Carrie Underwood (born March 10, 1983, in Muskogee, Oklahoma) rose to fame after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005, becoming a pivotal figure in 21st-century country music. Her debut single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the first country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100, and her album Some Hearts (2005) became the best-selling debut by a solo female country artist, earning her three Grammys including Best New Artist. She has since maintained a record-breaking career, with 16 number-one singles on the Country Airplay chart and all five of her first studio albums reaching the top two on the Billboard 200, while her 2020s releases include the gospel album My Savior (2021). As the highest-certified female country artist with over 95 million units sold, she has won eight Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, and 17 American Music Awards, and has been inducted into both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry. Beyond music, she has acted in Soul Surfer (2011) and The Sound of Music Live! (2013), performed the NBC Sunday Night Football theme since 2013, and became an American Idol judge in 2025.