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Carrie Underwood

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Carrie Underwood

Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is a Grammy Award winning American pop country music singer who won the fourth season of American Idol. She has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist. Her debut album, Some Hearts, was certified quintuple platinum, and is the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history.[1] It is also the top selling debut album of any Idol winner or contestant. Underwood is the first American Idol winner to sweep up honors at all three major music awards in the same awards show season (06-07), including one American Music Award, five Billboard Music Awards, and two Grammy Awards (including Best New Artist).

Biography

Early years

Underwood was born at Muskogee Regional Medical Center, and grew up on her parents' farm in rural Checotah, Oklahoma. She is the third and youngest daughter of Larry (retired singer) and Carole Underwood (retired schoolteacher of Checotah Public Schools). She has two older sisters, Shanna Underwood Means and Stephanie Underwood Shelton, born in 1973 and 1970 respectively, both elementary school teachers in Oklahoma. Underwood had performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show in her childhood. She's a member of Free Will Baptist Church.[2] As a young child, she sang in church, and for Old Settler's Day and Lion's Club, local events in Checotah. At the age of 13 in 1996, her manager at the time tried to get her a recording contract at Capitol Records. However, due to management changes at Capitol, it never materialized. she traveled to washington state where she was first discovered by a seattle talent agent who told her about idol and brought her to success.

Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as salutatorian. After high school, she moved on to Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in mass communication and an emphasis in journalism.[3] Underwood is a member of the Alpha Iota chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority,[4] and a tribal member of Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma.[5] For two years during the summer, she performed in Northeastern's Downtown Country Show in Tahlequah. She also competed in numerous beauty pageants at the university and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004.[6]

She currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee.[7]

American Idol

File:Underwood Carrie.jpg
Underwood on American Idol, 4th season finale, May 25, 2005.
Main article: American Idol (Season 4)

In the summer of 2004, Underwood auditioned for American Idol in St. Louis. When her initial audition aired in January 2005, many people predicted she would win the competition. On March 22, 2005, Underwood sang a powerful rendition of the number one 80's rock hit Alone by Heart and the notoriously hard-to-please judge Simon Cowell predicted that Underwood would win the competition and outsell all previous Idol winners. Underwood was the second winner never to have been voted in the bottom three. While on the show, Underwood gained a loyal fan base known as "Carrie's Care Bears" - in fact, she is in the same sorority (Sigma Sigma Sigma) as Linda Denham, the creator of the original Care Bears franchise.

On May 25, 2005, Underwood was crowned the winner of American Idol (Season 4) beating out Bo Bice.[8]

Underwood appeared on American Idol (season 6). She sang her current hit, "Wasted" on March 8th. This was her fourth time performing on the show since winning the competition in 2005.[9] Also Carrie performed at the Idol Gives Back Concert along with Kelly Clarkson, Rascal Flatts, and others.

American Idol Performances

2005-present: Some Hearts

Underwood's debut album, entitled Some Hearts, hit store shelves on November 15, 2005, entering the Billboard 200 chart with 315,000 copies sold. The large first week sales of Some Hearts made it #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and the biggest debut of any country artist since the advent of the SoundScan system in 1991. Some Hearts has since been certified Quintuple (five times) Platinum by the RIAA, and is the fastest-selling debut country album in the history of the SoundScan era.[10] The album's second single, "Jesus, Take The Wheel" was released to radio on October 18, 2005. It received so much airplay that it debuted at #39 on the Billboard Country Chart in its first week, setting a record. It eventually reached #1 for 6 consecutive weeks, and was only two weeks shy of Connie Smith's record of an 8-week run back in 1964-1965 with her #1 hit "Once a Day".

"Some Hearts" was also released to Pop, Adult Contemporary and Hot Adult Contemporary stations in October 2005 and peaked in the top 30 on the Pop and Hot AC formats, while it made the top 15 on the AC Charts.

File:Dontforget8kq.png
"Don't Forget to Remember Me" Music Video

"Don't Forget To Remember Me," the second of Underwood's singles to be released to country radio, peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Chart, as well as #49 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it did reach #1 for a week on the Radio & Records Country Singles Chart.

Both "Jesus, Take The Wheel" and "Don't Forget To Remember Me" have earned number one spots in Christian radio countdowns. "Jesus, Take the Wheel" won the Gospel Music Association's award for best country single of the year.

On May 23, 2006, Underwood sang "Jesus, Take the Wheel" receiving a standing ovation at the ACM Awards and ended up winning Best New Female Vocalist and Single of the year for the song. Also she was nominated for Song of the Year and Female Vocalist of the year.

Underwood performed her #1 hit, "Before He Cheats", at the 40th Annual Country Music Association Awards on November 6, 2006, and later won both the Horizon Award (similar to the "rookie of the year" award in sports) for new country artists and Female Vocalist. Underwood's double win is the first time since 1995 that an artist won both the female vocalist and Horizon award.

On November 21, 2006 Underwood went into the American Music Awards with 2 nominations, that night she left the building winning the Breakthrough Artist of the Year award beating out the Pussycat Dolls and Chamillionare. She was also nominated for Best Female Country Artist, but did not win in that category.

Underwood attended the "2006 Billboard Music Awards" On December 4, 2006, and took home 5 awards. She won the coveted Album of the Year, Top 200 Female Artist of the Year, Female Country Artist, New Country Artist, and Country Album of the Year.

Underwood continues her successful trend of top 2 Country singles with the release of "Wasted". The song has peaked at number 1 on the Hot Country Songs Chart, and number 37 on the Hot 100.[citation needed] The video that goes along with "Wasted" debuted at number 2 on the GACTV Top 20 Countdown, it is likely that if "Before He Cheats" did not split votes, the video would have debuted at number one.

On March 3, 2007, Underwood was nominated for 5 Academy of Country Music awards. She is nominated for Best Female Vocalist, Song of the Year "Before He Cheats", Video of the Year "Before He Cheats", Album of the Year "Some Hearts", and Single Record of the Year "Before He Cheats". Kellie Pickler, also from American Idol has been nominated for Best New Female Vocalist, the award which Underwood won last year. She was also on Blender.com's list of the hottest women in music.

On April 11, 2007, Underwood's newest single, "Wasted" reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.

On April 16, 2007, Underwood attended the CMT Awards in Nashville, TN, where she was nominated for three awards, including Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year, and Video Director of the Year, all for "Before He Cheats." She ended up winning all three categories and sang her most successful single to date "Before He Cheats."

In early April, Underwood took a break from working on her second album to take a trip to South Africa for American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" charity special. A music video package from her trip will air on the show April 25. Underwood recorded an acoustic version of The Pretenders' classic "I'll Stand By You," which will serve as the music bed for this American Idol video package.

2007 Grammy Awards

On December 7, 2006, Underwood's album "Some Hearts" received 4 Grammy nominations. Underwood received two Grammy nominations for "Best New Artist", "Best Female Country Vocal Performance" for "Jesus, Take the Wheel," while "Jesus, Take the Wheel" received nominations for "Best Country Song" and "Song of the Year".

Underwood's nomination marked the first time that an American Idol winner or contestant had been nominated in the "Best New Artist" category. The award ceremony was held on February 11, 2007 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Underwood won awards for Best New Artist, and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She also sang alongside Grammy nominees Rascal Flatts.

Saturday Night Live

On March 24, 2007, Underwood was featured as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live with host Peyton Manning. Underwood performed her hit singles "Before He Cheats" and "Wasted". She became only the ninth country music star to perform on the show (preceded by Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, The Charlie Daniels Band, Dixie Chicks, Willie Nelson, and Keith Urban). She is the third American Idol contestant to appear on the show (preceded by Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson).

Personal interests

Underwood receiving a gift from the 25th Infantry Division (Task Force Lightning) after performing in Tikrit, Iraq in December of 2006.

At her American Idol audition, Underwood revealed to the judges that her favorite singer is contemporary country recording artist Martina McBride. Throughout her time on American Idol, home videos were shown in which she sang "Independence Day," one of Martina's best known songs. Underwood also released her version of "Independence Day" as the B-side to her first #1 single, "Inside Your Heaven."

In addition to being a singer, Underwood is also a skilled guitar player, and has accompanied herself on guitar during performances of certain songs like "Don't Forget To Remember Me" and "Inside Your Heaven" during some of her live concerts, as well as on the albums.

Another feature of Underwood's interests was expressed on Idol, her love for animals. Underwood is a vegetarian and stopped consuming beef at the age of 13 as she couldn't stand the thought of eating one of her own animals. She was voted "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" alongside Coldplay frontman Chris Martin in 2005 by animal-rights organization PETA.[11]

Underwood is a supporter of the Humane Society and has done several public service announcements for the organization.[12]

A native of eastern Oklahoma, she co-wrote a song dedicated to her hometown, "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore". In December 2005, Underwood was named Oklahoman of the Year by Oklahoma Today magazine.[13]

Underwood performed with the USO Christmas Tour in Iraq during the 2006 Holiday season, to spread holiday cheer to the troops overseas.[14] She follows a celebrity entertainment tradition started by Bob Hope that continues to this day. Several internet sites have photos and video clips of Underwood's performances in Iraq, including photos of Underwood in military garb.[15]

Victoria's Secret has named Carrie the Sexiest Female Musician, she takes top honors along with Justin Timberlake who was named Sexiest Male Musician.

Discography

Albums

Album Statistics Singles
File:CUSomeHearts.JPG Some Hearts
  • Released: November 15 2005
  • Peak Chart Positions:
    • #2 U.S., #1 U.S. Country
    • #16 CAN, #1 CAN Country
  • US Sales: 5,335,000
  • RIAA Certification: 5x Platinum (January 2007) [2]
  • CRIA Certification: Platinum (April 2006)
 Singles Released
  • Notes:
  1. Some Hearts has spent a total of 27 out of 75 weeks on the top ten of the U.S. Billboard 200, she holds the record for Idol winner's debut albums in the Billboard top 10. In fact, the album was found inside the top 10 on week 75. Some Hearts has also spent 75 out of 75 weeks in the top six of Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, in which 24 of those weeks were at number one.
  2. Some Hearts was the most sold album of the 2006 Billboard Chart Year (which ran from the issues dated December 3, 2005 through November 25, 2006), placing it on top of the year-end Billboard 200 chart, which is a first for any Idol winner.
  3. With 5.3 million sales, Underwood's debut album Some Hearts has become the best-selling debut album in the U.S. since Evanescence's 2003 debut Fallen, which was certified 6X Platinum by the RIAA. The album has also been named the fastest selling debut country album in U.S. SoundScan history.

Singles

Year Single U.S. Hot 100 U.S. Country U.S. AC U.S. Pop U.S. Digital CAN CAN Country RIAA Certification
2005 "Inside Your Heaven" 1 52 12 1 4 1 - Platinum
2005 "Jesus, Take The Wheel" 20 1 23 36 18 16 1 Platinum
2005 "Some Hearts" - - 12 36 - - - -
2006 "Don't Forget To Remember Me" 49 2 - 75 77 27 1 -
2006 "Before He Cheats" 11 1 10 17 10 18 1 Platinum
2007 "Wasted" 37 1 - 54 45 22 1 -
  • A"Inside Your Heaven" debuted at number one and spent one week in the top spot of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and surfaced on the country charts due to airplay despite not being sent to country radio. The song was also certified Gold twice -- once with physical sales, and once with digital sales.
  • B"Don't Forget To Remember Me" spent one week at number one on the Radio & Records chart, and peaked at number two on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.
  • C"Before He Cheats" charted for 20 weeks on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart before being confirmed as a single. The song is also currently active on the US Adult Contemporary Charts.
  • D"Wasted" is currently active on all charts.

Awards

Year Award Category
2005 Teen Choice Awards Choice Reality Star - Female (Won)
Billboard Music Awards Top-Selling Hot 100 Song Of The Year: "Inside Your Heaven" (Won)
Top-Selling Country Single: "Inside Your Heaven" (Won)
Country Single Sales Artist Of The Year (Won)
2006 Gospel Music Association Awards Country Recorded Song Of The Year: "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (Won)
CMT Music Awards Female Video Of The Year: "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (Won)
Breakthrough Video Of The Year: "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (Won)
Most Inspiring Video Of The Year: "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (Nominated)
Academy of Country Music Awards Top New Female Vocalist Of The Year (Won)
Single Record Of The Year: "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (Won)
Top Female Vocalist Of The Year (Nominated)
Song of the Year: "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (Nominated)
NARP organization of record retail merchants Breakthrough Country Artist (Won)
Music Row Critics Pick (Won)
Teen Choice Awards Best Female Artist (Nominated)
Breakout Female Artist (Nominated)
Country Music Association Awards Female Vocalist Of The Year (Won)
Horizon Award (Won)
Music Video Of The Year: "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (Nominated)
Single Of The Year: "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (Nominated)
12th Annual Inspirational Country Music Awards Mainstream Country Artist of the Year (Won)
Song Of The year: "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (Nominated)
Video Of The year: "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (Nominated)
American Music Awards Favorite New Breakthrough Artist (Won)
Favorite Country Female Artist (Nominated)
Billboard Music Awards Country Artist of the Year (Nominated)
Female Country Artist of the Year (Won)
Album Of The Year (Won)
Country Album Of The Year (Won)
Country New Artist Of The Year (Won)
Female Billboard 200 Album Artist of the Year (Won)
World Music Awards World's Best-Selling New Artist (Nominated: #2)
2007 People's Choice Awards Favorite Country Song: "Before He Cheats" (Won)
Favorite Female Singer (Won)
Grammy Awards Best New Artist (Won)
Best Female Country Vocal Performance: "Jesus, Take The Wheel" (Won)
Best Country Song: "Jesus, Take The Wheel" (Won)
Song of the Year: "Jesus, Take The Wheel" (Nominated)
2007 CMT Music Awards Video Of The Year: "Before He Cheats" (Won)
Female Video Of The Year: "Before He Cheats" (Won)
Academy of Country Music Awards Top Female Vocalist (Nominated)
Album of The Year: "Some Hearts" (Nominated)
Single Record of The Year: "Before He Cheats" (Nominated)
Song of The Year: "Before He Cheats" (Nominated)
Video of The Year: "Before He Cheats" (Nominated)

Notes

  1. ^ Chart success continues for Carrie Underwood, Country Standard Time News, 2006-02-16, Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
  2. ^ Schmitt, Brad. Carrie Underwood makes leap from 'American Idol' to country's 'it' girl June 4 2006. Accessed on July 8 2006.
  3. ^ Country singer Carrie Underwood graduates, AP via USAToday.com, 2006-05-07, Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
  4. ^ Shining Sigmas, Sigma Sigma Sigma website, Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
  5. ^ Creek Nation tribal member Carrie Underwood wins 2 Grammy Awards, Red Lake Net news, Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
  6. ^ "It's My Life" (HTML). PBS Kids. 2006. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) On Volunteering: "I was also a hospice volunteer and I got that through the sorority. You go and take care of people that are really sick. They don’t want to be in the hospital anymore. It’s just kind of about making them comfortable."
  7. ^ Bryson, Jodi. It's Fate That Would Have It. Girl's Life Magazine via [1], Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
  8. ^ Underwood the new 'American Idol', CNN.com, 2005-05-27, Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
  9. ^ "American Idol Calls McBride, Underwood, Pickler". CMT.com: News: News In Brief. Fri. February 23.2007 5:40 PM EST. Retrieved 2007-02-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Carrie Underwood's Album Is 5x Platinum" (HTML). Country Music Association. January 10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year=, |date=, and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |accessday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  11. ^ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Norfolk, Virginia. World's Sexiest Vegetarians, PETA website, retrieved on January 8, 2007.
  12. ^ Star Power: Hollywood's Response to Help Pets Hurt by Katrina, The Humane Society website, retrieved on January 8, 2007.
  13. ^ 'Idol 4' winner Carrie Underwood named Oklahoman of the Year, UPI via RealityTVworld.com, 2005-12-26, Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
  14. ^ Carrie Underwood visits troops in the Persian Gulf, USO.org, December 2006, Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
  15. ^ Country Music Star Carrie Underwood Performs at LSA Adder,GXonline.com, retrieved on January 8, 2007.

References

  • Tracey, Kathleen. Carrie Underwood: American Idol IV. September 2005. Blue Banner Biography series (Juvenile) ISBN 1-58415-425-X


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