Carrie Underwood rose to prominence in 2005 when she won season four of "American Idol," but she had been working on her craft for quite some time. Raised in Checotah, Okla., Underwood became a musical fixture at her local church, singing since she was a toddler. Social functions led to gigs across state lines, and Underwood began to devour all facets of music, including learning how to play piano and guitar. She finished high school and entered college at Northeastern State University, but left school to enter auditions for "American Idol." She later returned to complete her studies, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in mass communication in 2006.

Following her "American Idol" victory, Some Hearts, Underwood's 2005 major label debut, rose to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of the No. 1 country hits "Jesus, Take The Wheel" and "Before He Cheats." In 2006 Underwood earned Best New Artist honors as well as Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Jesus, Take The Wheel." Underwood took home the latter award again in 2007 for "Before He Cheats."

Underwood's sophomore album, 2007's Carnival Ride, spawned two more GRAMMY wins with "Last Name" picking up Best Female Country Vocal Performance honors and "I Told You So," a duet with Randy Travis, winning for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals. Underwood's third album, 2009's Play On, saw her contribute more from a songwriting perspective, co-writing seven of the album's 13 songs. Released in 2012, Blown Away became Underwood's third consecutive No. 1 album. The album's title track won Best Country Solo Performance at the 55th GRAMMYs, marking Underwood’s sixth career GRAMMY and further cementing her status as a country superstar.