Not every American Idol winner has gone on to become a major musical star, but Carrie Underwood is one of the rare few who did, thanks in no small part to her historic debut album, Some Hearts, which she released on November 15, 2005. The release showcased Underwood’s ability to go from tender, heartfelt ballads to raging, scorned-woman anthems about “digging her keys into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive.” You know the one.
Some Hearts cemented Underwood’s status as a crossover artist, thanks to singles like “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “Before He Cheats”. The record debuted at an impressive No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. It also garnered Underwood a Grammy Award for Best New Artist and an Academy of Country Music Award for Album of the Year. (Technically, Some Hearts was the top-selling country album of 2006 and 2007, making it the best-selling debut album by a solo female country artist of all time.)
Songs from this album continue to be some of Underwood’s most beloved tracks to this day—an especially impressive feat among other American Idol alums who fizzled after the initial buzz of their television win died down.
Carrie Underwood Proved the Sky Was the Limit With 2005 Debut
Carrie Underwood was a fresh-faced, all-American sorority girl (she has the letters to prove it) from Oklahoma when she became the fourth winner of the vocal competition series American Idol. At a time when this show was still riding high at the peak of its popularity, the world was essentially Underwood’s oyster. With a voice that could belt to the heavens in country, pop, and rock ‘n’ roll, she had plenty of open doors waiting for her to step through them. In the end, her 2005 debut, Some Hearts, stayed in the pop and country realm. This blend of genres worked, even if Underwood didn’t intend it that way.
“[Some Hearts] just kind of came out the way it came out,” Underwood told Pop Entertainment in 2006. “We didn’t really mean to, per sé. It was just kind of listening to songs and figuring out which ones I liked, which ones worked. We wanted a diverse group of songs. But it was all about what worked together on an album.” She also said she didn’t want to “bore” the listener.
When asked what she wanted people to see in her music, the young singer replied, “I really hope, obviously, I have a long and successful career. I hope people look back on my music and say she’s done this for a long time. And she’s done it well. I want to form good relationships with people and just do everything the right way.”
After breaking numerous records, releasing several more successful albums, putting on showstopping tours, getting a Las Vegas residency, and maintaining her status as a pop country icon, we’d say Underwood accomplished what she set out to do all those years ago.
