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Carrie Underwood is surrounded by strong women, and the powerhouse country artist knows which one is her biggest influence: her mom, Carole. Underwood recently reflected on the most inspirational women in her life, both personally and professionally. She said in a statement shared by her record label:
“I would say my biggest female influence would have to be my Mom. She was the first person that I was around that really taught me what it was like to be a woman, to be a Mom, to be a wife, to be a daughter and a sister. And just watching her and how she did everything with grace and integrity and she’s so strong. I mean, she was just the best role model anybody could have ever had.”
Carole has long supported her daughter and her powerful voice, noting that her career spanned far beyond what the family expected. Last year, Carole recalled in an episode of TODAY's “Through Mom's Eyes” that she believed Underwood’s American Idol pursuit would lead to a job in her home state of Oklahoma: “We never even considered that she could win it at all, but at least maybe she could have some face and name recognition, and she would get to be an anchor or something on one of our local TV shows in Tulsa.”
Instead, Underwood went from a mass communications major to introducing her mom to a Tulsa crowd during her “Cry Pretty 360” Tour in 2019. Underwood introduced Carole during “The Champion,” having her perform the portion typically rapped by Ludacris. “Got to share the stage with this amazing champion tonight! Of course, I'm talking about my mom,” Underwood gushed on Instagram at the time.
Underwood is one of many artists included in the star-studded lineup at the iHeartCountry Festival presented by Capital One, set for May 7 in Austin, Texas. Fans can tune in and stream the 2022 iHeartCountry Festival on iHeartMedia's Country music radio stations in local markets across the country, as well as on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio app on May 7th at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT). Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com.