Underwood, Carrie

▪ 2008

Carrie Marie Underwood 

born March 10, 1983, Muskogee, Okla.

 American country music artist Carrie Underwood continued to assert her dominance over industry sales charts in 2007. For the third year in a row, she ranked as the top-selling female country artist, and her sophomore album, Carnival Ride, landed on the charts at number one in November, with more than half a million copies sold in its first week of release. Underwood started the year with a pair of wins at the Grammy Awards, taking home trophies for best new artist and best female country vocal performance. In April she returned to American Idol, the television show that in 2005 launched her career, and performed a cover of the Pretenders' “I'll Stand by You.” Made available as a single on Apple's iTunes service, the song was downloaded more than 300,000 times and became the first digital-only release to crack the Billboard top 10. Underwood shone at the Country Music Association awards in November, repeating (she won in 2006) as female vocalist of the year and claiming single of the year honours for “Before He Cheats.” She finished 2007 with another round of Grammy nominations; her name appeared in the female country vocal performance and country collaboration categories, and the song “Before He Cheats” was featured in the song of the year and best country song categories.

      Underwood was reared in Oklahoma on her family's farm in Checotah. She was the youngest of three sisters and the first to demonstrate an interest in music. Underwood started singing at a young age, initially at church and later in school plays and talent shows. She became more serious about music while in high school but put her ambitions aside to devote time to her studies when she entered (2001) Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla. Underwood intended to pursue a career as a newscaster, but her interest in country music drew her back to the stage. In 2004 she interrupted her senior year to audition for the fourth season of the TV singing competition American Idol. By the time she reached the finals in May 2005, the field had been narrowed from a pool of thousands of other contestants to two—Underwood and long-haired rocker Bo Bice. Though Bice was favoured to win, viewers selected Underwood, and she received the top prize of a recording contract. The resulting album, Some Hearts (2005), was a massive commercial success, selling some six million copies and cementing Underwood's status as one of American Idol's most successful alumni. She supported the album with a 150-show tour in 2006, sharing bills with Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley in addition to headlining her own dates. Underwood made time to return to school, however, and she graduated (2006) magna cum laude with a B.A. in mass communications from Northeastern State.

Michael Ray

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▪ American singer

in full  Carrie Marie Underwood 

born March 10, 1983, Muskogee, Okla., U.S.

 

 American contemporary country musician who won the fourth season of the American television singing competition American Idol.

      Underwood grew up in Oklahoma on her family's farm in Checotah. She started singing at a young age, initially at church and later in school plays and talent shows. In 2002 she entered Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla., with intentions to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. Two years later she interrupted her studies to audition for American Idol. Underwood made the cut and ultimately won the competition after being chosen as the favourite by viewers. She received the top prize of a recording contract with 19 Recordings/Arista Records, and the resulting album, Some Hearts (2005), was a massive commercial success, selling some six million copies and cementing Underwood's status as one of American Idol's most successful alumni. She supported the album with a 150-show tour in 2006, sharing bills with Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley in addition to headlining her own dates. Underwood made time to return to school, however, and in 2006 she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in mass communications from Northeastern State University. That same year she won best new artist and best female country vocal performance at the Grammy Awards (Grammy Award).

      In April 2007 Underwood returned to American Idol, performing a cover of the Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You." Made available as a single on Apple's iTunes service, the song was downloaded more than 300,000 times and became the first digital-only release to crack the Billboard top 10. At the 2007 Country Music Association Awards, Underwood repeated her win (she had won in 2006) as female vocalist of the year and claimed single-of-the-year honours for "Before He Cheats." In 2007 she also released her second album, Carnival Ride, which sold more than half a million copies in its first week of release. The following year Underwood was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, joining the ranks of top country music artists such as Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and Martina McBride.

Michael Ray

 

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