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Miranda Lambert rooted for this ‘Idol’ contestant in 2005 — now they’re both mentoring the top finalists

Miranda Lambert's career began with her third-place finish on 'Nashville Star' in 2003

Carrie Underwood has cemented her legacy as one of the most successful and influential artists in country music of the 21st century. Underwood rose to prominence after her win on 'American Idol' season 4 in 2005, after which she released her hit single 'Inside Your Heaven.' This song established her as one of the leading country artists working at that time. However, where there's a star, another shines close behind.

At the time the world was witnessing Underwood shine through the glory of 'Idol,' another country music artist, Miranda Lambert, was already gaining recognition. Lambert's career began with her third-place finish on 'Nashville Star' in 2003, as she then went on to release her breakthrough album 'Kerosene.' Since then, the two have had a shared career in country music, with the duo even releasing a duet called 'Somethin’ Bad' in 2014. The virtuoso duo's career paths crossed again when Lambert was announced to mentor the 'American Idol' season 23 top 10 finalists. The Grammy-winning singer appeared on 'Ladies Night,' a celebration of women in music, as reported by Screen Rant. While there, Lambert made an uplifting comment for Carrie Underwood.

Welcoming Lambert as a guest mentor for a recent episode, 'American Idol's official Instagram handle dropped a video of her answering a question where she was asked what her favorite 'Idol memory was. The 'Mama's Broken Heart' singer stated how she watched and voted for Carrie all the way back in 2005: "My idol memory is Carrie Underwood. Honestly, I remember watching her and voting for her and thinking, 'This gal's going to go do some big stuff.' And here we both are twenty years later, still at it." 

'American Idol' season 23 has seen a judges switch with Underwood taking Katy Perry's place as a judge after her exit. While there have been various criticisms by fans for Underwood's lack of commitment as a judge, there has been a unanimous feeling amongst the fans that all three judges as a whole have been quite incompetent. The Daily Mail reported that the judges often praise contestants despite them delivering an underwhelming performance. Needless to say, there is a lot of animosity considerably focused on Underwood owing to her new role as a judge.

Lambert's admiration for Underwood, paired with her personal connection to 'American Idol,' made her the perfect person to mentor the top 10 finalists of 'Idol' as the show nears its end. That said, Lambert finally made her 'Idol' entrance with the performance of the iconic song 'Kerosene' from the album of the same name. She quite literally set the stage on fire as the country artist performed one of her most iconic songs as the words 'Kerosene' blazed in fire behind her.