Carrie Underwood is one of the most dominant forces in 21st century country music — a singer whose voice, range and stage presence have kept female country artists at the forefront of popular culture for two decades. She burst onto the scene after winning American Idol in 2005, becoming the first country artist ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with her first single “Inside Your Heaven”.

Some Hearts (2005) rewrote the record books as the fastest-selling debut country album in SoundScan history and the best-selling solo female debut in country music, powered by crossover smashes “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “Before He Cheats” — the latter now certified 11× Platinum. Carnival Ride (2007) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with over 527,000 first-week copies and became the first album by a solo female artist to produce four number-one singles on the Hot Country Songs chart since Shania Twain. Play On (2009) gave her a tenth number-one country single with “Undo It” and debuted atop the Billboard 200, while Blown Away (2012) — a darker, more cinematic record — debuted at number one and earned her a sixth Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance. Storyteller (2015) made her the first country artist to have all first five studio albums debut in the top two slots on the Billboard 200, and Cry Pretty (2018) became the biggest debut week for any album by a woman in country music that year, making her the first woman to top the Billboard 200 with four country albums.

In the 2020s she has shown no signs of slowing down. My Gift (2020) became her record-setting eighth consecutive number-one country album, while the gospel album My Savior (2021) won the Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album. Denim & Rhinestones (2022) marked her tenth consecutive top-ten album. With eight Grammy Awards, sixteen number-one singles on the Country Airplay chart and over 95 million certified US units sold, Rolling Stone called her “the female vocalist of her generation in any genre”.