Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood, the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, has gone on to establish herself as one of the most popular country artists around. Born in 1983, Underwood was raised on her parent's farm in Oklahoma. During her childhood, she often sang at her Baptist church and at events in her hometown. When she was thirteen years old, a manager tried to get her signed to Capitol Records, but the deal fell through due to management changes at the label. She graduated from her high school in 2001 as salutatorian of her class.
In 2005, Underwood became the second American Idol winner to never be voted into the bottom three. She attracted a large fan base known as "Carrie's Care Bears" during her run on the show. She received significant praise from Simon for her amazing performance of the Heart song "Alone." Since her win, she has returned to the show four times to perform.
Her debut album, Some Hearts was released in November of 2005. The astounding sales during the first week pushed the album to #1 on the list of Billboard Top Country Albums. It was the biggest debut of a country artist in SoundScan history. The album has since been certified six times platinum, making it the fastest-selling debut album by a country singer. The single "Jesus Take The Wheel" was #1 for six consecutive wins and won Country Single of the Year from the Gospel Music Association. Several more hit singles were released off of the album.
Underwood was nominated and won a number of awards for the album, including three Grammy awards for "Best New Artist", "Best Female Country Vocal Performance", and "Best Country Song" (for "Jesus Takes the Wheel".) In 2007, she also became the eleventh country artist to perform on Saturday Night Live since the show began.
In 2007, Underwood released her second album, Carnival Ride. The album has already been certified double platinum. A joint tour with singer Keith Urban is planned for early 2008.
In 2009, Underwood continued her commercial success with the release of Play On in 2009. The album sold 318,000 in its first week, placing it at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 and giving it the second-highest first-week sales totals of any album by a female artist in 2009. The album also spawned three singles which reached the top position in the Billboard Country chart, with the lead single "Cowboy Casanova" reaching platinum certification.
Underwood’s personal life was the subject of tabloid fodder, as she was part of high-profile relationships to NFL star Tony Romo and Gossip Girl actor Chace Crawford. However, her dating days ended on July 10, 2010 when she married hockey player Mike Fisher.
Carrie Underwood Official Website
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