Carrie Underwood is widely regarded as one of the most successful artists to emerge from “American Idol.” She has acheived tremnedous success as a country superstar and even returned last year to the very show that launched her career, this time, sitting in the judges’ chair.
In a recent interview with People, Underwood reflected on the 20th anniversary of her smash hit, “Before He Cheats,” the song that truly put her on the map. But imagine if she had never taken a chance on it.
Carrie Underwood is celebrating a major milestone as her hit single, “Before He Cheats,” turns 20. The catchy, revenge-fueled anthem was the third single released from her debut album, “Some Hearts,” and even earned her a Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. It’s safe to say that the tune catapulted Underwood to country music stardom.
In an interview with People, celebrating the song’s 20th anniversary, Underwood surprisingly revealed that she had hesitations about releasing it. She worried that it might be “too aggressive” and didn’t fit her image at the time.
“I remember even when we were talking about recording that song, it was kind of like, ‘Oh, is this too aggressive? Is this too…’ ” she admitted.
“Because I was like a sweet farm girl on [‘American Idol’] — and I hope that’s who I still am — but it was almost, ‘Maybe we don’t do this song,’” she continued.
However, Underwood decided to take a chance on the song, and it definitely paid off. “But everybody loved it so much, we went for it and it … worked. But, yeah, 20 years later, we still see people perform it, and it’s a lot of fun,” the singer said.
Underwood has no shortage of songs she’s proud of, and “Before He Cheats” is one of them. During an appearance on “Good Morning America” in August 2024, she shared that the tune is her favorite to play live because “people really get into ‘Before He Cheats’ and sing it super loud and sassy.”
Still, the song that holds closest to her heart is her 2005 hit, “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”
“I feel like that set up an entire career of being able to sing songs about faith … I didn’t even realize how important it was at the time,” she shared, adding, “But I’ve since gotten to make a gospel album, and sing songs like that. I feel like that’s what started it all.”
Underwood is set to return to the judges’ table for the second time alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie when “American Idol” season 24 premieres on Monday, Jan. 26, on ABC. In fact, a recently released clip already shows her shedding a few tears during contestant Hannah Harper’s emotional audition.