Carrie Underwood felt this judge put a 'target on her back' during her 'American Idol' days: 'What an...'
Carrie Underwood has been reminiscing about her 'Idol' journey ever since she stepped into the judge's seat on 'American Idol'. The country queen recently launched the 'Idol Icon Webseries', a nostalgic backstage look into her trials and triumphs as a former contestant and winner. During its very first episode, Underwood discussed her famous performance, a powerful rendition of Heart's 'Alone', and remembered the then-judge Simon Cowell lauding her. She revealed that Cowell predicted her win and also stated that she would “sell more records than any other previous Idol.” However, Underwood recalled getting an instant panic attack because she thought the record mogul had put “a target on my back.”
“What an incredible prediction — from me, you know, thinking ‘I’m gonna sing this song, oh my gosh, you know, they’re probably gonna hate it, but I’m gonna do it anyway,’ and then to get that reaction,” the Grammy winner said during the series. “At the time, I thought, ‘This is amazing,’ and then about five seconds later, I thought, ‘I have a target on my back. Now everybody’s gonna hate me.’ Just because that’s such a bold tip, you told me I was going to win the show. I remember thinking people might not like me after that, and being really nervous," she added, as per Entertainment Now.
The 'Victory in Jesus' singer reflected that it was important for a contestant to choose their songs wisely for each round. Going back to her 'Alone' performance, Underwood revealed that she decided to perform a rock number while ditching her comfort zone with country music. “Song choice is so difficult when you are doing something like this, because just as much as people are listening to you sing it, they’re thinking about the original song," she said. "And I remember week to week, you know, we would get critiqued, and it would be like, ‘Oh, you know, you’re playing it so safe. You’re being so safe with your choices.’ And it’s like, ‘Well, does that matter if I do a good job?'” Underwood stated.
The multi-platinum artist continued, “I was like, ‘Okay, I’m just gonna throw caution to the wind. And I think I even remember, like, writing in my journal how much they were not gonna like me singing this song and being not so much worried. I was like, ‘They’re gonna hate it, (but) whatever. I really want to do it. So, okay, let’s go.’ Never know what’s gonna happen. Just gotta do the best you can.”
Now being on the show as a judge, Underwood expressed feeling overwhelmed during eliminations because she relives her journey in her head. She admitted to feeling the contestant's pressure because she had been in their shoes before. “I feel like there are so many incredible artists that have come from this show, winners and non-winners,” she said. “I mean, this is a life changer for so many of us, and we’re still … going! And that’s, you know, why we’re here," she concluded by saying that it would be absolutely incredible to witness someone's winning journey on 'American Idol'.