Carrie Underwood Calls American Idol the “Most Horrifying Thing”

Carrie Underwood is pure poise on the red carpet, on stage and on TV – but she’s finding it hard to strike a balance these days, she said.

Hoda Kotb pulled Carrie off to the side after her singing was done for the day and sat down for a gal chat (it was so casual Hoda was still in hair rollers) in the green room and learned a few things. I was in LA, of all places, by myself, putting myself out there, which is a scary thing for anybody to do.

Not only is the couple giving their son Isaiah a lot of attention, but it looks like Underwood is dedicating a few of her musical efforts to him too. “I’ll probably never find the answers to those questions”.

One thing that does help calm her nerves, she explained, is to have a conversation with herself.

Carrie Underwood did admit that she is still a bit shy.

And 10 years after her big win, Underwood has released five studio albums – her latest, Storyteller, is out now – she’s won seven GRAMMYs, 11 ACM Awards and, just this year, welcomed her first child with hubby Mike Fisher.

Underwood just came out with her new album, Storyteller, and EW gave her an wonderful review on the new music. “And you know if you still love them even though you’ve heard them a gazillion times”, laughed Underwood, “you know you’re on the right track, and I feel like that’s where we are right now”.

It’s got the energy to move the O2 when she headlines at the C2C Country to Country festival next spring, but it’s a pretty painful listen at home. Hot Nashville producer Jay Joyce helms six songs, including the hit single “Smoke Break” and the swampy, southern gothic “Choctaw County Affair”, which pushes Underwood into a soulful new sound.

Are you surprised to hear that Carrie Underwood calls her experience on American Idol “horrifying”? She is easily one of the most successful artists to ever come out of the show.