do with them."

The 2021 CMT Music Awards are airing live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on MTV, MTV2, Logo, Paramount Network and TV Land.