Carrie Underwood wasn’t sure her fan base was ready for her to dig her keys into a “pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive.”

The American Idol winner admitted she was nervous about recording “Before He Cheats” — the fiery revenge anthem that would go on to define her early career.

Second Thoughts About a Smash Hit

Speaking with People recently during a press stop for the new season of American Idol in Nashville, Underwood said she questioned whether the bold lyrics were too much at the time.

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

Thankfully, she did — and everything changed.

Before He Cheats” first appeared on Underwood’s 2005 debut album Some Hearts, and was released as a single the following year. It topped the charts, won awards, and quickly became a signature hit.

“Everybody loved it so much, we went for it and it … worked,” she said. “But, yeah, 20 years later, we still see people perform it, and it’s a lot of fun.”

From Farm Girl to Powerhouse

Underwood’s image may have started sweet, but “Before He Cheats” showed a different side — and country fans loved it.

Even her kids are fans. “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,’” she recalled.

“I walk in there and my 6-year-old [Jacob] is lying on my bed watching my music video,” Underwood said. “And I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ And he’s like, ‘Nothing.’”

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

What Life Looks Like Now

Now, Underwood shares two sons — Isaiah and Jacob — with her husband, former NHL star Mike Fisher. The two married in 2010.

 

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Two decades after her Idol win, she’s still going strong. American Idol returns Monday (Jan. 26) at 8 PM ET on ABC.