Carrie Underwood Takes the High Road with Grace

http://www.andpop.com/article/5570

(andPOP) - There are two approaches artists can take after winning American Idol: embracing the victory or trying to distance themselves from the show.

Kelly Clarkson chose the latter, and would love if nobody ever mentioned her name and the show's title in the same sentence. Clarkson, the show's first winner four years ago, put up a fuss when producers asked if they could use her music in this, its fifth season, and prefers not to talk about the show in interviews. There's more to me than winning a talent contest, she might explain. And while she has a point, there's no way anyone outside of Fort Worth, Texas, would ever know the name Kelly Clarkson had it not been for the hit show.

Then there's Carrie Underwood. She has "handled" her win with grace, never shying away from that fact that she is now one of country's hottest artists because of her success on American Idol. Does winning the show take away form her credibility? Absolutely not. People aren't buying her album because they like the show. They buy her album because they love her music. The show was just a gateway into their homes, and Underwood appreciates the opportunity.

"The country world seems so grateful that America voted in one of their own," Underwood tells andPOP. "They're proud to call me the American Idol and I'm proud to be called that. I don’t see myself trying to detach myself from [the show] any time soon."

Underwood's debut album, "Some Hearts," is still the top country album on Billboard, three months after its release. "Jesus, Take the Wheel" is the most played song on radio, and "Inside Your Heaven/Independence Day" is the highest selling single in stores. To sum it up: there is no bigger country artist in North America at the time of this article posting.

Her fan base is different than any other American Idol winner before her because she's not a pop artist—she bleeds country. Some songs on the album – like the first single, "Some Hearts" – are being played on mainstream radio.

The Oklahoma-native, who turns 23 in March, says nobody at her record label tried to influence the sound of the music or asked her to produce crossover hits.

"All the people that were around me knew what I wanted to do. It wouldn’t make sense to make me sing strictly pop music. That’s not me. Country music is where I feel comfortable. I think everyone knew that and not to mess with it," she says.

Underwood is aware that she has a "girl next door" image, but she says she's not deliberately trying to commodify any type of image. However, she understands, as a celebrity, people will look to her to be a role model—like people look to all celebrities not named Dick Cheney.

"A lot of times people tell me, 'you're such a good role model,' but that’s not what I'm trying to do. I think its great people can look up to people but I'm not perfect."

Rest assured however that Underwood has never keyed an ex-boyfriend's car. Odd transition between paragraphs? Perhaps. But listen to the song "Before He Cheats" and it will make more sense. The song deals with her being cheated on in a relationship, and then retaliating by unloading her frustration on a car.

"It's fun to step out of the box for a second and be crazy," Underwood says, on the line from Nashville. "If somebody does you wrong, you just want to hurt them. But I've never done anything like that. I wouldn’t recommend that."

What does Underwood – who admits to being cheated on a "time or two" – recommend?

"The worst thing you can do is just move on and not let it bother you. That will make the other person go crazy more than any thing else you can do."

Those people who cheated on Underwood are probably going crazy every time they see her music videos being played, or when they think about how famous she has become so quickly. That fame, Underwood says, still hasn't sunk in.

"Everything that has happened to me has been Cinderella story-ish. I'm just lucky," she says. "I feel like the outsider in the music business. I'm just a fan myself."

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another reason why we love carrie so much... what an awesome young lady... level headed, mature... no need to shoot her mouth off too much... but when she says something, its something good...