Carrie Underwood, born in Muskogee, Oklahoma on March 10, 1983 and raised in Checotah, Oklahoma, grew up on her family’s small farm with two older sisters. Her mother, Carole, worked as a school teacher while her father, Stephen, was a paper mill operator. During her childhood years, Carrie participated in talent shows and town events. At the tender age of 3, she started performing at the Free Will Baptist church. Surrounded by dirt roads and trees during her upbringing, Carrie developed a passion for singing. Her journey to becoming one of today’s most popular female artists commenced when she auditioned for American Idol during its fourth season.
Carrie Underwood, a standout contestant on American Idol, impressed Simon Cowell with her rendition of “I can’t make you love me” and was predicted to win the competition in May 2005. Despite lacking formal training before the show, she released her album “Some Hearts” in November of the same year, which sold over 300,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. This album became the biggest hit for a country artist since 1991.
In addition to her success on American Idol, Carrie’s career continued to soar. She received numerous accolades including 5 American Music Awards, 4 Grammy Awards, and 6 ACM Awards. Her song “Jesus take the wheel” even won Single Record of the Year at the ACM Awards. Prior to participating in American Idol, Carrie had already showcased her talents by performing at events such as Lions club and various festivals.
Just one year after appearing on American Idol in 2006, Carrie had already achieved four number one hits. In December of that same year she won five Billboard Music Awards. Throughout her career she has sold over thirteen million CDs and holds an impressive record as being the first country artist to have ten number one singles from her first two albums (now totaling thirteen singles). Additionally,she became only the seventh woman to receive the prestigious ACM Entertainer of the Year award.
Carrie Underwood, the first woman to win the ACM entertainer of the year award twice, has also been named the ACM and CMA Female Vocalist of the year for three years in a row. Furthermore, she received an induction into the Grand Ole Oprah by her idols Randy Travis and Garth Brooks. In recent times, Underwood has focused on songwriting and has collaborated on seven out of thirteen songs on her album “Play On.” She believes that this creative process has deepened her connection with her audience.
Carrie Underwood feels a strong connection to her third album, Play On, as she believes it truly reflects her personality. In 2010, shortly after winning her fifth Grammy award, she made her acting debut on the CBS show “How I Met Your Mother.” Despite having a busy schedule of touring and recording, she continued pursuing acting and co-starred in Soul Surfer in 2011. Recently, on May 1st, she released her latest album, Blown Away and appeared as a guest on American Idol on May 3rd. She also made an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show on May 9th and will be joining Dancing with the Stars on May 15th. Carrie’s first album, Some Hearts achieved seven times platinum certification while Carnival Ride reached three times platinum. It is interesting to note that Carrie Underwood holds a place in Guinness World Records as the Female Artist with the most number one hits and is also listed as one of Billboard’s top ten country music artists. Alongside her singing career, Carrie Underwood is skilled in playing guitar and piano. Furthermore, she strongly advocates for animal rights; being both a vegetarian herself and a fan of horror movies.
Her favorite show is Star Trek: The next generation. She loves Dallas Cowboys football. (4) She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Northwestern University, where she graduated magna cum laude in May of 2006. (3) The mayor of Checotah presented her with her diploma. (aceshowbiz) May 25th is Carrie Underwood day in Oklahoma, as declared by the mayor of Checotah Tom Coburn to honor her winning American Idol. (4) In addition to enjoying pizza and playing softball, she has a fondness for George Michael, Kelly Clarkson, and Martina McBride as her favorite singers.
