Born on March 10, 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Carrie Underwood was brought up in Checotah, Oklahoma. She is the youngest of three children. When Carrie was three years old, she started singing at the Free Will Baptist Church and later on for events like Old Settler's Day and Lion's Club. In 1996, 13 year-old Carrie was in the process of getting a contract with Capitol Records, but when the recording company's management changed, the plans fell through. Five years later, Carrie finished her studies at Checotah High School as a salutatorian. She then went on to attend Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. She majored in Mass Communication with a concentration in journalism and graduated magna cum laude in 2006.

Carrie went to St. Louis in order to audition for season 4 of American Idol. She greatly impressed the judges, and when the clip of her audition aired for the first time in television, many foresaw Carrie as the winner of American Idol. Even British judge Simon Cowell, notorious for his brutally honest remarks and criticisms, expressed his belief in Carrie and in her enormous potential to win the competition. During the Finals, Carrie obtained a large fan base, affectionately called "Carrie's Care Bears," with her spectacular renditions of "Independence Day," "Alone," "When God Fearin' Women Get The Blues," "Bless the Broken Road," "Man, I Feel Like a Woman" and "Inside Your Heaven." During the last week of the Finals, Carrie went head-to-head with country rock finalist Bo Bice, and when the results of the votes came in, Carrie came out the victor, becoming the fourth winner of American Idol.

Since winning season 4 of American Idol, Carrie has gone on to become a huge success in the music industry, particularly in the Country genre. In 2005, she came out with her first album, entitled Some Hearts, and in its first week reached #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Carrie's debut single, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was #1 for 6 weeks straight at the Billboard Country Chart, while her second single, "Don't Forget to Remember Me," reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Chart and #49 on the Billboard Hot 100. The two singles win the Gospel Music Association award for best country single of the year. In 2006, Carrie was nominated and given Country Music Association award for Best Female Vocalist of the Year and in 2007, she received two Grammy awards, one for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Her debut single, "Jesus, Take the Wheel," was hailed as the Best Country Song.

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