On May 25, 2005, Carrie Underwood won the fourth season of “American Idol.” Starting with her crossover debut album, Underwood soon became one of the most successful music artists of all time. To date, she has sold more than 65 million records worldwide and has been showered with many honors, including seven Grammys, 14 ACM Awards and 17 CMT Music Awards. Underwood is also the first-ever female to win back-to-back ACM Awards for Entertainer of the Year. The music industry veteran recently recovered from a scary fall outside of her Nashville home in November. After the accident that resulted in a broken wrist and 40 stitches to her face, Underwood is back stronger than ever. She recently released a new single, “Cry Pretty,” with an album due out this September.
Underwood was born on March 10, 1983, in Muskogee, OK. She and her two older sisters were raised by their parents on the family farm in Checotah, OK. After graduating from high school in 2001, she attended Northeastern State University. During her senior year, Underwood tried out for “American Idol,” singing the Bonnie Raitt classic, “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Not only did she dazzle the judges in tryouts, she won America’s hearts and votes, culminating in her being crowned the winner of the fourth season of “American Idol.”
After winning “American Idol,” Underwood quickly began to dominate the music industry. Her debut album, “Some Hearts” (2005), became the fastest-selling female country album since the introduction of Nielsen Soundscan in 1991. The multi-platinum- selling album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, as well as No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It became the best-selling album of 2006, generating a series of hit singles for Underwood including “Inside Your Heaven,” “Jesus Take The Wheel” and her empowering anthem, “Before He Cheats.” Among her many awards, Underwood won an ACM and a CMA for Single of the Year.
Underwood’s next four albums, “Carnival Ride” (2007), “Play On” (2009), “Blown Away” (2012), and “Greatest Hits: Decade #1” (2014) kept the country artist at the top of the charts, while also winning multiple awards. With her fifth album, “Storyteller” (2015), Underwood became the only country artist in history to have all first five studio albums reach either number one or two on the Billboard 200.
At the ACM Awards on April 15, 2018, she returned to the stage for the first time since her accident. That night, she debuted her new song, “Cry Pretty,” with nary a scar in sight. Fourteen years after her “American Idol” victory, Underwood has earned her home state of Oklahoma’s “Highest Honor.” In November, Underwood will be inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame!