Carrie Underwood: A look back over the country singer's incredible career
From her American Idol win to becoming the princess of country music
Last updated 25th Sep 2024
Carrie Underwood is undoubtedly one of the most successful American Idol winners of all time. Since winning the competition in 2005, she has firmly cemented her place as the princess of country music by selling over 65 million records worldwide — and is now set to take her own seat on the judges panel.
Even with so many accolades to her name - including an Entertainer of The Year CMA award nomination in 2023 - it's clear there's no stopping the country icon. Having released a deluxe edition of her 2022 album 'Denim & Rhinestones' last year, the songstress further delighted fans by announcing she is continuing her Las Vegas residency throughout 2024.
There's no denying that Carrie Underwood has had a sensational rise to the top over the years.
To celebrate Carrie's biggest career moments to date, we thought we'd take a look back at her phenomenal rise to fame through the years.
Carrie Underwood through the years 👇
2005: Career Beginnings
Carrie Underwood's music career started in 2005 when she was crowned the winner of popular TV show American Idol during its fourth season. As well as winning a million-dollar record contract, Carrie gained a loyal fanbase known as 'Carrie's Care Bears' during her time on the show.
Just a few weeks after winning, Carrie released her first single, 'Inside Your Heaven', which went straight to the top of the charts, making her the first country singer to debut a Number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. She later co-headlined the 'American Idols LIVE!' tour alongside her fellow American Idol Top 10 competitors.
2005: 'Some Hearts' is released
Carrie Underwood released her debut album in November 2005. Titled 'Some Hearts', the album debuted at Number 1 on the Top Country Albums chart and Number 2 on the Billboard 200. It became the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, as well as being certified eight times-platinum.
The album includes three Number 1 singles, 'Jesus, Take the Wheel', 'Wasted', and 'Before He Cheats', as well as the Number 2 hit 'Don't Forget About Me'.
2006: Awards and Tour
Following the success of her debut album and singles, Carrie set out on her first headline tour, 'Carrie Underwood: Live 2006', across North America in April 2006. Later that year she was awarded the Top New Female Vocalist award and Single of the Year for 'Jesus, Take the Wheel' at the ACM Awards.
But these weren't the only awards Carrie won in 2006. She also won her first two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance, as well as the Breakthrough Video of the Year award and Best Female Video of the Year for 'Jesus, Take the Wheel' at the CMT Awards.
2007: 'Carnival Ride' is released
Carrie Underwood released her second album, 'Carnival Ride' in October 2007 and it went straight in at Number 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts. The album produced four chart-topping singles 'So Small', 'All-American Girl', 'Last Name' and 'Just a Dream' and was certified double platinum in just two months.
Carrie won her third Grammy award in 2008 for Best Female Vocal Performance for 'Before He Cheats', as well as the Artist of the Year and Favourite Country Female Artist awards at the AMAs. Carrie also took home the awards for the Top Female Vocalist award, Album of the Year and Video of the Year for 'Before He Cheats' at the CMA Awards.
2008: More awards and first time hosting the CMAs
In January 2008, Carrie Underwood set out on the co-headline 'Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour' with fellow country star, Keith Urban. Later that year she was inducted into the legendary Grand Ole Opry by Randy Travis.
Later that same year, Carrie won her fourth Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her single 'Last Name', as well as winning the award for Favourite Country Album for the second year in a row at the AMAs.
She also co-hosted the CMA Awards with country singer Brad Paisley for the very first time (a role she would reprise annually for the next 12 years) and picked up the Female Vocalist of the Year award for the third consecutive year.
2009: 'Play On' is released
In November 2009, Carrie Underwood released her third studio album, titled 'Play On' which once again debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts. The album spawned three consecutive Number 1 singles on The Hot Country Songs chart including 'Cowboy Casanova', 'Temporary Home' and 'Undo It', followed by Number 2 hit 'Mama's Song'.
Carrie went on to win even more awards in 2009, starting off with her fifth Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for the single 'I Told You So' with Randy Travis.
She also scooped Female Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards, making her the first woman to win the coveted award in a decade.
2010: Carrie Underwood marries Mike Fisher
Carrie Underwood kicked off 2010 by performing the national anthem at the Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, Florida. She also made award history by becoming the first woman to win the CMAs Entertainer of the Year award twice and for being the only artist in AMAs history to have all of their albums awarded with the Favourite Country Album award.
But that's not all. Carrie also made her acting debut on an episode of TV show How I Met Your Mother. After two years of dating, Carrie and NHL player Mike Fisher tied the knot on 10th July 2010 in Greensboro, Georgia. The couple share two sons together, Isaiah Michael Fisher and Jacob Bryan Fisher.
2011: Superstar Women of Country and big-screen debut
In April 2011, Carrie Underwood took part in the ACM Presents Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country event where she was honoured for her contributions to country music, alongside other female country music stars like Miranda Lambert, Loretta Lynn and Reba McEntire.
That same month, she made her big-screen acting debut in the movie Soul Sister, which tells the life story of surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm in a shark attack.
Carrie earned her 14th Number 1 in 2011, after featuring on 'Remind Me' a duet with Brad Paisley that reached the top spot on the Hot Country Songs chart. She also featured on a duet with singer Tony Bennett, titled 'It Had to Be You', which the duo performed during the season two premiere episode of crime drama, Blue Bloods in September 2011.
2012: 'Blown Away' is released
Carrie Underwood released her fourth studio album, 'Blown Away' in May 2012 and it debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200, the Country Albums Chart and the Digital Albums chart. The album spawned two Number 2 singles on the Country Airplay chart, 'Two Black Cadillacs' and 'See You Again', as well as the chart-topping singles 'Good Girl' and 'Blown Away'.
Carrie set out on her 'Blown Away Tour' in June 2012, which saw tickets sell out in 90 minutes, including a sold-out date at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. She also took part in CMT's TV show Crossroads where she performed with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler during the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam at the Super Bowl XLVI (pictured). This episode was the TV show's most highly-rated in seven years.
2013: The Sound of Music and another Grammy win
Keen to do more collaborating in 2013, Carrie Underwood featured on Aerosmith's single 'Can't Stop Lovin' You' and joined the Rolling Stones onstage during the band's '50 and Counting Tour' in Canada.
That same year, Carrie Underwood won her sixth Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance for her single 'Blown Away'.
In December 2013, Carrie had the opportunity to combine her acting with singing skills when she took on the iconic role of Maria von Trapp in NBC's 'The Sound of Music Live!'. Carrie also publicly announced in 2013 that she was now a vegan, after maintaining a vegetarian diet for several years.
2014: 'Greatest Hits: Decade Number 1' is released
'Greatest Hits: Decade Number 1', Carrie Underwood's first greatest hits album was released in December 2014. It reached the top spot on the Top Country Albums chart.
Earlier that year, Carrie won her seventh Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance for her single 'Something In The Water', which was featured on her new greatest hits album.
But that wasn't the only award Carrie won in 2014. She also took home the ACM's the Gene Weed Special Achievement Award, the AMA's Favourite Female Country Artist Award and Billboard's Milestone Award. Carrie also featured on Miranda Lambert's 2014 single 'Somethin' Bad' which reached Number 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release.
2015: 'Storyteller' is released
Carrie Underwood released her fifth studio album, 'Storyteller' in October 2015 and it swiftly topped the Top Country Albums chart, her sixth consecutive Number 1 on the chart. It produced two Country Airplay chart Number 1 singles 'Heartbeat' and 'Church Bells', as well as the number 2 singles 'Smoke Break' and 'Dirty Laundry'.
Carrie also launched her own fitness clothing line called CALIA by Carrie Underwood and appeared as a guest judge on TV show Project Runway in 2015.
2016: 'The Storyteller' tour
Carrie Underwood launched her fifth headlining tour, titled 'The Storyteller Tour', in January 2016, which saw the country songstress perform at 92 shows, across seven countries. She was also chosen, alongside 30 country artists, to perform on the medley track 'Forever Country' to celebrate 50 years of the CMA Awards. The single debuted at the number 1 spot on the Hot Country Songs chart.
More awards were in store for Carrie in 2016. She was the first artist to receive the ACM Lifting Lives Gary Haber Award for her work with charities. She was also awarded Female Vocalist of the Year by the American Country Countdown Awards and received the CMA Chairman's Award.
2017: A decade of hosting the CMAs
Carrie Underwood strived to spend more time with family in 2017, but she still had her fair share of achievements. Her duet with Keith Urban 'The Fighter' was released in February 2017 and reached Number 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart. She also signed a new record contract with Capitol Records Nashville and was inducted into her hometown of Oklahoma's Hall of Fame.
2017 also marked a decade of Carrie and Brad Paisley sharing hosting duties for CMA Awards. However, just a few days after the award show, Carrie experienced a nasty fall at her home that resulted in injuries to her face and wrist. However, after just a few months of recovery, she was back in the studio recording her upcoming album, 'Cry Pretty'.
2018: 'Cry Pretty' is released
In September 2018, Carrie Underwood released her sixth studio album, 'Cry Pretty'. It debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200, making Carrie the first woman to hit the top of the chart with four country albums. It also topped the UK Country Albums chart and the Top Country Albums chart.
The album produced two Top 10 singles, 'Southbound' and 'Cry Pretty', as well as two Top 20 singles 'Love Wins' and 'Drinking Alone'. That same year, Carrie's duet with Keith Urban, 'The Fighter' was awarded Vocal Event of the Year at the and the ACM Awards. She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her musical achievements.
2019: CMA Awards and Glastonbury Festival
Carrie Underwood hosted the 2019 CMA Awards with country music legends, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton. This was the first time in 12 years she hadn't hosted with Brad Paisley and shortly after she announced she would be stepping down as co-host.
Carrie performed at the Glastonbury Festival in July 2019, as part of her 'Cry Pretty 360 Tour', which followed her headline slot at the CMA Music Festival a month before. Also in 2019, Carried was awarded the AMA Favourite Country Album award for 'Cry Pretty' and CMT's Video of the Year and Female Video awards.
2020: 'My Gift' is released
2020 was a very busy year for Carrie Underwood. She released her first book 'Find Your Path', won ACM's Entertainer of the Year (tying with Thomas Rhett) and hosted her own radio show titled XO Radio. She also released her first Christmas album, 'My Gift' in September 2020.
The album, which contains both covers and original Christmas songs, not only reached the Number 1 spot on the Top Country Albums chart, but also debuted at Number 1 on the Top Christian Albums and Top Holiday Albums charts. It also reached Number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. In early December, Carrie starred in 'My Gift: A Christmas Special from Carrie Underwood' on HBO Max, performing all of the songs from 'My Gift', including 'Hallelujah' - a duet with John Legend.
2021: 'My Savior' is released
Never one to shy away from the stage for too long, 2021 was another busy year for Carrie Underwood. She released her first gospel album, titled 'My Savior', in March 2021, which topped the Top Country Albums chart, UK Country Albums chart and US Christian Albums chart.
In April 2021, it was announced that Carrie Underwood and fellow country star Luke Bryan had partnered with the new Resorts World Las Vegas hotel for a residency that summer.
2022: 'Denim & Rhinestones' is released and award nominations
2022 was another phenomenal year for the songstress. After releasing her single 'Ghost Story' in March, she later released her epic ninth album 'Denim & Rhinestones' on 10th June 2022, taking the epic album on tour throughout the US from October of that year. The album hit the Number 1 spot on the UK Country Albums, as well as Number 8 on the UK Albums Downloads Chart and Number 10 spot on the US Billboard 200.
Carrie also showed off her love for rock music, being joined on stage by Guns N' Roses at Stagecoach Country Music Festival in April 2022. Returning the favour, she then made a surprise appearance onstage during the band's show in London in July - gifting fans with a duet of huge hits 'Sweet Child O' Mine' and 'Paradise City'.
2022 also saw Carrie nominated for numerous awards - including three nominations for the Country Music Association Awards. She also won the ACM award for Single of the Year, for her collaboration with Jason Aldean on 'If I Didn't Love You'.
2023: Deluxe album and iconic performances
Fresh from picking up the People's Choice Awards for The Country Artist in December 2022, it was clear Carrie had no plans of slowing down! In March 2023, she released her single 'Out of That Truck', which featured on her 'Denim & Rhinestones Deluxe Edition'. The deluxe edition of the album was later released on 22nd September 2023, featuring five brand new tracks as well as a new live recording of 'She Don't Know'.
2023 also marked the 11th consecutive time Carrie performed the Sunday Night Football opening show. Marking the momentous performance, the singer provided a 'concert with a new twist' - with her show being interspersed with augmented reality highlights displayed across a halo scoreboard. The show took place at The Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, home of her ongoing residency.
Teaming up with Guns N' Roses once more, Carrie opened for the band at multiple dates on their North American tour. Delighting fans, the country songstress performed Motörhead's legendary track 'Ace of Spades'.
Carrie also announced the news that her Las Vegas residency - titled Reflection - would be continuing into 2024, with dates taking place between 6th March - 24th August. Just months after the announcement, the singer then revealed that six more dates had been added for October 2024. And, once again, the iconic singer was once again nominated for Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards, however sadly lost out to Lainey Wilson.
2024: Carrie's announced as new American Idol judge
In August it was announced Carrie would be replacing Katy Perry as a judge on American Idol — the same show she rose to fame on. She'll join Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan in the Spring of 2025, 20 years after winning the show.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Carrie opened up about her 'homecoming': "It feels like home — and I feel like being on both sides of the coin, I'll be able to hopefully offer some insight and help."
Read more:
13 of the biggest moments from Kelsea Ballerini's career so far
Noah Kahan's songs: The meanings behind his lyrics
Top Country albums turning 50 in 2024