Carrie Underwood’s journey to stardom began in 2005 when she auditioned for American Idol as a small-town Oklahoma farm girl with big dreams. She was undeniably country at heart, but when it came to picking her audition song, she made a surprising choice that went against expectations.
Instead of singing a popular country hit from legends like Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, or Martina McBride—whom she later revealed as her favorite singer—Underwood chose Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” While the song has folk and country influences, it wasn’t a mainstream country radio hit. But her decision had a deeper purpose.
Why Carrie Avoided a Country Hit for Her Audition
In a special American Idol video reflecting on her audition 20 years later, Underwood revealed why she steered clear of a major country song.
“I knew going into my Idol auditions that Simon Cowell was not a fan of country music,” she explained. In fact, even an executive producer warned her about Cowell’s well-known bias.
Despite this, she wanted to stay true to her country roots while also choosing a song that might appeal to Cowell’s taste.
“That’s who I am,” she said. “That did affect my song choice in my audition, ’cause I thought maybe if I sang I Can’t Make You Love Me, it would kind of still be me and a song I knew and loved. So I did my thing.”
Simon Cowell’s Unexpected Reaction
As Underwood sang, Cowell abruptly cut her off, which made her fear she had made the wrong choice. However, instead of dismissing her, Cowell had something completely unexpected to say—he praised her performance.
“And then he told me to keep being me,” she recalled. “I feel like he deserves a lot of credit for that. Instead of saying, ‘I don’t like country music, this isn’t what I wanna listen to,’ he saw a country artist and the value that country music has.”
This moment turned out to be a pivotal turning point in Underwood’s career. Not only did she go on to win American Idol Season 4, but she became one of the biggest country stars of all time.
Carrie Underwood Returns to American Idol
Now, two decades later, Underwood is back on the set of American Idol—but this time, as a judge.
The show returns on Sunday night (March 9) with a two-hour season premiere airing on ABC at 8 PM ET/PT. With Underwood’s journey coming full circle, she is now in a position to guide and inspire a new generation of hopeful singers, just as she once was.
Her story is proof that staying true to yourself can lead to success, even when the odds seem against you.