When Carrie Underwood auditioned for the fourth season of American Idol in 2005, she was a small-town girl from Oklahoma. Here we narrate about her amazing journey through the competition and how she became a nation's superstar.
Carrie Underwood is now a well-known name in the music industry, with over 100 major awards to her name and a plethora of top country hits. However, before her meteoric rise to fame, Carey made her debut in 2005 by auditioning for season four of American Idol.
Below we break down the "Before He Cheats" singer's journey on the show, from her adorable first audition to her many performances to her unforgettable victory.
The audition that started it all
Carey's American Idol journey began when she convinced her mother, Carole Underwood, to drive her from her Chekota, Oklahoma hometown to the show's season four auditions. The then 21-year-old appeared wearing a simple, off-the-shoulder-pink T-shirt and jeans and sported her shoulder-length blonde hair in multiple curls, all smiling and as cute as could be. Although she was clearly nervous, and told judge Randy Jackson that she was intimidated by well-known tough guy Simon Cowell, she presented many of the judges beautifully with Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me." did - which also included Paula Abdul - Anand. He was given a Golden Ticket to Hollywood to stay in the competition.
After describing Randy as his favorite singer Martina McBride, Simon said, "I was saying to someone the other day, 'I'm surprised we haven't got a good country singer in this contest yet.'" Little did he know. That was what was to come!
"I was so distracted that when mom and dad were taking me to the airport to go to Hollywood, I realized I forgot lip liner," Carey said about her audition in a 2020 essay for Guideposts said. “We stopped at a grocery store, and mom went inside to buy something. At once, it was too much. Going to Los Angeles alone, competing with all the other people who were so talented. I burst into tears."
She continued, “My dad swung me in the back seat. 'Carrie,' he said, 'we can go home now, and we never need to talk about it again.'" Lucky for us, the talented artist decided to move on to the competition!
She was still studying at Northeastern State University while competing
A little-known fact about Carey was that while studying at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, she was still enrolled in the school after she was taken to Idol. The singer was studying mass communication with an emphasis on journalism and was considering becoming a news anchor if that didn't satisfy her musical aspirations.
Even after claiming her big win, she still completed her schooling after graduating magna cum laude in 2006!
Carrie takes the 'Idol' stage
After a successful audition, Carey took to the stage with dazzling performances, singing songs like "Piece of My Heart," "When Will I Be Loved," "Love is a Battlefield," and more.
Fortunately for Carey, the stiff-nosed Simon seemed to be in her corner from the start, commenting that after Tiffany sang "Can't Have Been" during Top 12 Girls' night, she was the only one to win the contest. was one of the favourites. Also, during the Top 11 finalist's performance, after Carey performed Hart's "Alone", the British judge predicted that she would not only win the contest overall, but would become one of the best-selling Idol winners. .
It wasn't just Simon who was seriously beaten up with Carrie. One of the show's producers later said that she dominated the voting each week, often winning by a long shot. In addition, he also gained a huge fan following as an Idol contestant, who called himself "Carry Care Bear".
His epic victory
On May 25, 2005, during the final episode of season four, Carey stunned all her fans and the panel judges with her rendition of Rascal Flatts' "Bless the Broken Road". Then, as the audience waited with bated breath, Carey was overcome with joy and excitement when she defeated country rock singer Bo Bice to win the competition.
Not only did Carey take the winning spot of the competition, she left with a recording contract worth at least $1 million, a private jet to use at her disposal for a year, plus a Ford Mustang convertible. Not a bad deal!
His journey ahead
After her big win on the Idol stage, Carey became a huge success. Just a few months after becoming the season four champion, Carey released her debut album Some Hearts, which became a huge hit. Since then, the Oklahoma native has won over 100 major awards, including seven Grammys, 15 ACM Awards, 23 CMT Music Awards, seven CMAs, and 17 American Music Awards.
With major hits like "Jesus Takes the Wheel," "Before He Cheats," and "Too Black Cadillac," Carey proved she wasn't just another Idol contestant who went on to become one of the biggest country music stars. There was a new one as well. The York Times best-selling author and entrepreneur. Plus, his Las Vegas residency Reflection began with a sold-out run in December 2021, which made him one of the top performers of our time. ranked as