Carrie Underwood is one of the foremost female country musicians of her time. She has spent a lot of time in the spotlight since her victory on American Idol. However, despite all the time she has spent in the public eye, there are still some things that most people don’t know about her. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Carrie Underwood. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: She Won Seven Grammy Awards. You might discount Underwood for being launched into fame by a reality TV show, but the truth is that she truly has talent. From 2007 to 2015, Underwood won seven Grammy Awards, and she has been nominated for an additional one in 2016.
Number Fourteen: She Has a Country Music First. Underwood is the first and only solo country artist of the aughts to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and she is also the first to have a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Number Thirteen: She Is One of the World’s Most Influential People. TIME magazine listed Underwood as one of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2014. And we certainly won’t argue with that!
Number Twelve: She Came From Humble Beginnings. Underwood was raised on a farm in a rural town, and her father worked on a sawmill. Her mother was an equally humble elementary school teacher. She grew up singing at her local Baptist church.
Number Eleven: She Was Almost Contracted at the Age of 14. When Underwood was just 14 years old – long before she was on American Idol – someone paid for her to go to Nashville and audition for Capital Records. However, her contract was eventually canceled due to a change in management. Underwood isn’t too upset about it, considering where she is now.
Number Ten: She Was Salutatorian of Her School. Underwood graduated in 2001, and she was second in her class! The salutatorian can not only sing, but she clearly has brains, too.
Number Nine: She Briefly Gave Up on Music After Graduating. Like the rational salutatorian she was, Underwood gave up her dream when she graduated high school, and she attended Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2006. She won American Idol the previous year, but she continued on with her education before pursuing music as a career.