Carly Pearce opens up about using ‘tricks’ to shoot intimate scenes with Riley Green.

Carly Pearce Needed Champagne to Not Feel ‘Awkward’ Filming Sexy Music Video with Riley Green: ‘I Felt the ‘Stache’

“I did finish a bottle of champagne at the end of the day, so I guess it got easier for me because I was feeling better,” said Pearce of the shoot with Green

Carly Pearce; Carly Pearce and Riley Green in ‘If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay’. Credit :Absolute Radio Country/Instagram; Carly Pearce/Riley Green/YouTube

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Carly Pearce and Riley Green star as a romantic pair in the music video for their duet “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay”
Pearce admitted feeling awkward filming intimate scenes with her friend Green but said champagne helped ease the tension
The song’s music video has over 1.2 million views

Carly Pearce is opening up about the experience of filming a sexy music video with friend Riley Green.

The two country stars teamed up for the romantic duet “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay” in March and released an accompanying music video depicting them as a romantic pair who can’t give each other up. In a new interview with Absolute Country Radio, Pearce, 36, revealed how she combatted feeling “awkward” about getting close with Green, 37, on set.

“If somebody was gonna been a music video like that with Riley Green, I said, you know, I could sacrifice myself and do it,” joked Pearce, before detailing how the shoot went down.

“Honestly, and he would tell you the same thing, our first scene, when you’re watching the video and our faces are like, right here singing to each other. And you know, I know Riley, he’s my friend, we’re friendly, whatever, but not like that,” she explained. “It’s like, noon on a Tuesday. They’re like, alright, we’re gonna start with this. They were like, get in there. And I was like, I need a bottle of champagne right now.”

Pearce continued, “And oddly, we both said, for about 30 seconds, it was like, this is so awkward. Like, how are we ever going to do this? I think his mustache touched my lip, like oh my God… I mean, I felt the ‘stache.”

“But after that, it was oddly totally fine,” she said. “It wasn’t awkward, we were fine. I did finish a bottle of champagne at the end of the day, so I guess it got easier for me because I was feeling better. But I think there were only two moments where we literally lost it laughing.”

The “You Can Have Him Singer” added, “I have to say, I knew I had lightning in a bottle when I was going to reveal him sitting next to me.”

Since its release, “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay” has amassed over 1.2 million views on its music video. The song has also reached the top 40 on both the Billboard U.S. Country Airplay and U.S. Hot Country Songs charts.

Riley Green and Carly Pearce in Nashville in April 2026.Jason Kempin/Getty

In real life, Pearce is in a relationship with entrepreneur Jordan Karcher. They recently celebrated one year of dating, with Karcher sharing a celebratory post to Instagram on April 30.

“Well damn, that year sure went fast! We should do it again @carlypearce…,” wrote Karcher in the post’s caption.

Pearce replied, “And again and again and again!”