Carrie Underwood is as country as sweet tea and a front porch swing. Raised in Checotah, Oklahoma, she grew up singing in church, performing at local events, and listening to the powerhouse women of ’90s country—Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Shania Twain, Reba McEntire, and, of course, her personal favorite, Martina McBride. So when she walked into her American Idol audition in 2005, you’d think she would’ve belted out a country classic, right?
Wrong. Instead of going with a chart-topping country hit, Underwood chose Bonnie Raitt’s emotional ballad “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” While Raitt has roots that touch blues, folk, and even a little country, this wasn’t a mainstream country radio hit. So why did the girl who would go on to become one of the biggest stars in country music avoid singing country altogether?
Turns out, it wasn’t about her. It was about him.
The Simon Cowell Factor
Carrie Underwood may have been a small-town girl with big dreams, but she wasn’t naive. Even before stepping in front of the American Idol judges, she knew Simon Cowell had a reputation for not being a fan of country music.
“I knew going into my Idol auditions that Simon was not a fan of country music,” Underwood revealed in a recent American Idol retrospective. “Even one of the executive producers at the time was like, ‘You know Simon hates country music, right?'”
That one piece of information changed everything. Underwood, who had spent her life singing country, strategically decided to sing something close to her style but not so country that it might turn Cowell against her. Enter Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
It was a smart move. With its aching lyrics and stripped-down melody, the song let her showcase what mattered most—her voice. The genre didn’t matter. The moment she opened her mouth, she had the judges (and America) hooked.
For You
A Close Call
Underwood’s plan nearly backfired, though. Midway through her performance, Cowell cut her off. And in that split second, she feared the worst.
But instead of tearing her down, Cowell did something unexpected—he praised her.
“And then he told me to keep being me,” Underwood recalled. “I feel like he deserves a lot of credit for that. Instead of being like, ‘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.”
It was a pivotal moment. Not only did she prove herself to Cowell, but she also secured her spot in the competition. And as we all know, she didn’t just compete—she dominated.
The Country Queen That Almost Wasn’t
Had Underwood walked into that audition room and sung a full-fledged country song, would she have still won American Idol? Maybe. Maybe not.
But what’s undeniable is that the decision to hedge her bets worked in her favor. She made it past the audition, won the entire competition, and then went on to become one of the best-selling country artists of all time. And ironically, the same Simon Cowell who supposedly “hates country music” became one of her biggest supporters.
Two decades later, Underwood is back on American Idol—but this time, she’s sitting at the judge’s table. Now, she decides who moves forward and who goes home. And you can bet that when a country hopeful walks in, she won’t cut them off anytime soon.
