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Singer Carrie Underwood’s story is what many call the “American dream.” Raised in the country, she comes from humble beginnings with a childhood spent in middle America’s wide open spaces dreaming of becoming a music superstar. Now 39 years old, Carrie Underwood is truly an American idol — with Grammys to boot.

Carrie Underwood’s early life and rise to fame on ‘American Idol’

carrie underwood grammys
Carrie Underwood holds the Grammy award for the Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Last Name”, in the photo room of the 51st annual Grammy awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 8, 2009. | Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma on March 10, 1983, Underwood’s depiction of her childhood sounds much like a country song. “I had a very happy childhood full of the wonderful, simple things that children love to do,” Underwood told Us Weekly in 2019. “I enjoyed things like playing on dirt roads, climbing trees, catching little woodland creatures and, of course, singing.”

After high school, Underwood attended Oklahoma’s Northeastern State University for a degree in communications. It was during her senior year that she tried out for American Idol and her life changed forever. Underwood became the American Idol season 4 champion in 2005 at 22 years old. That same year, Underwood released her first single, “Inside Your Heaven” and became the first country artist ever to have a debut go to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Likewise, her debut album, Some Hearts, was 2006’s best-selling album throughout all music genres.

Carrie Underwood has earned multiple Grammys

“Inside Your Heaven” wound up being only one of four No. 1 singles from Underwood’s Some Hearts album, however. Among the album’s other hits, Underwood’s song, “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” earned the singer one of her first Grammys in 2007 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Underwood also took home the Grammy for Best New Artist that year.

Now seventeen years into her career, Underwood has earned a total of eight Grammys and amassed 16 nominations. She won her most recent Grammy in 2022 for her album My Savior which won Best Roots Gospel Album. She has also earned nine Country Music Association (CMA) awards, nine People’s Choice Awards, and has broken five Guinness World Records. Underwood was also the youngest inductee into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008. 

In addition to her non-stop career, Underwood also does extensive humanitarian work. In 2009, Underwood started the Checotah Animal, Home, and School (CATS) foundation to support her hometown in Oklahoma. She is estimated to contribute to over 25 different charities including Red Cross, PETA, Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society, the Salvation Army, and United Way (via Look to the Stars).

Carrie Underwood’s newest album is ‘Denim and Rhinestones’

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Underwood’s most recent album, Denim and Rhinestones, continues the singer’s incredible career. The album debuted in June 2022. It quickly became Underwood’s tenth consecutive album to debut in the Top 10 of the Billboard Top 200. The album is accompanied by Underwood’s Denim and Rhinestones tour that includes over 40 tour dates throughout the country from fall 2022 through spring 2023. 

Underwood will return from the tour to resume her Las Vegas Residency in 2023 where more fans can see the American Country Music Awards’ three-time Entertainer of the Year. 

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