She rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol in 2005.

A local admirer arranged for her to go to Nashville when she was 14 to audition for Capitol Records. The record label was impressed and began preparing a contract for Underwood but canceled it when company management changed. Underwood said of the event, "I honestly think it's a lot better that nothing came out of it now, because I wouldn't have been ready then. Everything has a way of working out."

"After high school," Carrie says, "I pretty much gave up on the dream of singing. I had reached a point in my life where I had to be practical and prepare for my future in the 'real world.'" While studying journalism at Northeastern State University, she waited tables at a pizzeria, worked at a zoo, and also at a veterinary clinic.

"I dug my key into the side
Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive
Carved my name into his leather seats
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights
I slashed a hole in all four tires
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats"

Her rendition of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" was great, but things got a little weird when the judges asked her to cluck like a chicken.

Carrie admitted to Extra that she and Crawford ended their highly-publicized relationship through a text message. "It just didn't work," she said. "We both knew it didn't work. No hard feelings at all whatsoever."

"Inside Your Heaven", made her the only country artist to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also won Billboard Music Awards for "Top-Selling Country Single of the Year" and "Top-Selling Hot 100 Song of the Year".

"You can't turn off the flood when the dam breaks
When all your mascara is going to waste
When things get ugly, you just gotta face
That you can't cry pretty"

Her winnings included a recording contract worth at least a million dollars, use of a private jet for a year, and a Ford Mustang convertible.

Bolstered by the huge crossover success of the singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", Some Hearts (2005) became the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history. It also won Underwood three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist.