Carrie on making history

Music with Eddie Rowley

GLOBAL superstar Carrie Underwood last week became the only woman in history to land four country albums at the top of the all-genre American Billboard charts.

It’s been an exciting time for the Oklahoma woman, who first shot to fame when she won American Idol in 2005 and has gone on to notch up 26 number one singles.

In August, Carrie, who has a three-year-old son with her former ice hockey star husband Mike Fisher, announced that she is pregnant with her second child, saying in an Instagram video: “Mike and Isaiah (her son) and I are absolutely over the moon and excited to be adding another little fish to our pond.”

On September 20, Carrie received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame where fellow country icon Brad Paisley described her as “this generation’s Dolly Parton”.

Paisley added: “I don’t think we could ask for a better ambassador. I don’t think there’s anything she can’t do.”

At the ceremony, Simon Cowell recalled Underwood’s American Idol audition: “This shy lady walks in and sings, ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’, and the show turned into full colour. That was the effect Carrie had on me and the producers, and we thought we may have found a great artist here.

“After you sang, ‘Alone’, I made the prediction that you would become the bestselling Idol winner, which you are. But I could have never anticipated how successful you’ve become.”

Carrie admits she finds it difficult to grasp her phenomenal success, adding: “How is this my life? How does a girl from Checotah, Oklahoma, get a star on the Walk of Fame?’”

Underwood’s new album, Cry Pretty, leans into modern R&B, while retaining her country roots. She will hit the road next year on The Cry Pretty Tour 360.