Carly Pearce is hitting the road with Blake Shelton this week, as his direct opener on the Back to the Honky Tonk Tour (after Jackson Dean kicks things off). Carly explains why it means so much to her to get to tour with Blake, and one thing in particular she’s looking forward to on the tour.

“Blake has been so good to me through this whole last, I don’t know, six years, I guess, five years. And at every step, he’s just encouraged me and made me feel like he really supported the kind of country music that I was making. So, at this point in my career to be able to be in that direct support slot with him, and almost feel like I graduated … and I do respect him so much as an artist, and just the way that his brand has built. I’m really, really excited. He’s been one of my favorite people in the industry. And I have to say, I really love Gwen as well, so we’re gonna have girl time.”

The Back to the Honky Tonk Tour kicks off tomorrow (Thursday, February 16th) in Lincoln, Nebraska, and runs through March 25th, with Jackson Dean and Carly Pearce opening for Blake Shelton.

See all of Carly Pearce’s upcoming concert dates here.