Carrie Underwood "Some Hearts" [Archive]

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04-09-2006, 3:51pm

Underwood: Country Thunder's idol
By Cathalena E. Burch
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 04.09.2006
advertisementFLORENCE — Every time country music newcomer Carrie Underwood strode down the runway at Country Thunder Saturday evening, a throng of fans a few hundred deep abandoned their seats and swarmed the wooden plank.
Underwood has that effect on people.
In just about a year, she's gone from the girl who dreamed big to the girl who realizes even bigger.

In the time since her "American Idol" win in 2005, Underwood has become a superstar in the wings: Her concerts, like her appearance on the final day of Country Thunder 2006, bring die-hard country fans together with people who would've sworn a year ago that they'd never, ever pay to see a country show.
This summer, she's on the road with Kenny Chesney, but you can bet there will be a fair number of folks in those sure-to-be-sold-out audiences drawn there by the 23-year-old beauty.
They'll be there to hear her sing about heartache and joy with a voice that's soothing and familiar, yet so refreshing and new it'll take you by surprise.
Perhaps that is what Underwood did best in her hourlong show Saturday, opening for the four-day festival's closing night cast of superstar men: Phil Vassar, Travis Tritt and Brooks & Dunn.
We weren't expecting her to be so confident with nary a hint of cocky assuredness when she got frisky and covered Guns N' Roses' hits "Patience" and "Sweet Child O' Mine."
She shed her country innocence, picked up the mic stand and struck a rocker's pose that wasn't too convincing, but was certainly entertaining.
She did a good job of nailing that classic "aye, yah, yah, yah" Axl Rose line in "Child," although she couldn't quite pull off his whine.
Covering other artists is something newcomers do to fill the blanks between the songs fans might know and others they've never heard. Underwood probably is erring on the safe side, assuming that since her debut album, "Some Hearts," has only been out since November, not many folks are familiar with her music.
She probably thinks they are only familiar with her multi-week No. 1 debut single, "Jesus Take the Wheel," and the song she sang over and over and over again on "American Idol," the ballad "Inside Your Heaven." (When she sang that song stripped down and acoustic, you could hear the applause and cheers swell from the back of the festival grounds.)
But Underwood has sold more than a million copies of the album in the five months since it was released. Chances are pretty good that hundreds if not thousands of folks among the more than 35,000 packing the festival Saturday had heard her songs, knew the words and weren't shy about singing along to the rocking "Wasted," the ballad "I Just Can't Live A Lie" or the inspirational "Don't Forget to Remember Me," her new single.
And when she sang her No. 1 hit "Jesus Take the Wheel," and started down that runway, the fans were like flecks of metal drawn to a magnet. Superstars have that effect on people.

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/123843

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04-12-2006, 10:59am

Underwood Wowed
-- A party was held for Carrie Underwood at Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame on Tuesday, celebrating the Triple-Platinum certification of her debut album, Some Hearts.
Carrie was presented with a special, 3-shaped plaque to commemorate the 3x Platinum album (with proud mom, Carole, watching from the front row).

"I think the only word really that I can say is, "Wow!," Carrie stated.

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04-16-2006, 2:56pm

Terrifying Prom Nightmare
-- Carrie Underwood tells "CosmoGirl Prom" magazine that her junior prom date showed up at her place wearing white sneakers.
"I was so mad at him!" she says. "I made him take his dress shoes along in a bag for the picture."

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05-07-2006, 10:30am

Underwood Graduates
-- Carrie Underwood is now a college grad. She received her degree Saturday during a ceremony at Oaklahoma's Northeastern State University.
The Oklahoma native, who graduated magna cum laude, received a Bachelor of Arts degree. She majored in mass communications with an emphasis in journalism.

Underwood was a senior at Northeastern State, only three credits short of earning her degree, when she blew school to compete on "American Idol."

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05-11-2006, 10:24am

Digest This
-- Carrie Underwood is the featured celebrity on the June cover of Reader's Digest. And is the subject of a face-to-face question and answer profile inside the magazine.

The American Idol winner talks about what led her to compete on the show, how she was raised, her tomboy childhood, the closeness she has with her mom, and her fondness for animals.

Underwood sat for the interview in March, just 2 days after a 3-day press junket in New York City to debut her single "Don't Forget To Remember Me."

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05-16-2006, 2:15pm

-- Carrie Underwood guests on NBC's "Today" show, Thursday (5/18).

twaintrain

05-16-2006, 6:49pm

Both About.com and Country Weekly think Carrie is the favorite to win Female Vocalist, Top New Female Vocalist, and Single of the Year ("Jesus Take The Wheel") at the ACM Awards. I thought that was cool. I rooting for her in every category!:)

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05-18-2006, 2:44pm

Underwood to Idol finale
-- Carrie Underwood will perform her latest single, "Don't Forget To Remember Me," during the "American Idol" finale next Wednesday (5/24).
Underwood, who will make her debut appearance on the ACM Awards the night before, will fly into Los Angeles from Vegas for the Idol appearance

MiniShaniaTwain

05-18-2006, 3:21pm

-- Carrie Underwood guests on NBC's "Today" show, Thursday (5/18).

Awww man! I wish I'd seen that sooner! I missed it!

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05-18-2006, 5:11pm

Awww man! I wish I'd seen that sooner! I missed it!

You can see the video here Heidi

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm just click on the Entertainment part.

MiniShaniaTwain

05-19-2006, 1:04am

You can see the video here Heidi

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm just click on the Entertainment part.

Thanks Andrew! Just for that, I'll cheer for the Dallas Stars next season lol! ;)

LivinItUp

05-19-2006, 8:45pm

I love carrie, she's really got it :)

countrylatina

05-19-2006, 9:01pm

i just got her cd and i love it especially "thats where it is".

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05-27-2006, 2:07pm

No, you take the wheel
-- Carrie Underwood headlines the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 pre-race concert at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina tomorrow (5/28). She will also sing the national anthem prior to the big race.

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06-01-2006, 11:10pm

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06-04-2006, 2:22pm

Carrie Underwood makes leap from 'American Idol' to country's 'it' girl

By BRAD SCHMITT
Staff Writer

Less than two years ago, Carrie Underwood, a young shy Oklahoma blonde, took her first-ever flight, a trip to Hollywood to audition for ''American Idol.''

Just last month, Underwood flew three times in seven days, executing a superstar itinerary: to Las Vegas for the Academy of Country Music awards show, where she sang and won two ACMs; to Los Angeles to sing on the 2006 ''American Idol'' finale in front of an estimated TV audience of 40 million; and to Nashville to get ready for her opening slot on Kenny Chesney's stadium tour.

Underwood, scared to get on that first flight in 2004, now sounds like a world-weary traveler.

''We flew to Vegas from New York and the flight was really delayed,'' she says, sarcasm creeping into her voice, ''and that was awesome, because I don't need my sleep or anything.''

Underwood may be a bit agitated with the travel, but she couldn't be more upbeat about her life since winning ''Idol'' herself one year and 11 days ago.

Since then, Underwood has sold more than 3 million albums on the power of a No. 1 single; she has won Billboard, Dove and ACM awards; and she scored a performance slot at the National Basketball Association All-Star Game halftime show and sang the national anthem before the National Football Conference championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers.

Underwood goes into this year's CMA Music Festival, which starts Thursday, as country's ''it'' girl.

And she does so drawing a crowd virtually everywhere she goes . . . or even when she stays in. Underwood reports that several little girls occasionally ring the doorbell at her new Williamson County house.

''It's all great,'' she says, smiling.

''I'd much rather people be excited and pay attention and stuff like that than not know who I am or what I do. So it's all good. But you've got to keep that in mind all the time.''

Underwood, 23, says it's still hard to get used to so much attention because she had such a humble, quiet life before ''Idol.''

She was the third daughter of a paper mill worker and an elementary school teacher in rural Checotah, Okla., just next to a town Merle Haggard made famous in ''Okie From Muskogee.''

Underwood started singing as a little girl in vacation Bible school at First Free Will Baptist Church in her town, which she describes as a ''real conservative, quiet church, where you'd listen a lot, sing a hymn and leave.''

Underwood's only childhood conflict, as it were, would come from an occasional run-in with her mom at school when Mrs. Underwood was the substitute teacher for her class.

''I stuck my tongue out behind her back once,'' Underwood said. ''I got told on.''

Music became fun for her when she met elementary and intermediate school teacher Cathy Cooper, who cast Underwood as Mother Nature singing to the animals in a fourth-grade production.

From there, Underwood began singing in talent contests locally and regionally, and she so impressed one woman at a show that the woman told her wealthy Arkansas boyfriend that he had to get Underwood to Music Row.

Underwood won't reveal the man's name or much about him, other than to say he had no music industry experience. But Underwood, at age 15, found herself with an artist development deal at Capitol Records, then home to Garth Brooks.

The deal quickly went away when there was a change at the helm of Capitol, and Underwood went back to Oklahoma with her tail between her legs.

''Dream shattered,'' she said, then turned more pensive. ''I wasn't ready anyway.''

Underwood did indeed shelve her singer dreams, instead enrolling at nearby Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla., where she studied broadcast journalism and became part of a country music review show.

In fall 2004, her friends encouraged her to go to the ''American Idol'' auditions, and her mom drove her and a friend to St. Louis.

Underwood's adorable girl-next-door looks and kind disposition made her a natural for country music, but she stumbled a bit at first. Her first single, ''Inside Your Heaven,'' released immediately after her May 25, 2005, win, reached No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart but got little country radio play.

Just a few months later, though, Underwood exploded at country radio with ''Jesus, Take the Wheel,'' No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart for six straight weeks and R&R's country airplay chart for five straight weeks. Underwood set a record for most weeks at No. 1 for a single from a new artist's debut album since those records were first kept in 1990.

Underwood kept up her firsts when, in November, she made CMA awards show history by becoming the first artist with only one country single out to get a performance slot.

Underwood went on to win several more awards, and she also went on to get involved in her first mini-controversy, at the CMT music awards in April.

In the press room, Wynonna was asked her opinion of Underwood, and she said she thought Underwood was solid but went on to say lots of country singing these days is vanilla. Underwood was nearby behind a curtain and her eyes welled with tears, and they did again when Wynonna later, with Underwood next to her, apologized in front of reporters.

The next night, Underwood's publicist, Jessie Schmidt, told reporters at Underwood's triple-platinum (3 million albums sold) party that the Wynonna comments stung.

''It hurt her feelings,'' Schmidt said. ''Had she been in a room by herself, she probably would've cried.''

It wasn't the last time Underwood would show an emotional side.

During last month's ACM awards show, she performed ''Jesus'' and her voice cracked afterward as she thanked the crowd for its rowdy response. Underwood then wiped away a tear.

Backstage, reporters asked Underwood about her reaction.

''I'm a big baby. That happens quite a bit,'' she said. ''I just realized where I was and it made me a little teary-eyed.''

Despite her success so far as a country artist, many fans and reporters still tie her closely to ''American Idol,'' and she got dozens of ''Idol'' questions on the ACM orange carpet and backstage.

But Underwood says she doesn't mind because ''Idol'' is what brought her to a national stage. She said she feels it may have been her only way back to Nashville, because she feels the people representing her when she was 15 may have burned bridges on Music Row.

Sometimes, though, the ''Idol'' connection can be a bit much, as it was when she was having lunch with her manager on Mother's Day.

''We were in some kind of deli and this woman comes up to me and says, 'My son and I were having a debate.' I figured right then she knew who I was and she was going to ask me for an autograph, so I had this big stupid grin on my face,'' Underwood said.

''And then she said, 'Are you (fifth season Southern 'Idol' contestant) Kellie Pickler?' And I said, 'What? Noooooo.' She was like, 'You're not?' and she really wouldn't believe me at all.

''And I said, 'Ma'am, it's Mother's Day and I promise to you on my mother that I'm not Kellie Pickler.' And I still don't think she believed me. That was a first.''

Underwood laughs it off.

''If they think I'm Kellie, and they're happy about it, that's fine, I guess.''

Then there are the more fun parts of fame.

Underwood spent the better part of a day in Las Vegas last month trying on clothes for her back-to-back nights on the ACM awards show and the ''Idol'' finale. She needed four outfits for the ACMs (orange carpet, performance, one to wear in the seats and one for the after-show party) and five for the ''Idol'' appearance the next night (red carpet, three appearances and after-show party).

''We had about 50 dresses to try on. My room was a mess!'' she said.

With the upcoming Kenny Chesney tour dates, CMA Music Festival and other TV and concert appearances, Underwood says she won't put any serious thought into her next album until October.

Then she'll try to further develop her songwriting.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060604/ENTERTAINMENT0107/606040317/1419/ENTERTAINMENT50

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06-04-2006, 10:58pm

Carrie Underwood appears in her second SKECHERS footwear ad campaign in fashion and lifestyle publications beginning this month.

MiniShaniaTwain

06-05-2006, 12:57am

TV Goose
-- Carrie Underwood saw sales of her album, Some Hearts, take an 84% week-to-week jump following last week's ACM Awards.
Underwood took home two trophies and earned a standing ovation following her performance of the ACM Single Record of the Year winner, "Jesus, Take the Wheel."

Of course, Carrie's performance on the season finale of "American Idol" the following night, didn't exactly hurt her album sales.

That's awesome! Although not surprising- I think Martina McBride's "Martina" album's sales shot up by more than 100% when she was on Oprah a few years ago. And the same thing happened to Faith Hill and Sugarland's new CDs when they were on tv.

Troll

06-08-2006, 11:11pm

Underwood returns to Okla. for festival
Associated Press
TULSA, Okla. - After making the transition from college student to country hit maker, "American Idol" Carrie Underwood returned to her home state Thursday for a live performance.

Underwood was one of the main draws on the first day of the four-day Country Fever Music Festival in Pryor, Okla., about 45 miles east of Tulsa.

She was part of a roster that included fellow Oklahomans Wade Hayes and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn. Travis Tritt, Cross Canadian Ragweed and The Oak Ridge Boys are also among the acts scheduled to perform.

The 23-year-old from Checota, which is about an hour's drive south of the festival site, told the Tulsa World that the proximity to home created added pressure.

"All your family and friends want to come see you, so it's like, 'Oh, man, I've got to split up my time between everybody because everyone wants to say hi,' " Underwood said. "It usually ends up being a big mess. I think I'll probably make a few people mad at me. There's just not enough of me to go around, I guess."

Mark Nuessle, president and general manager of Pryor Creek Music Festivals Inc., said the fourth edition of the annual event continued to grow.

"We're at about 150 percent growth from last year, which is the 100 percent of last year plus another 50 percent," he noted, "and we're up in everything - sponsors, vendors, presales. I'm just tickled to death."

This marks the fourth year for the event on festival grounds about 4 miles north of Pryor.

"We've seen a steady rise since the beginning," he said. "This year, it's taken a little bigger jump. There are a lot of possible reasons, but I think it's mostly word of mouth. People say, 'We can't believe there's something like this in Oklahoma.'"

Underwood's appearance as a solo artist also fueled interest in this year's show, Nuessle said.

"The big buzz this year is about Carrie Underwood," he said. "I just got a call from the governor's office - the governor and 18 of his people are coming out to watch her."

They join 15,000 to 17,000 people Nuessle expects the event to draw each day. About 1,200 campers, double the 2005 total, were expected to stay through the festival. The site, which opened for the festival on Sunday, includes a 24-hour store and a permanent 60-unit shower.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/entertainment/14772974.htm

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06-17-2006, 10:16am

Planet Carrie
-- Carrie Underwood will perform the National Anthem prior to the 77th Major League Baseball All-Star Game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, on July 11.

Underwood's performance will be aired live on FOX Sports as part of pre-game ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT).

SevenUp!

06-17-2006, 5:51pm

Would be worth watching just for that!

Troll

06-29-2006, 10:26am

Underwood knows where she stands
The 2005 American Idol winner realizes the show, and its fans, are essential to her musical and marketing success.
By JAY CRIDLIN, Times Staff Writer
Published June 29, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carrie Underwood is on Line 1, and she's calling from . . . some state that begins with an I.

"I'm in Des Moines, Iowa," she says cheerfully. "No, wait, wait - where am I? Boise, Idaho. Why do I get that confused with Des Moines, Iowa? See, I don't even know where I'm at."

She laughs, and without thinking, you feel compelled to laugh with her. It's tough not to smile around the blond golden girl next door with the Oklahoma county-fair roots.

Since topping Bo Bice in the 2005 American Idol finale, Underwood has developed into the hottest female country singer around, with a mantel full of CMT and Academy of Country Music awards to prove it.

Now she has landed the opening slot on the Kenny Chesney & Friends tour, which stops Saturday at Raymond James Stadium. Of course, when you've performed before 30-million people on television, a stadium crowd of 60,000 probably seems like a birthday party sing-along.

"I think Idol was definitely more nerve-racking, and harder, just because you can't see who you're singing to," she says. "When you're singing in front of live people . . . you can see how they like it or don't like it, and you can adjust and feel the energy that's coming from them."

Underwood's post-Idol success seems almost predestined because she emerged with a clearly defined fan base.

Underwood's strength was country, and she played to it from the start. Her reward was the triple-platinum debut album Some Hearts and a warm embrace by country fans.

She's also a star on Madison Avenue. She was singing in Hershey's commercials the moment she broke through on Idol, and her ads for Skechers have been plastered in malls for the past year.

"There's been so much stuff, honestly, that we've had to turn down, because it really would be kind of, 'Gah, I can't take Carrie Underwood anymore!' " she says.

Yes, Underwood is unabashedly mainstream. Several of the songs on Some Hearts sound a bit "poppy," including two tracks penned by pop hitmaker Diane Warren. She has been known to bust out the occasional Guns N' Roses cover in concert. The first song she can remember singing was Motley Crue's cover of Smokin' In The Boys Room.

"For this first album, we wanted to make it as likable to as many different people as we possibly could, without betraying who I was and who I wanted to be," she says. "There's a lot of people who watched American Idol, and a lot of people who weren't necessarily country fans who watched American Idol. So the first mission, now that they saw me and hopefully liked me on American Idol, was to hook as many people in as we can."

Her smash single Jesus, Take The Wheel, a tear-jerking ballad of born-again faith in a time of crisis, has received across-the-board acclaim.

"That song is an amazing song, and I honestly think that any singer, any performer, would have done amazing with that song, just because of the power of the song. I, fortunately, was lucky enough to have it," she says. "But I think it's really spoiled me. I'm like, 'Do all songs go to No. 1? Do all songs go there that quickly?' "

Underwood, who has a degree in mass communication from Northeastern State University, is also trying to develop as a songwriter. She's listed as a co-writer on her hometown tribute I Ain't In Checotah Anymore, and she says she's slowly getting comfortable with putting her lyrics to music.

"I'm getting there," she says. "I keep a journal, and I've started trying to do a little more free-thinking exercises, and writing down what I feel and what I think and what I want to say. It's getting better, and I definitely think at some point, I will be there."

Does she ever gets sick of talking about American Idol? Underwood says she'd still be in Oklahoma if not for the show's producer, Simon Fuller, who remains her manager.

"I know why I'm here," she says. "So I will forever be grateful and in debt to that show. So I'll do whatever they want me to do, and they can call me an American Idol as long as they want to."

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/29/Weekend/Underwood_knows_where.shtml

crowan

06-29-2006, 10:59am

Before He Cheats BETTER be the next single :D love that song

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07-01-2006, 10:29am

Music Row likes Underwood
-- Carrie Underwood was selected as Music Row magazine's 2006 Critics' Pick Award winner at its annual ceremony in Nashville on Thursday. 'Pick' honors an outstanding new artist who has released their first single in the past year.

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07-11-2006, 10:44pm

Carrie looked lovely and song wonderful at the All Star game.

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07-25-2006, 10:42am

Carrie Underwood Joins Brad Paisley's Tour
Mon. July 24.2006 6:56 PM EDT

Carrie Underwood will join Brad Paisley on the final leg of his Time Well Wasted 2006 tour that kicks off Sept. 22 in Birmingham, Ala. The tour will hit 25 other cities, including Atlanta, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Houston, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, before closing Dec. 8 in Chicago. In its attendance tally for country tours during the first six months of 2006, Paisley was in fifth place, behind Tim McGraw/Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts and George Strait. "The World," the latest single from Paisley's Time Well Wasted, album is spending its third consecutive week at No. 1 on Billboard's country singles chart.

MiniShaniaTwain

07-25-2006, 12:26pm

"Before He Cheats" is gonna be the new single! It's already being played on the radio over here!

Troll

07-25-2006, 2:12pm

Thanks for the info Heidi.

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08-09-2006, 11:05am

Carrie Underwood to Sing on Good Morning America
Tue. August 08.2006 12:20 PM EDT

Carrie Underwood will perform on ABC's Good Morning America in New York City on Friday (Aug. 11) as part of the show's summer concert series in Bryant Park. While in Manhattan, she will also tape a performance for The Early Show to air Aug. 16 on CBS. In addition, Underwood is featured in this week's issue of TV Guide. Currently on tour, her next concert is scheduled for Wednesday (Aug. 9) in Sioux Falls, S.D.

MiniShaniaTwain

08-09-2006, 11:40am

Troll

08-11-2006, 11:03am

She looked and sung great.

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08-12-2006, 6:09pm

Carrie Underwood Gets a Milk Mustache
Fri. August 11.2006 4:08 PM EDT

Carrie Underwood is the latest celebrity to be featured in the "milk mustache" ad campaign sponsored by the Milk Processor Education Program. The new ad first appeared in the Friday (Aug. 11) edition of USA Today. Other celebrities previously featured in this year's ads include Sheryl Crow, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and actresses Mischa Barton and Elizabeth Hurley.

Troll

08-12-2006, 6:10pm

You can see the songs she performed on GMA here

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/

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08-31-2006, 12:24am

Carrie Underwood "Extremely Excited" Over CMA Nominations

Last year in New York City, Carrie Underwood turned heads at the CMA Awards with a powerful rendition of her debut single, "Jesus, Take the Wheel." The country music industry apparently noticed. This time, she's nominated for female vocalist and the Horizon Award, and she also received single and video of the year nominations for "Jesus, Take the Wheel." The song, which became Underwood's first No. 1 hit, is also nominated for song of the year, a category which recognizes songwriters.

Underwood received the good news Wednesday (Aug. 30) in Colorado Springs, Colo., where she was scheduled to perform at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo tonight.

"This is my first time to be nominated for the CMA Music Awards, so to be recognized for four is a big surprise and an amazing honor," she said. "I'm extremely excited and can't wait until November." Next month, she'll open a series of concerts on Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted tour.

http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1539846/20060830/underwood__carrie.jhtml?headlines=true

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09-08-2006, 10:15am

Carrie Underwood, Sugarland Unveil New Music Videos
Thu. September 07.2006 1:45 PM EDT

New music videos from Carrie Underwood and Sugarland make their world TV debut Thursday (Sept. 1) on CMT's Top Twenty Countdown. Already available for free viewing on CMT.com is Underwood's "Before He Cheats," the latest single from her debut album, Some Hearts. Sugarland's "Want To" is the first single from the duo's album, Enjoy the Ride, set for release on Nov. 7. Top Twenty Countdown airs at 4 p.m. ET/PT.

Troll

09-08-2006, 2:13pm

I just saw her new video on CMT. The video fits the song perfectly.

Troll

10-19-2006, 2:25pm

-- Look for Carrie Underwood on the cover of this Sunday's (10/22) Parade Magazine.

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10-21-2006, 10:24am

Underwood Returns to Leno, Ellen DeGeneres
Fri. October 20.2006 6:33 PM EDT

Carrie Underwood will perform "Before He Cheats" on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Oct. 30. She'll also sing the hit on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Nov. 1. The song is currently No. 2 on Billboard's country airplay chart. Underwood will also appear on the cover of Parade magazine on Sunday (Oct. 22), the same night she headlines a show in Branson, Mo. She is currently on the road with Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted tour.

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10-22-2006, 6:23pm

Hello, Country Bumpkin
-- In this Sunday's (10/22) Parade magazine, Carrie Underwood talks about being in country music and what it's like to deal with some in the media.

"You'd be amazed at the stereotypes," Underwood says. "People look at me like I must be a country bumpkin. They think I'm stupid. I'll do interviews, and everybody's like, 'Oh, ha-ha, do you milk cows? Do you have chickens?'

I've never milked a cow in my life," she says.

Troll

10-30-2006, 10:31am

Just bumping this to remind people that she will be on TV this week.

Troll

10-31-2006, 2:13pm

The Making of an Idol
by Ysolt Usigan

Article provided by The CollegeBound Network
There's no single prescription for becoming a music star. Some musicians such as Josh Kelley bombarded record labels and music producers with letters and demos, while others like Nelly Furtado were randomly discovered by scouts at talent shows and open-mic nights.

For Carrie Underwood, hitting the big time took a little bit of both drive and chance. So what has the process been like for the former American Idol?

"So far, I haven't done much [of] anything today. I stumbled off the bus just now," she explains. "I'm going to start getting ready soon for my show."

This month, the country singer will be hitting St. Louis, Atlanta, Albuquerque, and Cincinnati, among other cities, serenading crowds with songs about lessons learned, her relationship with God, and being homesick.

"Being away from everyone is sometimes really hard," she explains. "I'm a super-busy person, but I do try to balance spending time with my loved ones."

However, being away from her friends and family is nothing new for the 23-year-old. She had already experienced being away from her family and friends as an undergraduate at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Now armed with a bachelor's degree in liberal arts, the once-aspiring broadcast journalist attests, "a balancing act is the main thing I picked up from college."

School days
College also prepared Underwood with a fallback career. She says if she had never become a professional singer, she'd be a news reporter. "I wrote for my high school newspaper," she explains. "I was always good with words; English was a strong subject for me. I was never good at math."

Underwood refined her reporting skills further by writing for her college newspaper, the Northeastern, while majoring in journalism.

"I've been on the other side; I've had to interview people," she points out. "That's prepared me for being on this side--being asked and having to answer questions."

Underwood admits to giving up on her dreams of being a singer when she was in college. She focused more on getting an education than pursuing her talent because she felt she had to be practical and prepare for a future in the "real world."

"Going to college was just never a second thought. I knew I was going. I wanted to for the advantages. College lays a foundation for the rest of your life," she asserts. "Now, if I ever want to retire from singing, I have something else I can do."

Sorority life
Although Underwood came to college with a master plan--earn a degree, get a job--she didn't foresee certain adverse circumstances such as feeling lost without her high school friends and having to make new ones. "I went to college not knowing anyone. My friends went elsewhere," she says. "I never considered myself a 'sorority girl,' but I was really bored at school and needed something to do."

So, Underwood joined a sorority, and has no regrets about joining Sigma Sigma Sigma. "I found a bunch of girls I can really relate to," she says. "My sorority sisters helped bring me out of my shell."

As Underwood grew more confident, she even competed in numerous beauty pageants on campus and was named runner-up in the 2004 Miss NSU competition. Even so, when her sorority sisters would beg Underwood to sing at Greek functions and other school events, she'd deny them. "I was too embarrassed," she points out.

Becoming a star
So how was the bashful amateur able to muster up the courage to audition for Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson? "I was at home one weekend and saw all of the people auditioning on the news," she recalls.

While those who had heard Underwood sing before kept pushing her to enter the contest, she was still a bit reluctant. "I wasn't sure if I could handle the stress of it," she explains. Underwood's mother offered to drive her to the audition in St. Louis, Missouri, hours away from home. Uncharacteristically, she put her fears behind her and sang her heart out.

"I'm a really shy person. I always think, 'Man, everyone is looking at me,'" she explains. "After being on the show, I've learned to be more comfortable with myself; I'm more confident now."

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/college/?article=CarrieUnderwood&GT1=8618

Troll

10-31-2006, 5:07pm

Carrie Underwood hits No. 1 at country radio with her third consecutive single, "Before He Cheats."

Troll

11-02-2006, 12:10am

She sang awesome at both performances.

MiniShaniaTwain

11-02-2006, 10:16am

Carrie Underwood hits No. 1 at country radio with her third consecutive single, "Before He Cheats."

Yay! That's terrific! Congrats to Carrie!

Troll

11-02-2006, 2:45pm

A real purty dress
-- Carrie Underwood will debut a custom-designed gown at Monday night's CMA Awards, created exclusively for her by Kwiat Diamonds and fashion designer David Rodriguez.

The one-of-a-kind garment, constructed with nearly 800 Kwiat diamonds on the straps of the gown, is valued at approximately $850,000.

The dress will be auctioned off for charity with a portion of the proceeds going to Underwood's charity of choice, The Humane Society of the United States --and Kwiat's charity of choice, The Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The on-line auction will begin on November 29th at gottahaveit.com, and will run through December 6.

Troll

11-09-2006, 10:03am

Platinum Aplenty
-- Carrie Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts, has received RIAA Quadruple-Platinum certification. According to her peeps, Carrie joins Gretchen Wilson as the only solo female country artists in the past decade to have a debut album achieve the four-million landmark.

Troll

11-09-2006, 10:06am

Carrie Underwood Anticipates 2007 Album
Wed. November 08.2006 6:12 PM EST

Carrie Underwood is planning to release a new album next year, she told reporters backstage at the CMA Awards on Monday night (Nov. 6) in Nashville. Asked about her plans for 2007, Underwood replied, "I guess I'd say making a new album and getting back out there. Hopefully, it will do half as well as this one has, and people will respond to it and be equally as happy to go out and see a concert. ... It's kind of a blank slate right now. There are definitely a lot of things in the works, and one of them is definitely a new album." Underwood won the Horizon Award and female vocalist honors at the ceremony.

Troll

11-09-2006, 11:19pm

NASHVILLE SKYLINE: Carrie Underwood: Why Her? Why Now?
The CMA Hoopla Was Controversial, but She Deserves Wins

By: Chet Flippo

Carrie Underwood has been the hottest thing going in country music this year. Why her? Why now? Underwood and Alison Krauss are the only two female country artists to win the CMA's Horizon and female vocalist awards the same year. Krauss won in 1995; Underwood this past week. One major difference: Krauss had been recording for years. Her breakthrough, 1995's multi-platinum Now That I've Found You, came eight years after the release of her debut album, Too Late to Cry.

Underwood's breakthrough was her debut album Some Hearts which was released Nov. 15, 2005. It was just certified quadruple platinum for shipments of 4 million copies. She just got her journalism degree in May of this year from Oklahoma's Northeastern State University. (Interesting that the only two other country artists I know of with journalism degrees are Bill Anderson and Jimmy Buffett.)

Something is up here. What is it?

Well. Beyond the Internet hubbub surrounding Faith Hill's reaction to Underwood's win for CMA female vocalist of the year award, there has been a message sweeping through the Internet that was briefly posted on a certain female artist's official Web site that read, in part, "These awards shows are SO political and we all get fed up with them. We all work very hard and have for many years, so to see someone come in and win female vocalist that has been here for a VERY short time is a little disheartening. That is why we have the Horizon award, and Carrie had an incredible year, enough to sweep that one. I don't think Faith was angry about her loss, she probably felt, as I did, that Carrie has not paid her dues long enough to fully deserve that award."

That post was pretty quickly removed, although I still see mentions of it on this certain artist's CMT message board. Obviously, emotions were running high at the CMA Awards show last Monday night (Nov. 6).

I'll tell you one thing. Any woman having success in country music fully deserves it. It's been pretty obvious for years that women in country have a very hard road to traverse. And always have had a tough row to plow. It would be good for every serious country music fan to sometime sit down and read the book Finding Her Voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music by Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann. It would open some eyes to the paths that country women have followed.

Obviously Carrie Underwood -- as well as other contemporary women -- is reaping the benefits of decades of hard dues-paying by pioneering women artists from Maybelle Carter to Patsy Montana to Texas Ruby to Patsy Cline to Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette to Trisha Yearwood and Patty Loveless and many more.

Underwood has had two No. 1 country hits on the Billboard charts (plus a No. 1 pop hit) in less than a year. Why? Because she's recording good music and the public likes her and wants to hear her sing. That's pretty simple.

It was not always that direct and that quick a route for women in country to get accepted as artists and to get access to country audiences. Loretta Lynn first charted a country single on Billboard's country chart in 1960. She got her first No. 1 Billboard hit in 1966. Dolly Parton first charted in 1967 and got her first No. 1 three years later. Trisha Yearwood debuted with a No. 1 single, but it was three years before she got her second. Patty Loveless first charted in 1985 and got her first No. 1 in 1989. Reba McEntire first charted in 1976 and didn't get her first No. 1 till 1982.

Did I say Carrie Underwood has had a bunch of them in less than one year? Well, there you go. Others plowed the fields for years before she could sow and reap her crop. But it's good that they did so, because now it's working.

I spent a lot of years touring and being backstage and in record label and management offices with both rock and country artists, both men and women, and much of the treatment and attitude I witnessed toward women artists in both fields ranged from condescending to disgusting. And I learned from a few very smart women that they worked much harder than men because they knew that success would give them the power that they needed to rise above all of that muck. And if they have empowered the women artists who have followed them, so much the better.

I know why some women may wonder about Underwood's rapid rise. Almost all female country artists who have been successful paid dues for years before success came calling. Obviously, Underwood has benefited hugely from the enormous drive of American Idol and the fact that she was its only country winner. And she now enjoys the influential marketing and radio power of the powerful engine that is Sony BMG Nashville, which was responsible for eight of the 10 major CMA Award winners this year.

I'll tell you what, though. Carrie Underwood is entirely deserving of her success. Like Alison Krauss before her, she brings a fresh and energetic force to country. And that's why audiences respond to her. She has the talent and the personality and the smarts and the charm. She really is a small-town girl from Checotah, Okla., and it shows. She is country. May she have more progress. And so may all female country artists have continued growth. More power to them.

http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1545440/20061109/underwood__carrie.jhtml?headlines=true

Troll

11-10-2006, 10:06am

Underwood Mass Appeal

I love to listen to country music, but since most married couples are opposites, my wife doesn’t like it at all. However, she does like Carrie Underwood and her music is acceptable to her even though she won’t listen to most country music radio stations. The main reason my wife likes Underwood is because she got to know her on American Idol, which is one of her favorite shows. A little known secret about country music is that new talent like Carrie Underwood helps the entire industry continue to grow as people age and some folks move away from the format for other types of music. I think it was great when a young woman like Carrie decide to go on a national television program like American Idol and stand up and say she is proud to be a country singer.

As we all know, most young people who try out for Idol are more likely than not to prefer pop, rock or rap music over a country blend. However, Carrie Underwood took on those big odds and proudly stood up for the type of music she loved to listen to and in the end she was the winner on a television show which prides itself on a young audience. It wasn’t that many years ago when country superstars like Merle Haggard, George Jones and Conway Twitty carried the banner of country music. However, over time their careers started to fade as newer talent and sounds started coming out by new artist like Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, George Strait and Garth Brooks.

Then not too many years ago Shania Twain turned the Nashville music scene upside down with her cutting edge sound that easily crossed over between country music and pop radio. I remember when Shania was breaking all the rules in country music and there were many folks who were long time CMA veterans who didn’t like the way she sang her brand of country music and they really didn’t like the fact she spent more time in Hollywood than in Nashville. Over time the Nashville establishment warmed up to Twain and her sound and it most certainly didn’t hurt matters when she had two CD’s go into diamond status, which means they sold over 10 million copies.

I remember how shocked I was when Shania Twain’s “Come on Over” CD sold over 10 million copies because when I was a country music DJ about 20 years ago, no country music artist every sold that many albums, no matter how long they had been in the business. I believe there is a good chance that new artist like Carrie Underwood will be able to eventually compete with the CD sales of people who lead the way, like Shania Twain. For country music to continue to grow and expand, sometimes it must break out of the cliquish sociality of Nashville Tennessee so country music will continue to grow in the decades to come.

Carrie Underwood should to go to bed at night and think about all the bad things, which were said about Twain when she was getting all that bad attention from country music insiders. Everyone should have role models and Carrie Underwood should put a picture of Shania Twain up in her home so she can see what wonderful things can happen, in her career, when following her own path in country music.

http://mhutch.blogspot.com/2006/11/underwood-mass-appeal.html

Troll

11-15-2006, 9:32pm

What's a nice girl like you....
-- Carrie Underwood will appear on the 2006 American Music Awards telecast, where she's up for Favorite Female Artist – Country, as well as Favorite New Breakthrough Artist (all genres).

During next Tuesday's (11/21) ceremony, Carrie will perform a medley of her singles, "Jesus, Take the Wheel," "Don’t Forget to Remember Me" and "Before He Cheats."

Ratings prediction: Those appearing on the show will outnumber the people watching it.

MiniShaniaTwain

11-16-2006, 12:14am

Troll

11-17-2006, 4:55pm

Underwood at Halftime
-- Carrie Underwood will be the featured performer at the Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day Halftime Show, to officially kick off the Salvation Army's "2006 Red Kettle Christmas Campaign.

As part of the celebration, Carrie will be among the first to make donations to the Red Kettles, which help to raise money for holiday toys, coats, rental and utility assistance.

The game will be televised nationally on Fox.

Troll

11-17-2006, 4:56pm

Carrie nation

American Idol,’ a No. 1 album, a trophy case full of awards. It’s clear we’re living in a Carrie nation
Carrie Underwood bought a house in a normal neighborhood outside of Nashville shortly before the release of her first album, “Some Hearts.”

She was sick of living in hotels, something she’d done for two months during the album’s recording. She signed the papers on the three-bedroom home Nov. 20, right around the time of the CD’s release.

“It’s not a gated community, which might’ve been a little mistake on my part, but since I live by myself, I wanted to have neighbors,” Underwood said. “I didn’t want to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere, where

a crazy person could break into my house and steal me.” She wanted to show some restraint and not buy a 9,000-square-foot mansion. What if she would prove to be just a flash in the pan, destined to become a trite footnote in the wilderness of ditzy VH-1 pop culture retrospectives?

“I didn’t want to go blow all my money on some monstrosity of a house,” Underwood said. “I wanted to, you know, stay well within my budget to where it wouldn’t put me in the poor house if my album didn’t sell.”

She can rest easy.

You already know about the chart-topping success of “Some Hearts.”

You know how she cleaned up at the CMAs last week and also won at the Academy of Country Music awards earlier this year.

You also probably know she’s playing an elbow-room only show Sunday at Tulsa’s Expo Square Pavilion.

She’s on tour with Brad Paisley, playing a show at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City a night before the Tulsa show.

Periodically, she gets free days during the tour so she can do shows on her own. When the opportunity came up to play Tulsa Sunday, the 23-year-old didn’t think twice about it.

“I said, ‘Yeah. Hell yeah.’”

It’s become almost a cliché to say that Underwood doesn’t seem too far removed from her hometown of Checotah.

She has a little dog that carries a squeak toy around, but she’s not in danger of turning into a Xanax-popping pop diva making headlines every time she hits something with her Benz.

While popular country music edges ever closer to Def Leppard, it’s not clear where Underwood’s music, only one album into her career, will go. But she’s already planning her new album.

“I think people still ask me if, you know, I want to do something different. But I definitely want to stick to country music,” she said, beginning to giggle over the phone. “Sorry, my dog is chasing me around with the squeaky toy.

“I definitely want to stick to country and just get great songs once again, and, you know, try to get the people what they seem to like.”

Later in the interview, she said, “I don’t want to stick myself in a certain category. I just want to do songs. Some might be kind of more popular country songs, more contemporary country songs. And some might be more kind of old, standard country kind of songs. I just go with it and whatever happens, happens … We’re not trying to cross over. If things just kind of cross over into other genres, then they’ll just do it by themselves.”

Fans might not know that Underwood calls the shots in her career.

She doesn’t have Simon Cowell’s icy glare over her shoulder 24-7.

Metrosexual handlers aren’t making all her decisions for her.

“I have say in everything,” Underwood said. “Like, I think people think that other people just tell me what to do. Fortunately, I work with really awesome people. Everything gets run by me first.

“In most cases, you know, I’ll throw my opinion out there and then just be like, ‘You guys know what you’re doing, here’s what I think, you know. Do what you will with it.’ But, I have the last say in everything.”

“Some Hearts” features one song Underwood co-wrote, “I Ain’t In Checotah Anymore.”

The rest were composed by professional songwriters. She’d like to try her hand at writing on her next album.

“I would definitely like to try. I don’t honestly know if I’m any good at it. But, it is something that I would like to try, and even if, you know, I meet the songwriters and not much comes out of it, at least maybe I’m learning from it.

“And maybe at some point I will get to the point where I can defi- nitely … write more stuff. We’re definitely planning on having songwriting meetings and things like that and hooking me up with … different well-known writers so they can teach me.

“Maybe some great stuff will come out of it.”

Either way, Underwood seems to be enjoying herself. Some people might go through life without ever having those moments where the air crackles, where their skin tightens into gooseflesh, caught up in the magic of the beautiful moment.

Underwood says she gets those moments all the time.

“I have all kinds of moments like that. You know, there’s been a couple of times that I’d be singing ‘Jesus Take the Wheel’ and the fans would just start clapping and then not stop,” she said, laughing. She might want to hire a security guard for her house outside of Nashville though. Get an alarm system or something.

“No, it’s really cool and most of the people in the neighborhood treat me pretty normal,” Underwood said.

“I’m never there, either.”

http://www.tulsaworld.com/MusicStory.asp?ID=061117_Mu_s14_carrie

Troll

11-21-2006, 10:18am

Underwood brings it home
By MATT ELLIOTT World Scene Writer
11/20/2006

View in Print (PDF) Format

She shows she can soar yet stay on ground

Under the hot lights Sunday night, Carrie Underwood said she was probably related to half the crowd that showed up at Expo Square's Pavilion to hear her sing.

They showed up for a sold-out concert that became an intimate evening with her family and her adoring fans. The former Checotah resident was done by 9 p.m., but not before she gave a show that would make an arena rock band envious.

"You guys feeling OK this evening?" she asked the audience, which screamed an affirmative reply. "I tell you what, it is so good to be back. I feel like I haven't been home in forever."

She strode on stage to the song "We're Young and Beautiful," clad in a black button-down shirt, blue jeans, black boots and wide belt that sparkled as if it were made out of diamonds.

The stage lights intersected, making little diamonds above her head, and the belt reflected the lights back at the audience. Her stunning blonde hair shone.

She played the hits from her debut album, "Some Hearts," including "Jesus Take the Wheel," "Before He Cheats," and "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore."

Her voice floated effortlessly from rock heights to eloquent soul-stirrings on the

ballads. The highlight seemed to be a heavy performance of the jealous rocker "Before He Cheats," in which a jilted lover vandalizes the car of her wayward man.

Sunday's show was an up-close and personal look at the former "American Idol" singer, who seemed at once befuddled by the whirlwind events of the past year yet reveling in every minute.

Underwood is polished to a star-bright sheen with a thick, soaring voice that crosses among blues, rock and country.

Sunday's show drove that home, but she kept the audience grounded with stories, including about how she decided to try out for "American Idol." Sunday's set list was different from that of the Brad Paisley tour for which she's opening, she said, so she had to keep checking with her musicians to find out what they were playing next.

It was a nice touch. She sidled from side to side of the stage, taking up armloads of bouquets from her adorers. Some dude in the crowd kept yelling, "I love you, Carrie."

A young girl held up a sign that stated: "My Daddy thinks you're hot."

Underwood's Tulsa show came out of a free day she had during Paisley's tour. It was her second show in the state this weekend; she performed at Oklahoma City's Ford Center arena Saturday.

Her album, "Some Hearts," has sold more than 3 million copies since its November 2005 release, going triple-platinum more quickly than the debut album of any other female country artist.

The album also earned her two CMA awards, famously beating out Faith Hill earlier this month for Female Vocalist of the Year, and also two Academy of Country Music awards in May.

Somehow, Underwood's honesty and warm, down-to-earth charisma have seamlessly meshed with her polished Nashville sound and songwriters.

She's come to embody what some believe is the American dream. At 23, she has touched the lives of millions of listeners only one album into her career, singing rare songs that seem poignant while also showing mass appeal.

No one today can deny that she's a star. But Sunday's concert showed that only a second album will determine whether she's here to stay.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/MusicStory.asp?ID=061120_Mu_D1_Under3910

fanmaster

11-21-2006, 2:09pm

I'm probably Carries' latest fan and I love Some Hearts (which arrived yesterday).

twaintrain

11-21-2006, 4:58pm

I'm probably Carries' latest fan and I love Some Hearts (which arrived yesterday).

Cool. I'm totally in love with Carrie. I followed her on American Idol (taping all her performances) and am a member of her message board. She and Shania are as good as it gets to me!:)

Troll

11-22-2006, 1:59pm

Kicking the Kettle
-- Carrie Underwood performs at tomorrow's Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day Halftime Show, which officially kicks off the Salvation Army's "2006 Red Kettle Christmas Campaign. Watch it on Fox.

With the kind of year Carrie's having, look for her to also score the game's winning touchdown -- and be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for breaking up a terrorist plot in the parking lot.

This just in: LeAnn Rimes comments: "An artist should have to earn the right to break up a terrorist plot."

MiniShaniaTwain

11-22-2006, 5:06pm

Congrats to Carrie for winning the American Music Award for Favorite Breakthrough Artist at the American Music Awards last night!

Troll

11-23-2006, 11:38pm

She performed great during the halftime show.

Troll

11-27-2006, 10:07am

Carrie needs no makeover to shine
By JAY CRONLEY World Staff Columnist
11/26/2006

The television season before last, Carrie Underwood out-sang dozens of thousands of weirdos, and several dozen talented people, to win the "American Idol" contest, which seems to set ratings records with each live performance.

This television show has become extremely popular, even with grown men.

It's a little like fantasy football -- people put money into a pool and try to pick winners and losers once the voting starts.

Carrie Underwood comes from a small Oklahoma town, Checotah.

I hadn't seen much of her since the night she won "American Idol" until three days ago, Thanksgiving Day, when she was the halftime entertainment at the Dallas Cowboys football game.

My least favorite part of halftime shows at football games is where they herd and then drive a captive audience onto the field and tell the people to circle the stage and jump up and down and act like they love the music, whether they do or not.

Dream or nightmare?: It's not difficult to imagine how the show business dream machine dealt with the charming and talented Carrie from Checotah.

The music business executives probably gave her a long weekend off to rest up and bundle the clothing that had contributed

to the rustic heartland look.

Maybe give the tops that came to the neck, and the knee-length skirts, to charity.

You can imagine the executives who owned the Idol's contract meeting in an office with makeover specialists from across the land.

Down go the necklines.

Up come the hemlines.

Somebody order 50 pairs of low-rider jeans.

And somebody call a hot choreographer -- Carrie from Checotah needs some inner-urban moves.

Music is a competitive business. Just ask Faith Hill, who looked like she had just bought a trombone from Professor Harold Hill when she lost at a major awards show recently.

Keeping up with the competition: Some might say that Carrie Underwood is a lot sexier now, particularly compared to when she first took the Idol stage.

Some might say that a person can have an innate sexiness that transcends the way jeans fit.

All would say that she is a fast learner.

She has adapted to her more competitive look and appeared right at home onstage with the Cowboy cheerleaders Thanksgiving day.

The music business seems to go by this philosophy: I love you just the way you are, now change.

The problem with new looks in the music industry is that nobody has any other look.

Top performers in country and western music can appear clonal, and not even from a distance.

Carrie Underwood sounds terrific.

And good sounds are apt to remain desirable in the music business, correct?

http://www.tulsaworld.com/CronleyStory.asp?ID=061126_Cr_A19_Carri23260

fanmaster

11-27-2006, 5:06pm

Carrie is the best ever! I LOVE her!

Troll

11-29-2006, 2:22pm

Dress for sale
-- Remember the fancy Kwiat Diamond dress that Carrie Underwood wore at this year's CMA Awards? It goes up for auction today at www.gottahaveit.com.

Valued at approximately $850,000, the garment comes with nearly 800 Kwiat diamonds -- with over 108 carats on the straps of the gown's dress alone.

What's to stop some weirdo from buying Carrie's dress and getting all creepy with it? We don't want that, do we?

aFinn

12-02-2006, 7:38pm

Watch some acoustic performances (http://www.clearchannelmusic.com/cc-common/stripped/carrieunderwood/)

Troll

12-02-2006, 10:46pm

Thanks for the link Marika.

fanmaster

12-03-2006, 4:50pm

Cool. I'm totally in love with Carrie. I followed her on American Idol (taping all her performances) and am a member of her message board. She and Shania are as good as it gets to me!:)

I'm a member of the Carrie Underwood Forever forum. It's very quiet, though. Which message board are you on?

Troll

12-03-2006, 6:52pm

I bought her calender today. Lot of great pics in it.

Troll

12-05-2006, 9:59am

Carrie scores in Vegas
-- At last night's Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Carrie Underwood won everything. That's it. Turn out the lights. Thanks for coming. See you next year.

Okay, she didn't win everything, but Carrie took five awards, including Female Country Artist of the Year and New Country Artist of the Year-- plus, her CD "Some Hearts" received both the Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year honors.

Congrats to her.

Troll

12-05-2006, 5:09pm

Well, how about that?
-- Over the weekend, Carrie Underwood performed at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, DC, where she joined Kenny Rogers for a duet of "Islands in the Stream" in tribute to honoree Dolly Parton.
Attending a White House pre-show reception for performers and honorees, Carrie and mom Carole Underwood found an informal host in the ever-gracious Vince Gill, who escorted them through the party.

Actor Tom Hanks came over to introduce himself and his wife to the Underwoods, speaking very humbly and kindly to Carrie as if she, rather than he, were the longtime star that everyone would know.

Afterward, Carole looked to her daughter and said, "Well, how about that?"

Troll

12-07-2006, 5:07pm

Luckiest girl in the world
-- Carrie Underwood woke up on her tour bus this morning to learn she received her first-ever Grammy nominations today (12/7).
She's up for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Jesus, Take The Wheel" and Best New Artist.

"Wheel" also receives 2 nominations for Best Country Song and Song of the Year to songwriters Hillary Lindsey, Gordie Sampson and Brett James.

"In my wildest dreams I could have never imagined this incredible year," says Underwood. "Today, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world." (Link to list of nominees at right)

Troll

12-09-2006, 2:37pm

Carrie Underwood: On Faith Hill and Paying Dues
"I Knew She Didn't Mean It," Grammy Nominee Tells CMT

By: CMT.com Staff

Anybody who tries to say I haven't paid my dues, I guarantee you, hasn't been on American

Idol," Carrie Underwood told CMT Insider during a recent interview in Las Vegas.

With two Grammy nominations announced Thursday (Dec. 7), the whirlwind that began last year with Underwood's American Idol win only got stronger. In addition to a best female country performance nomination for "Jesus, Take the Wheel," she is the only country artist nominated for best new artist of all musical genres.

With her debut album, Some Hearts, certified quadruple platinum for shipments of 4 million copies, she's easily the hottest new thing in country music. This week alone, the Oklahoma native teamed with Kenny Rogers to sing "Islands in the Stream" during a tribute to Dolly Parton at the Kennedy Center Honors. The next night, she took home five trophies at the Billboard Music Awards.

Highlighting Underwood's year was the CMA Awards show, where she received the Horizon Award, an honor bestowed on artists who make particularly big strides in their careers. More surprising, perhaps, was her win in the female vocalist category that also included Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Martina McBride and Gretchen Wilson.

News of Underwood's female vocalist victory gained even more attention the following day when Hill's on-camera reaction hit the Internet and national television news programs. Hill quickly issued a statement explaining that she was just joking when she frowned and threw her hands up in the air after Underwood's name was announced.

In the interview with CMT Insider's Laura Douglas, Underwood spoke at length about the controversy.

"I was definitely surprised at how everything happened after the CMAs as far as the Faith Hill incident goes," Underwood said. "I mainly was just saddened because I knew it was going to be a big thing for her. I knew she didn't mean it. ... I think Tim [McGraw] was sitting at home watching, and as soon as she did that, I think he called her and was like, 'This is gonna be bad.' So she called me immediately and said, 'It's no big deal. I'm so sorry. I was just messing around, and it was sort of a joke gone bad, and I would never disrespect you.'

"And she's always been so nice. She and Tim have always been really sweet to me. ... I had no reason not to believe her. And I said, 'Thank you. It means a lot to me that you called, and I really, really respect you for calling as soon as possible to make things right, but I'm sorry for whatever's about to happen.'"

During the awards show, Underwood was unaware of Hill's joke.

"Obviously, I was sitting in the audience," she said. "I didn't see what happened -- like everybody did at home -- so I did go to look it up afterwards just to see exactly what happened. ... I would've thought she was joking, but I guess I could see where people like my fans ... who were really protective of me, which is really awesome ... would think she was being disrespectful. ... I just felt really bad for her that she was just messing around back stage and it kind of got taken out of context."

When asked if detractors have tried to make her feel as though her massive success has arrived too quickly, Underwood smiled and explained the intensity involved in participating on American Idol.

"That's a whole other kind of dues, you know?" she said. "And that's a whole other kind of stress. You know, I'll be the first person to say I don't deserve [to be] where I am. I am so, so lucky to be where I am, and I'm so thankful every single day that all this wonderful stuff has happened to me, but I definitely went through a different kind of 'dues-paying' portion of my life -- and that was called American Idol."

Describing her American Idol experience as "absolutely the most stressful, intense time in my life," she adds, "but also it was absolutely wonderful, and it landed me where I am here now. [It was] so completely worth it, but people have their opinions. And if that's the way they feel about it, that's fine, but I'm really glad I'm here.

"It is really stressful going from nobody really paying attention to you to all of the sudden millions of people out there. Not only are they listening to you sing and critiquing you, you've got to stand up there in front of the judges, and they could potentially say something completely embarrassing. All your friends are watching. All your family is watching back home. Nobody has to deal with that kind of scrutiny. And, also, people are looking at what you're wearing, what you look like and things like that. ... It's kind of hard to just be thrown into that kind of criticism."

http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1547610/20061208/underwood__carrie.jhtml?headlines=true

dreamer

12-09-2006, 10:46pm

I like her especially the newest one (it mentions Shania so it's my favorite new single) but she's really good I like all of her singles but my least favorite is Don't Forget to remember me. It was just overplayed. what about you?

Troll

12-10-2006, 3:43pm

Oprah Newbie
-- Carrie Underwood pays her first-ever visit to "Oprah" this coming Monday (12/11). She will perform and sit for a chat. Josh Groban and Tony Bennett will also appear on the show

Troll

12-11-2006, 2:04pm

Packing for USO tour
-- Carrie Underwood will soon embark on her first USO tour to the Persian Gulf region. While there, she will perform and meet with service members.

Troll

12-13-2006, 9:13pm

And checking it twice...
-- Carrie Underwood has popped up everywhere else lately, why not on Rolling Stone's "100 Best Songs of the Year" list? The magazine ranks her hit, "Before He Cheats," at No. 75.

Troll

12-15-2006, 2:33pm

Underwood Visits Troops
-- Hundreds of servicemembers lined up to receive an autograph and photo from Carrie Underwood, at Camp Arifjan's Combined Operations and Intelligence Center in Kuwait this week.
Underwood, on a USO tour in the Middle East, also gave a concert at Camp Buehring, a few hours away from Camp Arifjan, before heading to Iraq for more concerts.

I could give you more details, but I'd have to cut your tongue out.

Troll

12-17-2006, 2:49pm

Look what daddy bought me
-- Want an "American Idol" winner to show up at your next birthday party, Muffy? -- It's possible, if you have deep pockets. According to the NY Post, Carrie Underwood commands upward of $250,000 to show up at a party and sing.

Troll

12-18-2006, 5:52pm

Another dopey poll
-- Toby Keith is the Man of the Year -- and Carrie Underwood is the Woman of the Year, according to those who voted in Country Weekly's 12th Annual Readers' Poll.

12-19-2006, 12:16am

Holy Mackeral! 35,000+ posts? What kind of job fits that I wonder. Maybe someone in radio.

I finally got curious, seeing this thread pop to the top quite a bit lately.

So went and took a listen on her official site.

There are some nice songs there, but I can't quite access them in the sequence I'd want. The lyrics all line up with the song titles. However some of the songs which play, don't line up with the titles. Then if I just let it keep playing after one song ends, it seems to go on to the other songs on the album.

Here are two I was able to access when I chose:

"Before He Cheats" (Chris Tompkins/Josh Kear) has good lyrics and matching music. Sort of a milder version of the Dixie Chicks' "Earl", and how to get even with a loose man and his habit.

These anti-opposite gender - in your face songs, seem to have really been hitting the big time, ever since Toby Keith's "How Do You Like Me Now!" So she knew all the licks to put on his supped up 4-wheeler, and put the hombre in his place, after he finds out - yowiee! It pulls you in pretty good. Helps to know/see the lyrics tho.

"Some Hearts" music and words by Diane Warren. The Chorus/refrain/bridge or whatever they call it these days, is fairly good, a nice hook, which carries over into the regular verses.

Overall, sounds like a nice album. I don't hear any duds or "filler" songs in here, like I have with some other artists whom I like a lot and whom have won a lot of the best awards.

Troll

12-19-2006, 10:04am

Glade to see you like her songs.

fanmaster

12-19-2006, 5:12pm

Carrie's The Best!!!

And I bet her and Faith do a duet after all this!

Troll

12-19-2006, 10:14pm

I love her new song Wasted.

12-20-2006, 5:10am

I love her new song Wasted.

Went back to see if I could access Wasted on her official site.

Found some new control buttons. The playable songs do not include Wasted. They do include Don't Forget to Remember Me, Some Hearts, Before He Cheats, Inside Your Heaven, and Jesus Takes the Wheel.

I get the impression from the excellent Nashville Country sounding instruments in the background, that Nashville has decided to promote Carrie big time. Nothing but the best in the back ups. She does fine out front. But it takes both.

I don't know where these songs, this album or Carrie will end up eventually. But these songs are enjoyable to listen to.

12-20-2006, 5:15am

I see Amazon.com has samples of her songs on this album, including Wasted. However it's just a small part at the start. Just when the song gets rollin' good, the sample ends.

12-20-2006, 6:22am

..., after listening to some of her songs,
I get the impression from the excellent Nashville Country sounding instruments in the background, that Nashville has decided to promote Carrie big time. Nothing but the best in the back ups.
...,

A review on Amazon.com addresses this question in part:

"Would American Idol winner Carrie Underwood have landed a major-label recording contract without winning the hugely popular television contest?

Probably. The big-voiced Oklahoman has the pipes, the look, the pedigree, and, most important, the emotional resonance to sustain a professional career.

As an investment in her future, her label eschewed the easy path in putting out an album to take advantage of her publicity, going for a name producer, Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Faith Hill, Lonestar), to handle half the tracks. It also solicited material from the same top songwriters (Diane Warren, Brett James, Troy Verges, Rivers Rutherford) who stock albums by Hill, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, and Wynonna.

"Jesus, Take the Wheel," the hit first single, shows off the best of Underwood's power vocals, while the sexy rocker "We're Young and Beautiful" pulls her out of her ballad-heavy comfort zone, and her autobiographical "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore" bolsters her authenticity. If the young performer oversings on occasion (the overwrought bonus track, "Inside Your Heaven"), and settles for too many generic themes, she still surprises in her ability to go head-to-head with country’s reigning females.

Will Underwood really survive to be a contender for the Martina throne? Let's just say that American Idol judges and voters picked the right contestant. If the posturing Bo Bice had won, rock stars would hardly be quaking in their boots." --Alanna Nash

http://www.amazon.com/Some-Hearts-Carrie-Underwood/dp/B000BGR18W

12-20-2006, 6:31am

Another Amazon.com review:

"Like all American Idol produced albums, there is always some inconsistency with production and etc... There is the slightest bit of this on Carrie's album. We first began to truly see this with Fantasia's exceptional debut, Ruben sophomore effort (better than his debut Soulful), and of course multi-platinum pop-rocker Kelly Clarkson's Grammy deserving Breakaway. SOME HEARTS presents a truly credible country album without the American Idol aspect attached, which may mark the first American Idol debut to officially shed that image.

Carrie's debut is just as expected-a country set that has some pop sensibilities. The emphasis is on some because for the most part, this album will appeal to those who loved Carrie on American Idol as well as those who love a good country album. The pop sensibility comes with such a track as the excellent "Some Hearts" which features driving guitars, slick production and Carrie rising to a high E. Despite that, Carrie sings her heart out on this appropriate title track.

On her opening track "Wasted", as with ever American Idol album, Carrie's grabs the audience's attention with a well written selection that shows off Carrie's pure upper register. That is followed by an incredibly country influenced "Don't Forget to Remember Me", which isn't a bad track, but it slightly lessens the heightened momentum created by the great "Wasted". Nonetheless, that is where "Some Hearts" and the touching first single "Jesus Take The Wheel," which is made of a stunning piano, string, and electric guitar driven arrangement, throw the album back into full swing. Other notable highlights from SOME HEARTS include "Before He Cheats" which uses a bluesy production sound mixed with the first time that I've personally heard Carrie achieve some much needed grit to her pure voice. Selections "Whenever Your Remember" and "I Ain't in Chocatoe No More" also steal the show. There are some other tracks of less notability, yet it is important to note that this album is consistent for the most part lending many great tracks besides the major ones such as "We're Young and Beautiful" and "Starts with Goodbye".

While this album has a few flaws (Carrie over sings slightly on "When you're Beautiful"), for the most part it is well produced, Carrie's pitch is impeccable, and it is just a fine, well rounded debut. Where this album is concerned- a big fat 4 stars from a non-Carrie fan for this very fine debut."

http://www.amazon.com/Some-Hearts-Carrie-Underwood/dp/B000BGR18W

There are about 1289 reviews there, if you enjoy reading about Carrie Underwood. Some of 'em are short, one or two liners. There's even a few bad reviews. But they mostly seem to be from persons expecting something in a different music style or singer personality.

12-20-2006, 6:41am

After American Idol, she went back and finished a bachelors degree in mass communications with minor in broadcast journalism.

Could come in handy, not just as a backup plan, but also in her preferred primary career.

Troll

12-20-2006, 10:05am

Thanks for the reviews.

Troll

12-27-2006, 12:19am

She was awesome performing for the Dolly tribute.

Troll

12-29-2006, 10:04am

Nashville's Underwood overachieved in 2006

By Ken Tucker
NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Carrie Underwood has proved plenty as 2006 draws to a close. In November, the 2005 "American Idol" champ surprised fans and the industry by winning the Country Music Assn.'s female vocalist award.

Now, Underwood's "Some Hearts" ends the year as the top album on the year-end Top Billboard 200 Albums, Top Billboard 200 Albums - Female and Top Country Albums recaps.

She also claims the No. 2 spot on the Top Country Album Artists recap behind Rascal Flatts, whose song "Bless the Broken Road" she famously performed during her run for the "American Idol" crown.

In addition, her Grammy-nominated hit "Jesus, Take the Wheel" is the No. 5 title on the Hot Country Songs chart, and she is No. 3 on the Hot Country Songs Artists recap behind Kenny Chesney and Rascal Flatts.

Add those achievements together and it's apparent why Underwood is the No. 1 performer on the Top Country Artists-Female and Top New Country Artists recaps.

Meanwhile, Chesney takes the No. 1 spot on Top Country Artists-Male, replacing last year's winner, Toby Keith, who remains relevant at No. 2.

Chesney's album "The Road and the Radio" placed No. 8 on the year-end Billboard 200 chart and No. 3 on the year-end Top Country Albums tally. His concert album "LIVE: Live Those Songs Again" gives him a second spot at No. 43 on Top Country Albums.

On the airplay side, "Summertime" is the No. 3 title on the Hot Country Songs tally, and Chesney placed two other titles in the top 50 on that recap.

As for Rascal Flatts, the trio not only has the No. 4 album on the year-end Billboard 200 with "Me and My Gang," it also has two on the Top Country Albums year-end chart: "Me and My Gang" at No. 2 and "Feels Like Today" at No. 6. Their combined performances place Rascal Flatts at No. 1 on Top Country Album Artists.

On the singles front, the band places three titles on Hot Country Songs.

Combining airplay and sales, Rascal Flatts is the No. 1 act on the Top Country Artists-Duo/Group recap for 2006.

Underwood wasn't the only successful newcomer in 2006. Rodney Atkins scored the No. 1 title on the Hot Country Songs chart with "If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)," which spent four weeks at No. 1.

Based on sales and airplay info, Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp -- a duo otherwise known as the Wreckers -- placed second to Underwood in the Top New Country Artists category. Their single "Leave the Pieces" finished No. 8 on the Hot Country Songs recap.

Despite their noticeable and much discussed absence from country radio, the Dixie Chicks still managed to score the No. 5 title on Top Country Albums with "Taking the Long Way."

They were also the No. 6 group on Top Country Album Artists, just behind their old nemesis Toby Keith. "Taking the Long Way" was the No. 1 title on Top Internet Albums for 2006, and it finished at No. 16 on The Billboard 200 Albums recap.

Meanwhile, two country acts lead the Top Pop Catalog Albums recap: Johnny Cash and Tim McGraw.

Reuters/Billboard

http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2006-12-28T140608Z_01_N28222384_RTRIDST_0_ENTERTAINMENT-COUNTRY-COL.XML

Troll

01-05-2007, 9:54am

A winner from the start
'American Idol' star Carrie Underwood has caught the ear of country fans

MINNEAPOLIS // Carrie Underwood has easily had the fastest, and most consistent, start of any American Idol winner. In a year and a half, she went from small-town girl finishing her college degree in journalism to having Billboard's No. 1 album of 2006 and being voted the Country Music Association (CMA) female vocalist of the year.

Talk about meteoric rise.

"It's one of those rare combinations where she can start with such a huge fan base and you have an absolutely great record," said Gregg Swedberg, program director of Twin Cities country station K102. Her Idol base included girls who wanted to be like her ("You can sell a lot of records to a young female audience," said Swedberg), country fans (she was committed to that genre from the git-go) and young men ("She's a good-looking young gal").

"Most of the Idols have not made very good first records," Swedberg said. "You can argue artistic value all you want, but Carrie made an extremely commercial record."

Moreover, she chose the right format - country - where other Idols have focused on pop, rock or R&B. Not only is country her natural style, but it's a less crowded field that's starved for fresh female voices.

"The country music community has been so great to me," Underwood said with the congeniality you'd expect of a pageant winner. "They were glad to have someone representing country music to such a wide audience on American Idol."

Typically, the CMA's top female prize, like the Oscar for best director, goes to someone who has paid her dues.

"I've heard a lot of 'You deserve it' and I've heard a lot of [questioning] that I haven't paid my dues," the 23-year-old newcomer said by phone recently. "It kind of hurts my feelings a little bit because nobody in the business went through what the contestants on American Idol went through. That's a whole 'nother kind of dues-payin' right there.

"Being under that much stress when you're just a nobody - you don't even know what you're doing. It's very, very tough. You take your normal, everyday person who would like to sing and then you put them in such a high-pressure situation where you're allowed to be critiqued in front of millions of people."

When her name was announced as the CMA winner, rival nominee Faith Hill was shown on camera mouthing "What?" The new champ wasn't aware of the flap until after the program ended. But feathers were quickly smoothed that night when Hill phoned Underwood to apologize in a five- to 10-minute conversation.

"I felt so bad because Faith Hill is such a wonderful person and it was just a joke gone bad," Underwood said. "I know she's taken a lot of heat for it. I know she would never disrespect anybody like that."

She has won five Billboard Awards, including album of the year; was named best newcomer at the CMAs and breakthrough artist at the American Music Awards, and is up for best new artist at the Grammys on Feb. 11. But her biggest surprise is selling more than 4 million copies of her debut disc, Some Hearts, released in November 2005.

"I just wanted my first album to do well enough where I could make a second one," she said with a giggle. "It definitely exceeded all my expectations."

Her debut single, "Jesus, Take the Wheel," went to No. 1 and is a Grammy finalist for song of the year. Underwood didn't write the tune, but its religious theme was a good fit for her image as a wholesome, small-town sweetheart.

Then she threw a curveball with her third single, "Before He Cheats," an unexpectedly violent song about smashing the headlights and slashing the tires on the vehicle of her philandering boyfriend.

"When I first heard it, I wasn't sure if it would fit on the album, but I loved the song," said Underwood, who watched the sassily sung track spend five weeks atop Billboard's country chart this fall. "It's fun to do something that's outside your box and play a character that's not like you. It's the most fun to perform onstage because there's just this vibe that people get and sing along. And guys sing along."

The rookie has spent the year touring with Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley and headlining a few of her own shows at fairs. She also managed to squeeze in one last college class at Northeastern State in Oklahoma - she was three credits short of her mass-communications degree, which she received in the spring.

If she wrote the story of Carrie Underwood, she said, her angle would be: "Small-town girl makes it big." Although she now lives (alone) in Nashville, Tenn., she still sounds like an awestruck Okie, peppering her conversation with "geez" and "awesome."

She describes herself as silly, talented, intelligent and hard-working. "I think I'm pretty boring," she said. "I don't have a glamorous lifestyle."

Unlike many previous Idol singers who have built recording careers, she's in no hurry to distance herself from the TV franchise. "They can call me American Idol winner as long as they want to," she said.

Underwood stays in touch with AI, in part because she is managed by 19 Entertainment, which also produces the show.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-li.music04jan04,0,2661824.story?track=rss

01-05-2007, 2:46pm

A winner from the start
...,caught the ear of country fans

...,fastest, and most consistent, start of any American Idol winner.

..., meteoric rise.

rare combinations ...,
start with such a huge fan base and
...,an absolutely great record,
..., girls who wanted to be like her
...,country fans (she was committed to that genre from the git-go) and
...,young men ("She's a good-looking young gal").

...,country is her natural style,
... it's a less crowded field that's starved for fresh female voices.

Enjoyable and informative article.

Thanks for posting it, Troll.

Troll

01-06-2007, 2:19pm

Carrie Underwood Launches New Website

January 5, 2007 — Carrie Underwood has a new online fan website, CarrieUnderwood.fm. The site includes a general area with news, photos, information on concerts and appearances and other announcements. From there, registered users can log in to the official Carrie Underwood Fan Club, which displays blogs from Carrie and other exclusive content, including access to message boards and chats, information regarding concert ticket pre-sales and meet and greets, audio and video downloads and other online activities and information for fan club members only.

Coming up next for Carrie is the "People's Choice Awards," airing January 9 on CBS. Carrie is nominated for Favorite Female Singer and Favorite Country Song for "Jesus, Take the Wheel."

http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_headlines/article/0,,GAC_26063_5259128,00.html

goinUP

01-06-2007, 8:55pm

Random- just wanted to say that my favorites are "Before He Cheats", "Starts With Goodbye" and "I Just Can't Live A Lie":D :)

Troll

01-07-2007, 2:32pm

This cd has some good songs on it.

ShaniaLookAlike

01-07-2007, 5:09pm

I purchased Carrie's album over a year ago and I love it!! :up:

I'm a big fan of Carrie's. . and I think she'll do great in the business, heck she already has! :)

Troll

01-09-2007, 10:17am

January 8, 2007 — Carrie Underwood was asked by iTunes to list the top 15 songs on her current personal playlist. She cites Alan Jackson's "Like Red on a Rose" and Faith Hill's "Stealing Kisses" as her country favorites.

"Alan Jackson was, is and always will be the king of country music to me," Carrie says. "He was my first concert, and I have always respected him immensely. He can do no wrong, and he proves it with this song and every other song from this album. The song is smooth and romantic and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!"

About Faith's tune, Carrie says, "Country songs usually tell stories, but this particular one is very deep and profound. It is very representative and makes you think about what the song is really talking about. Faith sings it beautifully, as always, and the video is very meaningful."

Also on Carrie's list are George Strait's "The Chair," Keith Urban's "Once in a Lifetime," and Brad Paisley's "Waitin' On a Woman."

http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_headlines/article/0,,GAC_26063_5264840,00.html

twaintrain

01-09-2007, 9:26pm

Shania AND Carrie at the Kennedy Center honors was almost too much! Carrie is my 2nd favorite singer ever, next to Shania!:)

twaintrain

01-09-2007, 11:21pm

Carrie won the People's Choice Awards for Favorite Country Song ("Before He Cheats") and Favorite Female Singer!!!:)

Troll

01-09-2007, 11:47pm

Congrats to Carrie.

sherbear57

01-10-2007, 8:08am

Thank u all....i'll get Carrie's cd, and check it out but he cheated.

sherbear57

MiniShaniaTwain

01-10-2007, 12:43pm

Congrats to Carrie!

Troll

01-11-2007, 12:05am

Records falling like dominos
-- Carrie Underwood begins the New Year by smashing a few records. Her Arista Nashville debut album, Some Hearts, vaults to RIAA Quintuple-Platinum certification.
The record-setting milestone earns Carrie the fastest 5x Platinum certification of any female country debut in history.

Some Hearts is also the best-selling, single-disc country album by a solo artist (male or female) in the last six years -- since Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits, released in November of 2000.

And with January 10 SoundScan info, Some Hearts, becomes the best-selling, single-disc country album by any artist (solo, male, female, group, duo, etc.) since the Dixie Chicks’ Home, released in August of 2002.

Troll

01-12-2007, 4:55pm

Gathering Firewood
-- Carrie Underwood tells Billboard.com that she's getting songs together and writing material for her next album, which she will begin recording sometime after the February 12 Grammys.

Troll

01-14-2007, 10:17pm

Idol" winner Underwood reflects on a big year

By Ken Tucker

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Just months removed from her May 2005 "American Idol" victory, Carrie Underwood spent a total of 11 weeks atop Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart with "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats."

A third single, "Don't Forget to Remember Me," peaked at No. 2. Her debut album "Some Hearts" has sold 4.7 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, surpassing the debut efforts of the other four "Idol" winners including inaugural champ Kelly Clarkson.

Underwood, 23, spent the first part of 2006 on the road with Kenny Chesney, and the second half on tour with Brad Paisley. She has appeared on everything from "Late Show With David Letterman" to the "2006 Kennedy Center Honors." And the year brought plenty of recognition for her success and talent. She picked up awards from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Assn. She also picked up a Grammy nomination.

WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING NOW IF YOU HADN'T WON "AMERICAN IDOL?"

I would have a job somewhere, maybe in the journalism field or maybe broadcasting or something like that, but I'm not exactly sure, because I never got to that point.

DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD HAVE DONE WHAT OTHER ASPIRING COUNTRY ARTISTS DO -- MOVE TO NASHVILLE?

No. It's always something that I thought would be awesome to do, but I consider myself to be a very level-headed person and the chances of (succeeding that way) were slim to none. I was just planning on being in the real world and doing the best I could at my job. I probably wouldn't have pursued music much further at all.

ARE YOU SURPRISED AT HOW WARMLY YOU'VE BEEN EMBRACED IN THE COUNTRY MUSIC COMMUNITY?

I am. You are a little worried at first. You never know how people are going to take a newcomer, especially somebody who came into the scene unconventionally. Everybody has been great. Other artists, producers, people that I've worked with, people that I've met along the way -- they've all been very proud, I think, that somebody would represent country music on a national TV show (like "American Idol").

YOU WON MAJOR AWARDS FROM THE ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC, THE COUNTRY MUSIC ASSN., NOT TO MENTION THE BILLBOARD AWARDS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN, LAST YEAR. IS THERE ONE AWARD THAT REALLY STANDS OUT TO YOU?

(The CMA) female vocalist of the year was really huge for me. It was really unexpected and really hard to believe. "American Idol," that would have to be the best moment (because it) started all of this, but (the female vocalist award), that was a really awesome moment for me.

WAS THERE ANOTHER "WOW" MOMENT, MAYBE NOT AN AWARDS SHOW MOMENT, BUT ONE WHERE YOUR RECORD LABEL OR MANAGER CALLED YOU ON THE PHONE AND SAID, "THIS JUST HAPPENED?"

Every time another platinum (certification comes in). It's a pretty huge "wow" moment. When I was told about this last one, I was like, "Is it going to stop selling? What is going on here? This is crazy." After 2 (million sold) I was really, really, really happy, and after three I was like, "Well, it couldn't possibly sell any more." Then four kind of came and went quickly, and I was like, "What is up?" People are still going out and buying this, it's amazing. Then five, it's just "wow."

YOU REALLY HAVEN'T MADE IT UNTIL YOUR MUSIC GETS TURNED INTO A BLUEGRASS TRIBUTE ALBUM. HAVE YOU HEARD "PICKIN' ON CARRIE UNDERWOOD?"

That's when you know (laughs). One of our band members actually went and got it when we were on the road, and we listened to it before a show. I said, "What is this?" (laughs) I listened to it and it was good.

WHERE ARE YOU IN REGARDS TO YOUR NEW RECORD?

We are still planning. We're getting songs together and writing stuff in the next couple of weeks, because I didn't really want to jump into anything until we knew what direction we were going in. We're not recording until after the Grammys. Once that is done, I'll have a lot more time to devote to the next album. (I'll) get stuff from some writers and go into the studio and lay some stuff down and see what direction it's going to head in.

ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE A MORE ACTIVE ROLE WITH THE SONGWRITING ON THIS NEW RECORD?

I would like to. I'm very realistic about the whole situation. I know that some (artists) think they are really awesome writers and they are not -- I'm the opposite. I just want to go in and try, and if nothing more, I go in with the writers and they get a sense of what I would like to sing about. Even if I don't have much of a hand in the writing process at all, even if I just have some ideas ... I'm looking forward to being more involved, but I'm very realistic that I might not be any good.

DID YOU WRITE SONGS GROWING UP?

I didn't. I never thought I'd ever be in a position to where I'd be able to use them, so it was something that I never really messed with too much. I wish I had now.

DO YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST IN RECORDING MUSIC OTHER THAN COUNTRY MUSIC?

If there were a great collaboration going on, I would definitely be interested, but I really, really like being a part of country music -- and hopefully they like having me -- so I don't have any intentions of trying anything else.

YOU M