Biography

With more than 15 million albums sold worldwide, 18 #1 singles, with nine as co-writes, six Grammys, and countless other accolades---all achieved with four albums in eight years---some artists might feel as though they’d earned the right to rest on their laurels, but not Carrie Underwood.

On December 5, 2013 Carrie took on the starring role of Maria in a LIVE three-hour television event, The Sound of Music Live!  A total of 44 million viewers watched some or all of the ground-breaking production after a second broadcast and including time-shifted viewing. The Sound of Music Live!  dominated the night, bringing in a #1 primetime win for NBC across all half hours of the broadcast, earning NBC its best non-sports Thursday rating in total viewers since the Frasier season finale in 2004.

Musical and lyrical diversity is the foundation of Carrie’s artistry. After all, this is a young woman who has performed with Steven Tyler on a top-rated edition of CMT’s “Crossroads,” scored a No. 1 country hit with good friend Brad Paisley on “Remind Me,” and sang with the iconic Tony Bennett on the 2012 Grammy telecast, delivering the classic “It Had to be You,” their collaboration on Bennett’s Duets II album.

The Oklahoma native is a fan of all types of music, yet she’s purposefully planted herself in the country format, even while her eclectic tastes have influenced her creative output. She’s been careful to not get pigeonholed and prides herself on not being predictable.

She’s won a vast array of awards including three female vocalist awards from both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). In 2010, when Carrie garnered her second win as ACM Entertainer of the Year, she became the first female artist to win the award twice, and only the 7th female to take the award in the 40-year history of the ACM category, among Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, and the Dixie Chicks. Carrie also received the ACM Triple Crown Award, thanks to her past wins for the categories of Entertainer of the Year, Top Female Vocalist and Top New Female Vocalist, which has been won by only one other female artist – Barbara Mandrell in 2004. In addition to her 11 ACM Awards and 5 CMA Awards, Carrie has won 7 American Music Awards, 6 People’s Choice Awards, 9 CMT Music Awards, 12 American Country Awards, and 9 BMI Songwriter Awards. Carrie also received a Golden Globe nomination in 2010 for “Best Original Song” for “There’s A Place For Us” from Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader which she both recorded and co-wrote.

Carrie’s 2005 debut Some Hearts topped Billboard’s Country Albums chart for 27 weeks, has sold over 7 million copies, and was voted #1 Country Album of the Decade by Billboard. Both her 2007 sophomore album, Carnival Ride and 2009’s Play On debuted at No. 1. Her current album, Blown Away, debuted atop the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, where it held the No. 1 spot for two consecutive weeks.  Over the course of four albums, she’s saturated country radio with such hits as “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” “Before He Cheats,” “So Small,” “Last Name,” “Just A Dream,” “Cowboy Casanova,” “Temporary Home,” “All-American Girl,” “Undo It,” “Mama’s Song,” “Good Girl,” and “Blown Away.”

Carrie’s highly acclaimed concert tours have further helped to establish her into the elite status of the country music community, or in any genre of music, with her stellar performances. In 2008, after wrapping her “Carnival Ride Tour” she became the top selling country female touring artist of the year selling out many of the 137 shows before 1.2 million fans. In that year, Carrie also became the most-heard artist at country radio and was named the #1 Hot Country Songs Artist by Billboard and #1 Top Country Artist by Radio & Records.  In 2010, her next headline arena tour, the “Play On Tour,” played 108 shows with one million fans attending which resulted in Carrie being named again as the top-ranked female country touring artist of the year. Pollstar’s top female country touring artist of 2012, Carrie recently wrapped her critically-acclaimed “Blown Away Tour,” which launched in spring of 2012 for a total of 112 dates in 110 cities, 6 countries, and 3 continents, playing for more than 1 million fans and selling out every concert of 2013.

Carrie is a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry and expanded her resume making her acting debut in the 2011 film “Soul Surfer.” She has a long-running deal with   vitaminwater® and has partnered with Nicole by OPI who launched a line of new nail lacquers in 2014 inspired by Carrie. She was also recently named a global brand ambassador for Almay and their full range of products. One of Country Music’s most respected young ambassadors, Carrie once again served as co-host of the CMA Awards last November with Brad Paisley making it their sixth year as hosts. Last fall, Carrie became the voice of primetime television’s No. 1 program, Sunday Night Football on NBC, singing the opening theme song, “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night.”

In a few short years, Carrie has seen the power music has to change lives---to incite dialog, to instill hope, and to simply entertain. She’s aware of the platform she’s been given. She respects it and appreciates every moment saying, “I’m very happy in my life and I count my blessings every day.”