After an exciting fourth season of the television programme “American Idol,” the results of the vote of the audience brought a genuine phenomenon into the popular musical scene.
Carrie Underwood was the indisputable American Idol winner of 2005; her inspiring and crystalline voice, combined with a genuine, reserved and candid personality made her a favourite of the audiences in America and around the world.
Everyone witnessed the transformation from a country girl into one of the biggest players in the world of music. A phenomenon that started with the competition and continued for years afterwards.
Born in 1983, Carrie Marie grew up in a farming family, helping with every day chores like many of her neighbours in Checotah, an Oklahoma town home to 2000 people, where the tallest building has just two floors.
In her early years she sang at her local Baptist Church and at some events in Checotah. Her talent was first spotted at age 14 when Capitol Records was preparing a contract that never came to fruition.
At school, besides her studies, she played basketball and was part of the cheerleading team. By the time she finished high school, her future as a singer didn’t seem to be anything more than a dream; therefore she followed a real-life career at university.
Carrie attended North-Eastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication in 2006. As a student she was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004.
While at university she sang in the show “Downtown Country” and in the summer of 2004 she auditioned for American Idol in St. Louis, Missouri.
From her first appearance in front of the judges, to the last of her performances, her humble and genuine attitude won the hearts of the audience.
As a winner of the competition she received a one million dollar recording contract, the use of a private jet for a year and a Ford Mustang convertible; not bad for someone who had never been on a plane before.
Her charm and talent soon launched her into stardom with the release of a single shortly after the competition. She later made various albums in a meteoric singing career that doesn’t seem to slow down.
Her debut album, “Some Hearts,” was certified seven times platinum in 2006 and was the fastest selling debut country album in history. She also made it as Best-Selling Solo Female debut album in country music history.
Carrie’s second album “Carnival Ride” released in 2007 was certified 3 times platinum after selling more than 3 million copies. Similarly, her third album “Play On,” published in 2009, was certified 2 times platinum with 3 consecutive number one songs.
As of May 16, 2011, Carrie became the "American Idol" US Top Earner, selling so far 12.3 million album copies and 18.5 million digital tracks, along with amassing $66 million in tour revenues, since 2005.
Her talent seems to be endless as shown in one of her latest performances in April 2011, when she collaborated with country guitar virtuoso Vince Gill in the song “How Great Thou Art.”
Carrie has been blessed with the ability to drive her listeners through an escalating emotional journey capturing their hearts with her perfectly pitched voice. Her audience is enchanted with her presence, transfixed by her performance, regularly ending in standing ovations.
The young artist has turned into a fashion icon with her glamorous presence and impeccable style.
Proud to be a southern beauty, Carrie is always in the eye of top magazines that never miss her frequent appearances on the red carpet.
Carrie Underwood a Fashion Icon
Carrie’s early start as a singer
Carrie age 14 sings:
- “You walked all over me” at the Arkansas Oklahoma State Fair Youth Talent Contest, Sept. 21, 1997.
- “Emotional girl” at Fort Smith Festival, 1997.
In the spring of 2009, after a decade of absence from the stage, Michael Jackson was crafting and perfecting and entirely new concert experience for a world tour that never happened.
Columbia Pictures and Director of the film and the show Kenny Ortega put together a documentary that shows a glimpse into the exhausting preparations of a perfectionist’s work of art. Expertly edited to a sublime musical score, the film is the closest that the world will see of what was going to be a concert of a lifetime.
Some scenes show the effort that artists go through in synchronizing ideas, making compromises and many times having to trust the judgement of others. Co-Director Ortega was also influential in shaping the performance and later the movie. In many occasions he is seen as the modulator, an important part in the organisation of such a demanding event.
