Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10th, 1983) was a contestant on Season 4 of American Idol, and a judge, starting in Season 23.
Audition[]
Carrie auditioned in St. Louis. She sang "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt. All three judges voted "yes", sending her to the next round.
Hollywood Round[]
Carrie was shown in the first televised Group of Ten singing "Young Hearts Run Free" by Candi Staton. She was shown in the same group of 10 as Jaclyn Crum, Sarah Mather and Tamesha Foote. The judges told her that she did enough to advance. She was shown in the group round with Lakeisha Taylor and Vonzell Solomon she did enough to advance. On the final day of Hollywood Week, she was shown singing "Independence Day" by Martina McBride. She did enough to progress, along with Jamar Jefferson, Mario Vazquez, Matthew Kester, Constantine Maroulis, Judd Harris, David Brown, Anwar Robinson, Janay Castine and Vonzell Solomon. During the judges' final deliberation, it was revealed that she did enough to land a spot in the Top 24.
Top 24[]
Carrie sang "Could've Been" by Tiffany. She received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 20[]
Carrie sang "Piece of My Heart" by Erma Franklin. She received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 16[]
Carrie sang "Because You Love Me" by Jo Dee Messina. She received enough votes to make the Top 12.
Top 12[]
Carrie sang "When I Will Be Loved" by The Everly Brothers. She received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 11[]
Carrie sang "Alone" by Heart. She received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week. That performance was widely considered her best performance, and one of the greatest performances ever by a contestant on American Idol.
Top 10[]
Carrie sang "Independence Day" by Martina McBride. She received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 9[]
Carrie sang "Hello, Young Lovers" by Gertrude Lawrence from The King and I. She received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 8[]
Carrie sang "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar. She received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 7[]
Carrie sang "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris. She received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 6[]
Carrie sang "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues" by Martina McBride. She received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 5[]
Carrie sang "Trouble" by Elvis Presley and "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts. She received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 4[]
Carrie sang "Sin Wagon" by Dixie Chicks and "If You Don't Know Me by Now" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. She received enough votes to be considered "safe" for another week.
Top 3[]
Carrie sang "Crying" by Roy Orbison, "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" by Air Supply and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" by Shania Twain (as chosen by Randy Jackson). She received enough votes to advance to the Finale.
Season 4 Finale[]
Carrie sang "Inside Your Heaven", "Independence Day" by Martina McBride and "Angels Brought Me Here" by Guy Sebastian. She won the competition as a result, having never been in the Bottom 2 or Bottom 3.
After the Show[]
After her Top 11 performance, Simon Cowell made a prediction that not only would she win but that she would outsell any past Idol alum. This prediction came true. Carrie became a country music superstar and is arguably the most successful Idol alum, both commercially and in terms of awards and name recognition.
Her debut album Some Hearts became the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, the best-selling album for any Idol alum (certified 9x Platinum by the RIAA), the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history and the best-selling country album of the last 14 years. She also won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. She is the only Idol alum to have won the award, and the only finalist to have been nominated for that coveted award (four other Idol alums who were eliminated or withdrew before the live shows have been nominated, but none of them won).
Her second album Carnival Ride earned Underwood two more Grammys, her third album Play On was a commercial success, her fourth album Blown Away earned her another Grammy and was 2012's second best-selling release by a female artist. Her fifth album Storyteller made her the only country artist to have her first five albums reach either No. 1 or 2 on the Billboard 200. Underwood sold more than 65 million records worldwide, and has in total 7 Grammys, 10 Billboard Music Awards, 14 ACM Awards, 12 American Music Awards, 8 CMA Awards and a Guinness World Record.
Carrie replaced Katy Perry as a main judge for Season 23.
List of Performances [1][]
| American Idol season 4 performances and results | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Theme | Song | Original artist | Order | Result |
| Auditions | Contestant's choice | "I Can't Make You Love Me" | Bonnie Raitt | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | "Young Hearts Run Free" | Candi Staton | |||
| Top 75 | "Independence Day" | Martina McBride | |||
| Top 24 (12 women) | "Could've Been" | Tiffany | 5 | Safe | |
| Top 20 (10 women) | "Piece of My Heart" | Erma Franklin | 9 | ||
| Top 16 (8 women) | "Because You Love Me" | Jo Dee Messina | 3 | ||
| Top 12 | Song of the 1960s | "When Will I Be Loved" | The Everly Brothers | 11 | |
| Top 11 | Billboard number ones | "Alone" | i-TEN | 2 | |
| Top 10 | 1990s | "Independence Day" | Martina McBride | 8 | |
| Top 9 | Classic Broadway | "Hello, Young Lovers" | The King and I cast | 3 | |
| Top 8 | Year they were born | "Love Is a Battlefield" | Pat Benatar | 7 | |
| Top 7 | 1970s dance music | "MacArthur Park" | Richard Harris | 2 | |
| Top 6 | 21st Century | "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues" | Martina McBride | 1 | |
| Top 5 | Leiber & Stoller | "Trouble" | Elvis Presley | 5 | |
| Current Billboard chart | "Bless the Broken Road" | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | 10 | ||
| Top 4 | Country | "Sin Wagon" | Dixie Chicks | 1 | |
| Gamble & Huff | "If You Don't Know Me by Now" | Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes | 5 | ||
| Top 3 | Clive Davis' choice | "Crying" | Roy Orbison | 3 | |
| Contestant's choice | "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" | Air Supply | 6 | ||
| Judge's choice (Randy Jackson) | "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" | Shania Twain | 9 | ||
| Final 2 | Idol single | "Inside Your Heaven" | Carrie Underwood/Bo Bice | 2 | Winner |
| Contestant's choice | "Independence Day" | Martina McBride | 4 | ||
| Producer's choice | "Angels Brought Me Here" | Guy Sebastian | 6 | ||
Gallery[]
| Season 4 |
| Finalists |
| ·Carrie Underwood ·Bo Bice ·Vonzell Solomon ·Anthony Fedorov ·Scott Savol ·Constantine Maroulis ·Anwar Robinson ·Nadia Turner ·Nikko Smith ·Jessica Sierra ·Mikalah Gordon ·Lindsey Cardinale – ·Mario Vazquez |
| Semifinalists |
| ·Amanda Avila ·Janay Castine ·Travis Tucker – ·David Brown ·Aloha Mischeaux ·Joseph Murena ·Celena Rae – ·Judd Harris ·Melinda Lira ·Sarah Mather ·Jared Yates |