Carrie Underwood initially questioned if the American public was prepared for her to lyrically destroy cars and exact revenge on unfaithful lovers.

The celebrated artist, now 42, recently shared that she grappled with uncertainty before recording “Before He Cheats,” the fiery anthem from the 2000s that played a significant role in shaping her early career. This revelation came during an interview published on Wednesday, January 21.

“I recall when we were discussing the possibility of recording that song, there was a moment of hesitation, like, ‘Is this too aggressive?’” Underwood explained to People during her appearance at the American Idol season 9 press line in Nashville.

Underwood, a former American Idol champion, disclosed her initial reluctance to record the track. The lyrics, which vividly describe damaging a “pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive” and carving her name into its leather seats, posed a risk to her then-wholesome image.

Nevertheless, Carrie Underwood’s decision to embrace this bold move has solidified her status as the reigning queen of country music. Time and again, throughout her stellar career, she has demonstrated her uniqueness and talent. The singer first captured the nation’s heart as a contestant on season 4 of American Idol in 2005, subsequently clinching the title and producing a string of chart-topping hits.

“Because I was like a sweet farm girl on [American Idol] — and I hope that’s who I still am — but it was almost, ‘Maybe we don’t do this song,’” she explained.

“Before He Cheats” was first featured on her debut album, Some Hearts, which was released in November 2005, and got a second release as a single the following year.

In the end, it worked out for the best as “Before He Cheats” not only dominated the charts, but also became one of her staple hits. “Everybody loved it so much, we went for it and it … worked. But, yeah, 20 years later, we still see people perform it, and it’s a lot of fun,” she added.

Underwood confessed that her own family members can’t even get the catchy track out of their heads.

“I recently was vacuuming my house, and when I turned the vacuum off [there was] a noise coming from my bedroom and I was like, ‘It’s music,’” the singer said, revealing that she recognized it the moment she got closer. “And I walk in there and my 6-year-old [Jacob] is lying on my bed watching my music video. And I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ And he’s like, ‘Nothing.’”

She recalled, “He started going down the rabbit hole of my old music videos.”

FOX ABC has confirmed that Carrie Underwood will replace Katy Perry on the American Idol judging panel for season 23, and Us is feeling nostalgic for the country singer’s 2005 winning season. Underwood, now 41, was 21 when she auditioned for season 4 of American Idol in St. Louis. She wore a pink scoop-neck shirt […]

Underwood is the proud mom of two sons shared with her husband, Mike Fisher. Their first child, 10-year-old Isaiah, was born in February 2015, followed by his younger brother, Jacob, born in January 2019. Underwood and the former hockey player, 45, wed in July 2010.

The “If It Was Up To Me” hitmaker said that she feels “blessed” to have accomplished so much while chasing her dreams, from winning American Idol to serving as a judge for aspiring singers, which has been a full-circle moment for the star, and performing at the 2025 presidential inauguration.

She also spoke about her past discography, and bringing it back to the stage for fans to enjoy all over again. “We’ve kind of started pulling out some of those songs just to play in show form for some recent shows, and I feel like the fans are liking that,” Underwood shared. “And I’m liking that too.”

Underwood added, “I feel like my voice has grown, my musicality, my songwriting, my performance abilities. I just — I feel better.”