CARRIE UNDERWOOD INFORMATION:
Genre: Country Music / Country Pop
Hometown: Checotah, Oklahoma
Awards: 3 Billboard Music Awards, 2 Academy of Country Music Awards, 2 Country Music, 1 American Music Awards
Albums: Some Hearts
Hits: "Inside Your Heaven", "Some Hearts", "Jesus, Take the Wheel"
As the first country singer to emerge as the winner of the fourth American Idol competition in 2005, Underwood was destined for stardom as soon as she stepped off the idol stage and into her own solo career. America has absolutely fallen in love with Underwood on the pop and country charts, and the artist has captured countless awards, sales records and a bevy of chart-topping hits since she hit the music scene. After growing up on a farm in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Underwood got her big break and ran with it to become one of the most prominent recording artists in America today.
When Underwood made the transition to a full-time solo artist, her first album, Some Hearts, was released in 2005 and would eventually go triple platinum. The record featured huge singles like "Inside Your Heaven" and the smash, "Jesus, Take The Wheel," which won Single of the Year From the Country Music Association (CMA) and a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 2006. The song "Before He Cheats" would also prove to be a chart-topper on pop radio, and showed the tougher side of the country music sweetheart.
After her immense success with her debut album, Underwood came roaring back in 2007 with Carnival Ride. The record would soon climb to the top of the charts and scored a series of No. 1 country hits like "Last Name" and "All-American Girl." It was around this time that Underwood's star in the country music world would soar even higher when she was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2008. At 26, Underwood is the youngest singer ever to star on the world's longest running live radio program and is a titan in the country music world.
In 2009, Underwood would release her third studio album, Play On, which showcased her growth as a songwriter and would once again climb to No. 1 on the charts. The artist co-wrote seven of the album's tracks, including the album's first single "Cowboy Casanova." Underwood would follow the enormous success of her first three albums with another major release in 2012, Blown Away. The album was yet another No. 1 hit on the country charts and became one of the best-selling albums of the summer of 2012. The well-received tracks "Good Girl" and "Blown Away" show that Underwood still has plenty of music left in store for her fans and hasn't yet scratched the surface of her potential.