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Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood's career is the stuff of dreams. Possessed of that rarest of combination--undeniable talent, an extraordinary work ethic, and girl-next-door likeability--she blossomed as a national phenomenon before tens of millions of viewers by winning American Idol, captivated by both her vocal talent and personality. The artistic growth that has accompanied her subsequent rise into the upper reaches of the entertainment world has placed her among the foremost artists of her generation. Hers is superstardom with a human face. Press, fans and peers alike have recognized that beneath the fairy tale gowns there still beats the heart of a dreamer, and her grace amid the extraordinary demands of such a public rise has given each accomplishment added luster. Those accomplishments have been myriad. With just two albums behind her, Carrie has built a career that would be the treasured work of a lifetime for most artists. The breadth and depth of her work speaks for itself--songs like "Jesus, Take The Wheel," "Before He Cheats," "So Small," "All-American Girl," "Last Name" and "Just A Dream," among others, have been a rich part of the new millennium's musical soundscape. She has passed the ten million mark in CD sales and become the first country artist in history to achieve ten #1 singles from her first two albums. She is reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year, just the seventh woman in the show's 42-year history to take that crown, and has been both ACM and CMA Female Vocalist of the Year for three consecutive years. Her list of awards includes five CMAs and eight ACMs, as well as four Grammys and a host of others from People's Choice, Billboard, the American Music Awards, Teen Choice, CMT and many others. She has twice been chosen co-host of the CMA Awards, and she was the top-selling country female touring artist of 2008, as her headlining "Carnival Ride Tour" played to more than 1.2 million people. Among Carrie's most treasured milestones is her induction into the Grand Ole Opry. Despite all her accolades, travels from New York to Los Angeles, all the entertainment shows and magazine covers, she remains firmly rooted in country music. She was invited to join by one of her idols, Randy Travis, whose "I Told You So" she took to the top of the charts in 2009, and inducted by another, Garth Brooks. "The induction award they gave me says, 'Hey, you're a part of the family,'" she says. "It means a lot to me because it's the heart of country music, the church, the sacred place, the super-elite club that says you love this music." Her love for music is evident throughout her third album, Play On, as is her arrival as a mature artist, confident, fully in command of her extraordinary vocal skills, and tackling a wider artistic range both lyrically and musically. Equally important, in co-writing seven of the CD's thirteen songs, she emerges as a songwriter of real depth, opening a wider window into her creativity and allowing her fans their most intimate look at Carrie the artist and person. "Because of my songwriting," she says, "I feel like somebody can listen to this album and get more of a sense of who I am. They can listen to certain things and think, 'This is really sincere. This is really emotional. She was a writer on it, so this comes from something that was deep inside of her heart.' I do feel like people can get to know me a lot better from Play On." Carrie's songwriting had already brought her two awards from BMI, the performing rights organization, for "All-American Girl" and "So Small," and Play On brings that side of her work to fruition. The public's first glimpse came with Play On's first single, "Cowboy Casanova," which Carrie co-wrote with Mike Elizondo and Brett James. The song, with its high-energy look at "a snake with blue eyes" roared into the Top 10 in just four weeks. Much of the album is in fact concerned with the ups and downs of love, the good and bad among the world's men. Songs range from "This Time" and "Mama's Song," two takes on the best that love has to offer, to "Undo It" and "Songs Like This," which lay it on the line for the men in relationships gone wrong, and from "Look At Me," which features vocal help from Vince Gill and deals with the pure exhilaration of falling in love, to "What Can I Say," a song of regret featuring Sons of Sylvia. One of the true vocal highlights is "Someday When I Stop Loving You," an exquisitely sung exploration of sadness in the wake of a failed relationship. Carrie's own experiences let her infuse both ends of the spectrum with the sting of truth. "I've seen a lot in the dating world," she says, "and it's not one-dimensional, where I'm in love all the time or hate men all the time. I've been everywhere in between, and through my own experience or that of friends, I've seen every kind of guy, and I think some of these songs capture the everywhereness of being a woman." But there is much more to be found on Play On. The title cut is an exhortation to persistence in the midst of obstacles, sung with the fire that has marked so much of Carrie's work. "Temporary Home," penned by Carrie with Zac Maloy and Luke Laird, is one of the strongest representations of hope ever committed to CD, as Carrie tells the story of a boy in foster care, a young mother in crisis, and a man facing his own mortality. Given Carrie's emergence as a force for social good in terms of charitable work and humanitarian causes, "Change" is in a very real sense the album's cornerstone. "This is a world so big it can break your heart," she says. "It just seems like there are so many problems. What do you do? Where do you start? Well, there are opportunities every day, so many things around you where you can make a difference. Sometimes it's the smallest thing--the person in this song had just 36 cents, you know?--and I'm really anticipating being able to do some good with this song." For all the variety in its subject matter, for all the musical avenues it explores, Play On is an album that will resonate for its energy, its celebration of life, and its reflection of Carrie as an artist hitting stride. "There's a little more mature subject matter on certain songs for sure," Carrie says, "but I like to think I'm still young enough to keep the fun and the sass and things like that. I'm also in a good place where I do feel a lot more grown-up, more confident in my writing and in my ability to open myself up a little bit more." By now the particulars of Carrie's early years are well known. She grew up in Checotah, Oklahoma, "playing on dirt roads, climbing trees, and, of course, singing," something she did in church, and in grade school musicals and talent shows. She attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK, majoring in broadcast journalism with an eye to a practical career. Her sorority sisters at Sigma Sigma Sigma, though, urged her to sing publicly, and she overcame her shyness enough to sing at a Branson-style show that included singing, dancing and comedy. "It was mainly there," she says, "that I learned what it was like to be in front of a crowd." During her senior year, she heard about auditions for American Idol, and the magic that accompanied her tryout has been unfolding before the eyes of the American public ever since. Carrie still treasures the upbringing that has helped her keep her feet on the ground while her life and career have soared. She visits family and friends in Checotah when she can, and she has established a foundation called C.A.T.S. - Checotah Animal, Town, and School Foundation to focus charitable efforts on her hometown community. "I felt like it was a really good time to start something that could do good for others," she says, "because I've had so much good fortune just poured on me over the past five years that it's definitely time to give back." Giving back has become a big part of her life, from traveling to Africa with American Idol's Idol Gives Back, to visiting troops in the Middle East, it is her giving spirit that she sees as the cornerstone of her legacy. While she is working to make meaningful and lasting art, she is working to keep that quest within a larger context. "Everybody has the power to do something, to be a contributing force," she says, "and I would rather people look back on my life and say, 'She made the world a better place.' We can all do things like that, and I believe that when opportunities arise for you to do good, you should do good." Her commitment to that goal, like her incredible accomplishments as an artist, has made Carrie synonymous with all that is best in modern music. With Play On, she takes both her life and her art another big step forward.

Latest bulletin 12.16.09

Carrie Receives 2009 Harmony Award

Carrie received the 2009 Harmony Award at the Symphony Ball this past Saturday night, December 12, at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center! Get the whole story at www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com!

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Carrie Receives 2009 Harmony Award! Yesterday
Play On Tour Pre-Sale Information! Two days ago
Carrie To Launch "Play On Tour" Next Spring! Dec 10

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Dec 16, 03:41 PM

Carrie Receives 2009 Harmony Award!

Carrie received the 2009 Harmony Award at the Symphony Ball this past Saturday night, December 12, at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The Nashville Symphony Ball is Nashville's premiere winter social event, a white-tie, invitation-only evening benefiting the Nashville Symphony and its music outreach programs. This year marked the event's 25th anniversary.
"The honor is a wonderful compliment and it's an amazing feeling being part of the Nashville community," said Underwood. "It was a beautiful evening filled with wonderful music, gorgeous ball gowns and décor, and was definitely an evening to remember."
The Harmony Award is presented annually at Nashville's Symphony Ball to individuals who have demonstrated continued interest and support of music in Nashville. The recipients exemplify the unique harmony between the many worlds of music that exist in our city and have contributed significantly to the development and appreciation of Nashville's musical culture.
Previous recipients of the Harmony Award include: Amy Grant, LeAnn Rimes, Michael W. Smith, Tony Brown, Mike & Linda Curb, Lyle Lovett, Trisha Yearwood, Dolly Parton, The Judds, Steve Winwood, Vince Gill, Wynonna and Naomi Judd, Chet Atkins, Rascal Flatts, and Martina McBride, the 2008 recipient.
Dec 15, 11:31 AM

Play On Tour Pre-Sale Information!

If you would like to purchase tickets for any of Carrie's upcoming Play On Tour dates before they go on-sale to the public this Friday, you can do so NOW through her Official Fan Club. For more information go to www.carrieunderwood.fm
Dec 10, 11:49 AM

Carrie To Launch "Play On Tour" Next Spring!

2010 Tour Kicks Off March 11
Carrie fans were excited today when they learned one of country music's most prolific and versatile power vocalists has just announced performances across North America as her new headline 2010 tour launches next spring. The "Play On Tour," hydrated by vitaminwater®, will kick off March 11, 2010 with special guests Craig Morgan and Sons of Sylvia. The first leg of 45 shows runs through May 30 with tickets for all shows going on sale starting next Friday, December 18.
"I am getting so excited about next year as we are currently working through all the big plans for the tour," says Underwood. "I cannot wait to perform new music and see familiar faces across the U.S. and Canada!"
Underwood spent this past year writing and recording for her new album PLAY ON and performed a few select concerts. Her previous tour, 2008's highly successful "Carnival Ride Tour" wrapped after 137 shows with 1.2 million fans in attendance.
Underwood recently launched her third album, PLAY ON, at the #1 spot on both the country and pop album sales charts and has sold over 700,000 copies in 5 weeks. The release earned the highest first-week sales of the year for any solo country artist at that point and makes Carrie the only country act in Nielsen SoundScan history to achieve first-week sales of more than 300,000 units on each of their first three albums. The feat also extends to American Idol, where the Season Four winner is the first contestant to launch three albums in a row above the 300K threshold, with her 2005 debut, Some Hearts, now seven-times Platinum, and 2007's Carnival Ride currently triple-Platinum.
Underwood is a four-time GRAMMY winner, ACM Entertainer of the Year, a three-time CMA and three-time reigning ACM Female Vocalist winner, and a member of the Grand Ole Opry with total album sales now in excess of 11 million.
Craig Morgan is signed to Sony Music Nashville's BNA Records label, and released his fifth studio album, That's Why, last fall. His latest hit, the anthemic "Bonfire," is currently Top 5 at country radio and headed for the top of the charts. Last year Morgan received one of country music's highest honors - he was inducted into the membership of the Grand Ole Opry. Morgan has made more than 150 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry and plays over 200 sold-out concerts a year. He spent ten years on active duty in the U.S. Army before launching his music career and makes a point to perform as often as possible at U.S. military installations both in the U.S. and abroad.
Sons of Sylvia are currently finishing up their debut album release on 19 Recordings/Interscope Records due out in 2010. Ashley, Austin, and Adam Clark (formerly known as The Clark Brothers who won FOX's Next Great American Band) are longtime friends of Underwood, and the band is currently featured on her new album in a powerful collaboration called "What Can I Say."
Please go to http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com for up-to-date tour information.
Dec 10, 09:10 AM

Last Chance To Stream Carrie's MyspaceMusic At The Opry!

MyspaceMusic at the Opry will only be streaming until 12/16, watch it below before its to late.
CLICK HERE to watch it NOW!
Dec 02, 09:56 AM

Carrie Featured On A Very Special Christmas Volume 7!

A new generation of talent has come together for the latest edition of A Very Special Christmas Volume 7, which features original recordings of new and traditional holiday songs and benefits Special Olympics.

The album is available now and will feature Carrie's song "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." There are a ton of other amazing artists that are a part of this project, including Colbie Caillat, The Carter Twins, Charice, Miley Cyrus, Kristinia DeBarge, Gloriana, Vanessa Hudgens, Sean Kingston, Leighton Meester, Mitchel Musso, Kellie Pickler and Ashley Tisdale.

Click HERE to get your copy on iTunes!

Click HERE to get your copy on Amazon!
Dec 01, 09:05 AM

Carrie's FOX Christmas Special!

Carrie will star in her own FOX Christmas special next Monday (Dec. 7). Click HERE for more!
Nov 24, 02:26 PM

Opry Live Webcast Hosted On Myspace Music!

More Than 300,000 Total Viewers Tuned In To Live Stream!
An Opry show featuring performances by Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Jake Owen, and Rodney Atkins is now available for a limited time on the official Grand Ole Opry MySpace page. The live stream of the show on MySpace Music powered by Ustream Sat., Nov. 14 drew more than 300,000 total viewers.
"We are pleased that so many fans were a part of this overwhelmingly successful live stream event as we made Opry history," said Steve Buchanan, Grand Ole Opry Group president. "The Opry has always utilized the latest in technology to deliver its unique brand of entertainment to country music listeners, and this success positions us to continue to widen the Opry's distribution well into the future. We are excited about all the possibilities before us as we break new ground in getting the Opry's music to its fans."
Nov 20, 03:56 PM

Carrie Donates Plaque To Oklahoma Music Hall Of Fame!

Carrie has donated a plaque with lyrics and sheet music to "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore" to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, which she joined earlier this year.
The plaque was unveiled Thursday (Nov. 19) at a ceremony in Muskogee, Okla. The organization also announced plans to expand the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and to create an Oklahoma Music Trail for tourists to learn about the state's historical contributions to all genres of music.
Nov 17, 07:47 AM

Carrie to Perform at Third Annual “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute”

CNN today announced performers and presenters who are slated to appear at the third annual "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," which honors everyday citizens who are making a difference in their communities and beyond. Hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, the program will air globally on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, at 9pm ET on CNN/U.S., CNN International and CNN en Español.
Celebrities scheduled to present include: Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Neil Patrick Harris, Pierce Brosnan, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Randy Jackson and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Carrie Underwood and Leona Lewis will each perform at the gala. Additional appearances will be announced in days to come!
Nov 13, 08:48 AM

MySpace Music to Stream Live Grand Ole Opry Performance on November 14!

Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Jake Owen, and Rodney
Atkins performing

The Grand Ole Opry, the world's longest-running radio show, and MySpace Music are uniting to live stream an Opry performance with video for the first time. On Nov. 14, 9 - 10 p.m. ET fans can view the live show featuring Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Jake Owen and Rodney Atkins. The show will be hosted on MySpace Music in cooperation with Ustream. For more information, go to myspace.com/grandoleopry.

Carrie will perform music from her just-released CD Play
On, including the fastest-rising single of her career to date, "Cowboy
Casanova."

The Opry is being staged at the historic Ryman Auditorium
through Jan. 30, 2010. Fans can stay connected to the Opry via MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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