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With a powerhouse voice, backed by Jessica’s hair, Tina’s legs and Reese’s adorable charisma, it was no wonder this Okie from Muskogee not only won the coveted “idol” title but also is American Idol’s number one producer of mainstream music. Simon Cowell, American Idol creator and judge, foresaw that Carrie Underwood would not only smoke her competition but would also outsell the previous American Idol winners and finalists. The music guru was right, as he usually is, but this pop princess turned country diva is having more fun than ever, accumulating Grammys, Country Music Awards, chart-topping hits and turning everything she touches into gold…uh platinum…multi multi multi platinum. 

            Underwood, 24, has only enjoyed fame since 2005 when she auditioned for the hit TV show, American Idol. With only a few talent shows and a failed recording deal under her belt, Underwood went on to beat out thousands of contestants and triumph over Bo Bice, the long-haired rocker that was considered the favorite going into the final episodes. “All of us gave it all we've got, overcame a whole lot just being on the show and learned a lot about ourselves. We're just normal people trying to do what we love and follow our dreams,” explained Carrie about American Idol.        

Multiple Personalities

Carrie released her first album, Some Hearts on November 15, 2006. The album skyrocketed; it was certified septuple Platinum by the RIAA, and is the fastest-selling debut country album in the history of the SoundScan era. Her first release off Some Hearts, “Jesus Take the Wheel,” was dropped in the months prior to Christmas. This song, along with the accompanying smash singles, “Before he Cheats,” and “Wasted,” proved that Carrie didn’t stick with one tempo, melody or even subject matter in her song selection. That mix of flavor boosted Carrie to superstar status. On December 7, 2006, Underwood's album Some Hearts received four Grammy nominations. Underwood received two Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance, while "Jesus, Take the Wheel" won Best Country Song and received a nomination for Song of the Year.

Livin’ La Vida Loca

On October 23, 2007, Carnival Ride, Underwood’s newest album, was released with overwhelming response. By December of the same year, it was certified double platinum and debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200 Chart selling 527,000 copies, giving Underwood her first #1 album. “You step onto this ride called life, and it’s a crazy thing you don’t know anything about, but you get on it anyway. You do what you can to lean different directions to try and get it to go where you want it to go, but you can’t stop it – it just keeps moving. That’s why Carnival Ride works as my album title, because it describes the wonderful craziness that I’ve been through over the past couple years,” Underwood explained about the title.

On Carnival Ride, Underwood took more care to participate in the songwriting process. She even went so far as to set up a writers retreat with Hillary Lindsey, Craig Wiseman, Rivers Rutherford, Tom Wehrle and Gordie Sampson at Nashville's illustrious Ryman Auditorium. "If you can catch somebody in the beginning stages of a song and say, 'I don't think I'd sing it that way,' or 'this isn't a subject matter I really want to talk about,' nobody wastes time," she says.

Sunday, February 10, 2008 was another big night for Carrie, as she racked up another gigantic win with Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 50^th annual Grammy Awards and performed “Before He Cheats” for the nation. She went on to thank American Idol and her fans. “Carrie remains firmly in touch with the shy Oklahoma college student she was before becoming a star. Through all of it, she retains a genuine likeability that, coupled with her enormous talent, goes a long way toward explaining the phenomenal nature of her success,” explains Underwood insiders.

She’s Got the Look

Currently, Miss Underwood has been named Victoria’s Secret’s Sexiest Female Musician (accompanied by Mr. Timberlake as Sexiest Male Musician), Country Weekly’s Sexiest Country Artist and also placed on People’s 2007 list of Most Beautiful People.

Join Carrie Underwood with special guest, Josh Turner (“Long Black Train,” “Your Man and “Would you go with Me”) at Roberts Stadium on Wednesday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. Seats are $46.75 and $36.75. All tickets are subject to Ticketmaster Fees, Handling Charges and Facility Fees. Tickets can be purchased at The Roberts Stadium Box Office, The Centre Box Office, All Ticketmaster outlets including fye in Eastland Mall and Evansville Schnuck's locations. Tickets can be charged by phone by calling (812) 423-7222 in Indiana and (270) 926-6661 in Kentucky or on the Internet at Ticketmaster.com.