Singer Carrie Underwood won the TV talent show American Idol in 2005. From a small town in Oklahoma, Underwood was a senior in college when she entered the contest. She was one of 100,000 potential contestants when the 2005 season began, and she ended up in a tight race against Bo Bice, a southern rocker from Alabama. In the final show of the season, on 25 May 2005, Underwood narrowly beat out Bice to become the new "American Idol," guaranteeing her a recording contract.

Her debut album, Some Hearts, was released in November of 2005 and included the hit "Jesus Take the Wheel." Carrie has won a number of award including the CMT Muisc Awards, the Billboard Musics Awards and most recently a 2006 Grammy for Best New Artist, Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance.