Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood went from being an all-American girl to an American Idol, thanks to her powerful vocals and wholesome, winning personality. The small-town singer from Oklahoma won the hearts of millions after competing on the fourth season of "American Idol" (Fox, 2002-16) and ultimately winning the title. Underwood parlayed her success on the reality show into a mega-selling recording career, fueled by country/pop crossover albums such as Some Hearts (2005) and Play On (2009). Throughout her long-standing career, Underwood also took top honors at music's most esteemed events, including the Country Music Association Awards (CMA), the Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM), and the Grammy Awards, which named her Best New Artist in 2007. From there, she had another hit with the Grammy-winning Play On (2009) and became an actress with her feature debut in "Soul Surfer" (2010) and the starring role as Maria Von Trapp in "The Sound of Music Live!" (NBC 2013). With yet another Grammy-winning album, Blown Away (2012), and the chart-topping Storyteller (2015), Underwood's country girl charm mixed with Hollywood star power enabled Underwood to maintain a strong presence in the music industry as well as further her humanitarian efforts for years, while her timeless songs touched the hearts and lives of music lovers everywhere.