Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood was born on 10 March 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The girl were growing up at a farm. Their father worked at a paper factory. Their mom is a teacher. When she was young, Carrie often performed at talent shows and sang in a local church choir. Later, she got a chance to perform at different festivities in her hometown.

One of the locals, who noticed Carrie’s talent, arranged her trip to Nashville to audition for Capitol Records. At that time, Underwood was just 14 years old. In 1996, the label prepared a contract for the singer. However, due to the change in management, it was cancelled.

In high school, Carrie played basketball and softball. She graduated in 2001 and decided not to pursue a singing career. At that moment, the teenager believed that she needed to get ready for the “real life”, which didn’t have anything to do with singing.

Underwood enrolled in the State University of Oklahoma. In 2006, she graduated with honors and became a bachelor in mass communication. The young woman wanted to be a reporter. However, in the beginning, she did some gigs in a pizzeria, vet clinic, and zoo. While studying, Carrie performed in different music festivals and even entered a beauty contest. In 2004, she came in second on “Miss NSU”.

In 2005, Underwood decided to try her luck on the famous talent show American Idol and won the first prize. The singing career began the second the winner was announced. The debut single "Inside Your Heaven" immediately topped Billboard Hot 100.

Carrie’s debut album, Some Hearts, appeared the same year. Singles "Before He Cheats" and "Jesus, Take the Wheel" became huge hits and brought the album impressive financial success. According to the sales tracking system, Nielsen SoundScan, the LP was the most sold album for the previous 16 years. It brought the singer three Grammy Awards. The album earned eight platinum certifications from RIAA. Many fans tried to book Carrie Underwood for private events, but she was extremely busy with her career.

The second LP, Carnival Ride, came out in 2007. It brought the singer two more Grammy Awards. The third album, Play On, came out two years later. It topped Billboard 200 and earned three platinum certifications from RIAA. The next LP, Blown Away (2009) achieved similar popularity. It sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

In 2014, Carrie released her first compilation album, Greatest Hits: Decade Number 1. It reached high positions on charts and brought the singer one more Grammy Award. The fifth LP, Storyteller, came out in 2015. It turned Underwood into the only country singer, whose five albums managed to top Billboard 200.

In 2018, Carrie presented one more LP, Cry Pretty. It topped Billboard 200 and earned a gold status from RIAA. Carrie Underwood is considered one of the most popular country singers of all times. Throughout her career, she sold over 65 million copies of her discs. In 2014, Time called her one of top-100 most influential people in the world. The Rolling Stone magazine called her "the female vocalist of her generation of any genre".

RIAA named Carrie the best country singer of all times. She is the only country singer of 2000s to debut on top of Billboard Hot 100. Forbes Magazine called Underwood the most successful American Idol winner. In 2010, Underwood married a hockey player Mike Fisher, who plays for Nashville Predators. The couple has two children.

In 2011, Ottawa radio station CISS-FM announced that they won't play Carrie's songs because Fisher left the Canadian team Ottawa Senators for Nashville Predators. Numerous fans sent furious messages to the station, which eventually said that the announcement was a bad joke. Underwood continues recording new hits and performing live.