And the winner of American Idol 2005 is . . . Carrie Underwood!
Carrie Marie Underwood was born to Stephen and Carole Underwood on March 10, 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. However, she grew up in Checotah, Oklahoma because her parents owned a farm there. Her father worked at a paper mill, while her mother worked as an elementary school teacher. Carrie has two sisters, Shanna and Stephanie, but she was the youngest of them all.
Carrie started singing at church when she was three years-old. Then, she started landing many lead roles in her schools' musicals. Although she entered many local talent shows, she never won. But people did notice her voice, and said that she had a "big voice" for "such a little girl". She continued singing at county fairs, school events, church, and car shows until she graduated from high school.
After giving up on signing, Carrie was accepted to Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and wanted to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. She also joined the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority.
On her last year of college, Carrie's friends persuaded her to audition for "American Idol". She realized that the closest audition place was St. Louis, Missouri, which was hours away. Luckily, her mother managed to drive all night until they reached the city at six in the morning. She had to wait eight hours until it was her turn to try-out. She sang Martina McBride's "Phones Are Ringing All Over Town", and was given a golden ticket to Hollywood.
After she was crowned "American Idol", Carrie signed to Arista Nashville Records. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" became the best-selling song in the nation, making her the first-ever country artist to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts, went multi-platinum. Her second album was also a success, selling 527,000 copies in its first week.
Carrie Underwood has won numerous awards. Here's a few:
Billboard Music Awards 2005: Top-Selling Country Single: "Inside Your Heaven"
Billboard Music Awards 2006: Country Artist of the Year
CMT Music Awards 2006: Female Video of the Year: "Jesus, Take the Wheel"
CMT Music Awards 2007: Female Video of the Year: "Before He Cheats"
American Music Awards 2006: Female Country Artist of the Year
American Music Awards 2006: Album of the Year: "Some Hearts"
American Music Awards 2007: Favorite Country Female Artist
Grammy Awards 2007: Best New Artist
Grammy Awards 2008: Best Country Song: "Before He Cheats"
Academy Country Music Awards 2007: Female Vocalist of the Year
At this rate, Carrie Underwood would still be entertaining us with another one of her amazing song. She has the talent, the intriguing voice, and the down-to-earth personality. Those traits made her a wonderful singer, as well as a great role model.
Author's Note: Sources:
http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/underwood__carrie/bio..jhtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Underwood
http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Underwood,_Carrie/Biography/
