Underwood's musical influences include pop, but are predominantly country; she stated during auditions that her favorite singer is Martina McBride. On the April 20 elimination show, Underwood demonstrated her ability to play the guitar. She can also play piano and yodel, the latter of which was demonstrated on the the night after she won.

After singing Martina McBride's "Independence Day" Simon Cowell said he couldn't believe no one has discovered her yet.

On the March 22 show, after a performance of Heart's "Alone", Simon Cowell said, "Carrie, you're not just the girl to beat, you're the person to beat. I will make a prediction, not only will you win this competition, but you will sell more records than any other previous 'Idol' winner." Cowell went on to say on the March 30 show that she has the "it factor" that will make her a star.

On her last song of the night in the final two, Carrie's spectacular performance of "Angels Brought Me Here" had Simon saying, "I think you've done enough to win the competition." On May 25, 2005, she became the fourth winner of , beating Southern rocker Bo Bice, and she joins Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken as the only contestants who have never been one of the "bottom three" singers during any week's results.

As part of her title, Underwood gained a recording contract with Arista Records; her first single, "Inside Your Heaven", was released on June 14, 2005. The single debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with first-week sales of 170,000 copies, and briefly stopped Mariah Carey's run at #1 with "We Belong Together." One week later, runner-up, Bo Bice, released his version of the song, which debuted at #2. Underwood's version was shunned by country radio reaching a peak of #59 on the country charts. [1] The B-side is "Independence Day", a cover of the Martina McBride hit.

Underwood performed a well-received "The Star Spangled Banner" before Game 4 of the 2005 NBA Finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan. In the same year, she starred in ads for Hershey's Chocolate. The commercials have Underwood singing Hershey jingles like the jingles for Hershey's, Kit Kat and Almond Joy. She is also wearing vintage Hershey T-shirts that feature Hershey's, Almond Joy, Kit Kat, Reeses and other chocolate brand logos. The T-Shirts are now available to buy with proofs of purchase. Underwood is also the latest spokesperson for Skechers shoes, following in the footsteps of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

Underwood's second single, "Jesus, Take The Wheel" was made available for radio airplay on October 18, 2005. It received so much airplay that it debuted at #39 on the Billboard Country Chart in its first week, setting a record. It is currently ranked at #1 in its thirteenth week on that chart. The single also debuted at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 where it reached a peak of #25.

Her initial album release, entitled , hit store shelves on November 15, 2005. [2] On that same day, she presented an award and performed "Jesus, Take The Wheel" at the 39th Country Music Association awards in New York City. When the week's sales figures were tabulated, made it #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and the biggest debut of any country artist since the advent of the SoundScan system in 1990.

In December 2005, Underwood was named "Oklahoman of the Year" by was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA with shipments of over 2 million units, making it the fastest-selling debut country album in the history of Nielsen SoundScan.[3]

The album's title track, "Some Hearts," was released to pop and adult contemporary radio. It received moderate airplay and made it to #27 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Top 40.

"Don't Forget to Remember Me" was recently announced as the next single to be released to country radio. [4]

As of November 2005, Carrie Underwood is currently dating Northeastern State University student Chad Eagleton. Pictures of the two of them surfaced when Chad Eagelton posted pictures of him and Carrie at the Maxim after party on his Facebook account. During she dated Drake Clark, also from Northeastern State University. Carrie Underwood and Drake Clark agreed to break it off since the two were not spending enough time together.

She is a big sports fan. Her favorite sports teams are the Oklahoma Sooners, Boston Red Sox, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Lakers.

Carrie was voted "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" in 2005 by animal-rights organization PETA. She beat out such stars as Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix for the honor that she shares with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. She joins the likes of Andre 3000, Shania Twain, and Alicia Silverstone, all previous winners.