Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood Bio

Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American country singer and songwriter. Known for her powerful vocals and dynamic stage presence, she is recognized as a pivotal figure in modern country music and is widely credited with revitalizing the profile of female country artists in popular music since winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), became the best-selling solo female country debut in history and launched multiple crossover hits, including the diamond-certified “Before He Cheats.”

Over the course of her career, Carrie Underwood has earned eight Grammy Awards, the most Billboard Music Awards and American Music Awards of any female country artist, and has sold tens of millions of albums and singles. She is the highest-certified female country artist in the United States by total certified units, with more than 95 million albums and singles certified. Carrie Underwood remains a leading voice in contemporary country and country-pop music.

Early Life and Background

Carrie Marie Underwood was born on March 10, 1983, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to Carole (née Shatswell) and Steve Underwood. She has two older sisters, Shanna and Stephanie, and was raised on her parents’ farm in the nearby rural town of Checotah. Her father worked in a paper mill, while her mother taught elementary school. During her childhood, Carrie Underwood performed at the Robbins Memorial Talent Show and sang at her local church, First Free Will Baptist Church. She also performed for community events in Checotah, including Old Settler’s Day and the Lions Club.

As a teenager, Carrie Underwood traveled to Nashville at age 14 after a local admirer arranged for her to audition for Capitol Records. In 1997, the label was preparing a contract but canceled it when company management changed. Looking back, Carrie Underwood has said that the experience was ultimately for the best because she was not yet ready for a professional music career. While attending Checotah High School, she was a member of the Honor Society, a cheerleader, and played basketball and softball, graduating as salutatorian in 2001.

After high school, Carrie Underwood initially set aside her musical ambitions and focused on her education. She attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, graduating magna cum laude in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and an emphasis in journalism. During her summers, she worked as a page for Oklahoma State Representative Bobby Frame, waited tables at a pizzeria, and worked at a zoo and a veterinary clinic. She is also an alumna of the Alpha Iota chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority.

Path to Music

Carrie Underwood’s path back to music began during her college years at Northeastern State University, where she performed for two summers in the university’s Downtown Country show in Tahlequah. She also competed in beauty pageants and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004. These local performances helped her rebuild her confidence as a vocalist and prepared her for the larger stage that awaited.

In mid-2004, Carrie Underwood auditioned for American Idol in St. Louis, Missouri, singing Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Her performances throughout the competition drew strong praise from the judges, including Simon Cowell, who predicted she would not only win the season but also outsell all previous Idol winners. On May 25, 2005, Carrie Underwood became the season four winner, earning a recording contract, a private jet for a year, and a Ford Mustang convertible.

Carrie Underwood Career

Early Career (2005–2007)

Carrie Underwood’s music career began with the release of her first single, “Inside Your Heaven,” on June 14, 2005. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first country artist ever to debut at the top of that chart. Her debut album, Some Hearts, arrived on November 15, 2005, selling more than 315,000 copies in its first week and eventually becoming the best-selling solo female country debut in history. The album was certified nine times platinum by the RIAA.

Some Hearts produced multiple hit singles, including “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” “Before He Cheats,” and “Don’t Forget to Remember Me.” “Before He Cheats” became the first country song to be certified multi-platinum and has since sold more than eleven million copies. At the 49th Grammy Awards in 2007, Carrie Underwood won Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” becoming only the second country artist to win the Best New Artist Grammy in the ceremony’s history.

Breakthrough (2005–2013)

Carrie Underwood’s breakthrough arrived immediately after her American Idol win and has continued unbroken for two decades. Her debut album, Some Hearts, set the tone, but she quickly built on that success with her second album, Carnival Ride (2007), which sold more than 527,000 copies in its first week and produced four consecutive number-one singles on the Hot Country Songs chart. She followed that with Play On (2009), which debuted atop the Billboard 200 and made her the first woman to land eleven consecutive top-two singles on the country charts.

In 2012, Carrie Underwood released Blown Away, her fourth studio album, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and earned her another Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance. The album’s title track sold more than five million copies and was certified five times platinum. Across these early years, Carrie Underwood became a fixture on country radio, racking up more than a dozen number-one hits and earning numerous accolades, including induction into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008.

Notable Works and Milestones

Some Hearts (2005) remains Carrie Underwood’s signature release and the best-selling solo female country debut in history, powered by the diamond-certified single “Before He Cheats.” She has also earned major recognition for Blown Away (2012), My Gift (2020), and her gospel album My Savior (2021), which won the Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album. Carrie Underwood is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2017, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018.

Carrie Underwood Award Nominations

Carrie Underwood has accumulated dozens of award nominations across her career from organizations including the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music, the Country Music Association, the American Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the CMT Music Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, and the British and Australian country music associations. She has also been recognized with nominations from the Teen Choice Awards and the People’s Choice Awards.

Carrie Underwood Awards Won

Carrie Underwood is one of the most awarded artists in country music history. She has won eight Grammy Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, sixteen Academy of Country Music Awards, seventeen American Music Awards, nine Country Music Association Awards, and twenty-three CMT Music Awards. She was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2009, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2017, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018. In 2020, she became the first woman to win the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year award three times.

Carrie Underwood Family

Carrie Underwood was raised in Checotah, Oklahoma, by her parents, Steve Underwood and Carole (née Shatswell) Underwood, alongside her two older sisters, Shanna and Stephanie. Her father worked in a paper mill and her mother taught elementary school. Carrie Underwood has remained closely tied to her hometown, founding the Checotah Animal, Town, and School Foundation in 2009 to support local causes and donating to the Checotah school district in subsequent years.

Personal Life

Carrie Underwood married Canadian NHL player Mike Fisher on July 10, 2010, at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge in Greensboro, Georgia. The couple’s first son was born on February 27, 2015, and their second son was born on January 21, 2019. Carrie Underwood has spoken publicly about experiencing three miscarriages between the births of her two children, a difficult period that inspired her song “Cry Pretty.”

Carrie Underwood resides in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family. She is a practicing Evangelical Christian and a vegetarian, having stopped eating meat at the age of 13. She is a long-time supporter of animal welfare and is involved with the Humane Society of the United States. Carrie Underwood also founded the C.A.T.S. Foundation and the Checotah Animal, Town, and School Foundation, both of which support animal welfare, education, and community services.