Carrie Underwood's Success and Achievements in Timeline
A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Carrie Underwood.
Carrie Underwood is a prominent American singer and songwriter who gained fame after winning American Idol in 2005. Her debut single, "Inside Your Heaven," made history as the first country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts, achieved remarkable success, becoming the best-selling debut album by a solo female country artist and earning her three Grammy Awards. Subsequent albums like Carnival Ride and Play On further solidified her status in the music industry, producing hit singles such as "Cowboy Casanova." She has become one of the most successful American Idol alumni.
2000: Billboard's Best Country Artists of the 2000 Decade
In December 2009, Some Hearts was named the number-one Country Album of the 2000 Decade by Billboard and Underwood was the top-ranked female artist on Billboard's Best Country Artists of the 2000 Decade list. Overall, she was ranked number 50 on the Artists of the Decade list by Billboard.
May 25, 2005: Winning American Idol
On May 25, 2005, Carrie Underwood won the fourth season of American Idol, receiving a recording contract and other prizes.
December 2005: Oklahoman of the Year
In December 2005, Carrie Underwood was named Oklahoman of the Year by Oklahoma Today.
2005: First "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" Award by PETA
In 2005, Carrie Underwood was first voted "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" by PETA alongside Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, recognizing her vegetarian lifestyle.
2005: Winning American Idol & "Inside Your Heaven" Release
In 2005, Carrie Underwood won the fourth season of American Idol, which launched her to prominence. Her first single, "Inside Your Heaven", was released in 2005 and made her the first-ever country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her debut studio album, Some Hearts was also released in 2005.
December 2006: Performances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Kennedy Center Honors
In December 2006, Carrie Underwood performed "For Once in My Life" with Tony Bennett, Michael Bublé, and Josh Groban on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Also in December 2006, she paid tribute to Dolly Parton at the Kennedy Center Honors, singing "Islands in the Stream" with Kenny Rogers.
2006: Underwood Begins Accumulating CMT Music Awards
From 2006 to 2019, Carrie Underwood accumulated over 20 awards, leading her to become the most awarded artist in the history of the CMT Music Awards.
June 2007: Named Sexiest Female Musician
In June 2007, Victoria's Secret named Carrie Underwood the Sexiest Female Musician.
2007: Voted "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" by PETA
In 2007, Carrie Underwood was voted "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" by PETA for the second time, the first being in 2005, highlighting her commitment to vegetarianism.
2008: Underwood Inducted into the Grand Ole Opry
In 2008, Carrie Underwood was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry for her accomplishments in country music, solidifying her status as a prominent figure in the genre.
2008: Won First International Award
In 2008, Carrie Underwood won her first international award, "Female Vocalist of the Year" at the European Country Music Association Awards.
December 2009: Billboard Names Some Hearts Top Country Album
In December 2009, Billboard named Carrie Underwood's album Some Hearts as the number-one Country Album of the 2000 Decade. Additionally, Carrie Underwood was recognized as the top-ranked female artist on Billboard's Best Country Artists of the 2000 Decade list.
December 2009: Underwood Receives Harmony Award
In December 2009, Carrie Underwood was awarded the Harmony Award from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra for her achievements in music across many genres.
2009: Underwood Inducted into Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame
In 2009, Carrie Underwood was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame for her achievements in country music.
May 2010: People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People List
In May 2010, Carrie Underwood was selected for People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People List for the fourth consecutive year. Also in May 2010, Victoria's Secret named Carrie Underwood's legs as the Sexiest Legs in Hollywood.
December 2010: Play On Tour Recognized by Pollstar
In December 2010, Pollstar.com ranked Carrie Underwood's Play On Tour as one of the Top 50 tours of 2010.
2010: Billboard Names Underwood Top Female Country Artist
At the turn of the 2010 decade, Billboard named Carrie Underwood the top female country artist and seventh overall country artist, recognizing her significant impact and success in the genre.
2010: Underwood Achieves Ten Career Number-One Singles
In 2010, with singles from her third album, Play On, Carrie Underwood achieved ten career number-one singles on the Hot Country Songs chart, earning her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
January 4, 2011: Underwood Named Top Female Country Touring Artist
On January 4, 2011, official statistics revealed that Carrie Underwood played to over 1 million fans throughout the Play On Tour, resulting in her being named again as the top-ranked female country touring artist of the year.
May 2011: Underwood Named Biggest American Idol Earner
Since May 2011, Carrie Underwood has been recognized as the Biggest American Idol Earner, based on combined tour revenues and record sales.
June 2011: Rolling Stone's Queen of Pop
In June 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Carrie Underwood as the number 11 Queen of Pop, based on various criteria from 2009 until 2011.
2011: Underwood Scores More Number-One Singles
In 2011, Carrie Underwood began expanding her Guinness Book record, and would later continue to score more number-one singles on the Hot Country Songs chart between 2011 and 2014, for a total of fourteen number-ones.
2012: Billboard Calls Underwood Country Music's Reigning Queen
In 2012, Billboard magazine referred to Carrie Underwood as Country Music's reigning Queen, highlighting her significant influence and success in the genre.
2012: Ranking on The Hockey News' List
In 2012, Carrie Underwood was selected by The Hockey News on its annual list of the 100 People of Power and Influence in Ice Hockey, ranking at number 85.
2013: Underwood Receives Artist Achievement Award
In 2013, Carrie Underwood received the Artist Achievement Award at the 38th Annual New York Honors Gala held by the T.J. Martell Foundation.
2014: Awards and Recognition in 2014
In 2014, Carrie Underwood received the Gene Weed Special Achievement Award from the Academy of Country Music and the Milestone Award at the Billboard Music Awards. She was also listed in Time as one of the 100 most influential people and named Favorite Female Country Artist at the American Music Awards. Billboard named her 2014's top female Christian artist.
2014: Underwood Honored with CRB Artist Humanitarian Award
In 2014, Carrie Underwood was honored by the Country Radio Broadcasters' Board of Directors with the CRB Artist Humanitarian Award at the 2014 Country Radio Seminar.
2014: "Something in the Water" Success and Earnings in 2014
In 2014, Carrie Underwood's song, "Something in the Water," became a crossover success, topping the Hot Country Songs and Hot Christian Songs charts. She became the female country artist with the most number-one hits on the Hot Country Songs chart in the Nielsen SoundScan era. She also earned $10 million between 2013 and 2014, topping Forbes' list of the top-earning American Idols.
2014: Rolling Stone Praises Underwood as the Female Vocalist of Her Generation
In 2014, Rolling Stone described Carrie Underwood as "the female vocalist of her generation of any genre", acknowledging her exceptional vocal talent.
2014: Time names Underwood as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World
In 2014, Time featured Carrie Underwood in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Brad Paisley praised her as a prolific songwriter, trendsetter, and Opry member, calling her the best singer in any format of music.
2014: Listed as one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world
In 2014, Time listed Carrie Underwood as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
2014: Underwood Becomes Top-Earning American Idol Alum
Since 2014, Carrie Underwood has been recognized as the top-earning American Idol alum of all time, surpassing other contestants from the show's 15 seasons.
February 2015: Release of "Little Toy Guns" in February 2015
In February 2015, "Little Toy Guns" was released as the second single from Carrie Underwood's Greatest Hits compilation. The track peaked at number six on Billboard's Hot Country Songs and was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards.
October 23, 2015: Release of "Storyteller" on October 23, 2015
On October 23, 2015, Carrie Underwood's fifth studio album, Storyteller, was released. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top Country Albums chart, setting records for Underwood as the first country artist to have their first five studio albums debut at numbers one or two on the Billboard 200 and the first artist to score six consecutive number-one albums on the Top Country Albums chart.
2015: The Guardian Praises Underwood as the Leader of Country Music
In 2015, Grady Smith of The Guardian praised Carrie Underwood, saying she has emerged as the leader of country music.
September 2016: ACM Lifting Lives Gary Haber Award in September 2016
In September 2016, Carrie Underwood was the first artist to receive the ACM Lifting Lives Gary Haber Award, for her continuous work with charities.
2017: Underwood Inducted into Oklahoma Hall of Fame
In 2017, Carrie Underwood was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for her achievements in music, marking a significant honor from her home state.
September 14, 2018: Release of "Cry Pretty" Album on September 14, 2018
On September 14, 2018, Carrie Underwood's sixth studio album, Cry Pretty, was released. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, setting several records, including Underwood being the first woman to hit the top of the Billboard 200 chart with four country albums.
September 2018: Underwood Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
In September 2018, Carrie Underwood received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her numerous achievements in music, solidifying her legacy in the entertainment industry.
2018: Underwood Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
In 2018, Carrie Underwood received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her achievements in music, recognizing her significant impact and success in the industry.
December 2019: Kennedy Center Honors Tribute to Linda Ronstadt
In December 2019, Carrie Underwood attended the Kennedy Center Honors and paid tribute to Linda Ronstadt by performing two of her songs.
2019: Underwood Becomes Most Awarded Artist in CMT Music Awards History
After taking home over 20 awards from 2006 to 2019, Carrie Underwood became the most awarded artist in the history of the CMT Music Awards.
2019: Academy of Country Music Awards nomination and Billboard Music Awards win
In 2019, Carrie Underwood received a nomination for Female Artist of the Year at the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards and performed "Southbound". She also received two nominations for the Billboard Music Awards, winning Top Female Country Artist, bringing her total career wins to 11.
September 2020: Underwood Wins Third Entertainer of the Year Award
In September 2020, Carrie Underwood won her third Entertainer of the Year award from the Academy of Country Music, making her the first woman in history to achieve this milestone.
October 2021: Underwood Scores 16th Number One on Country Airplay
In October 2021, Carrie Underwood scored her 16th number one on the Country Airplay chart with the joint single "If I Didn't Love You".
2021: Latin American Music Awards Performance
In 2021, at the Latin American Music Awards, Carrie Underwood joined David Bisbal for the debut televised performance of "Tears of Gold" in Sunrise, Florida; the pair were nominated for Favorite Video of the Year.
2023: Rolling Stone Ranks Underwood in Top 200 Singers
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Carrie Underwood at number 158 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Mentioned in this timeline
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