Country singer Carly Pearce has revealed that her 2018 hit "I Hope You're Happy Now" was originally written with Luke Combs in mind as her duet partner, though Lee Brice ultimately recorded the song with her. Pearce explained that she approached Combs after admiring his voice on a radio tour, and the pair went on to co-write the track alongside Randy Montana and Jonathan Singleton, with Pearce hoping he would also sing on it. The revelation offers fans insight into the making of one of the biggest singles from her self-titled debut album, nearly seven years after its release.

Combs eventually had to withdraw from performing the duet owing to scheduling conflicts, prompting Pearce to turn to Lee Brice, whose version reached number one on both the US Country Airplay and Canada Country charts and peaked in the US Billboard Hot 100's top 30. Fans finally got to hear Pearce and Combs perform the song together as originally envisaged when they teamed up at London's Royal Albert Hall in 2025, during celebrations marking the Grand Ole Opry's international debut.