A Blast From The Past!

Carrie Underwood reflected on one of her most memorable performances from her 2005 winning season of American Idol.

At just 21 years old, she won the show during its fourth season, dramatically altering her life.

Recently, she shared a post revisiting her “Independence Day” performance, recalling the excitement of competing with the American Idol audience, especially since she now serves as a judge. Having experienced both roles, she offers a unique perspective on the competition.

Remarkably, during her time as a contestant, she focused less on winning and more on progressing towards the top 10, believing that each step would aid her job prospects after college, where she studied broadcast journalism. She described her mindset back then as very “practical.”

She even read a few short sentences from her diary during the show. In it, she wrote,

“Sometimes I think it would just be easier if I go home. But I know I would regret it forever. I just have to remember that I know I’ve got this. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t good. I can so do this. And who cares if the judges don’t like it? I know I do. LOL.”

Carrie Underwood’s Performance Of “Independence Day”

She performed “Independence Day” by Martina McBride several times throughout the show. Underwood looked up to McBride and said,

“She was somebody that, you know, I looked up to, still look up to. I would want to sing her songs because they were difficult. So in a lot of ways, she kind of taught me how to sing because I was trying to sing her big songs with her big voice. But my very first audition, before I got in front of the cameras, I sang one of her songs, ‘Phones Ring in Olivertown.’ I mean, if I had picked a different song or a different artist, everything might have ended up a lot differently.”

Underwood recounted her final “Independence Day” performance during an Idol exclusive. She performed with voluminous hair, which was the style then, wearing a thin green scarf and an all-denim outfit.

Simon Cowell praised the performance, saying,

“You know, Carrie, I do get a hard time sometimes for being critical, but I think some of the performances I’ve seen tonight, honestly, I’ve seen in karaoke bars across England, America, and yet you have something different, and that’s what you look for, which is that ‘it’ factor. And that’s what it’s all about.“