Carrie Underwood has revealed the best way to get revenge and unlike her hit song Before He Cheats, it doesn’t involve a baseball bat.
The country music super star flew to the UK for an exclusive question and answers session with fans and media at the Charlotte Street Hotel in London on Wednesday to promote her latest album, Denim and Rhinestones.
Ghost Story is the lead single from her new record and while songs about relationships ending is well-trodden ground, there’s a twist.
Speaking to radio presenter Kevin Hughes who led the Q&A, she said: “The twist is she kind of gets her revenge on him by just living her life. It’s like, I’ve moved on, I’m out with my friends, I don’t think about you, but you are so hung up on this girl that he just can’t move on, it’s like she’s haunting him wherever he goes.
“It’s still really powerful. I sing cheating songs, I sing revenge songs I like it; I like that it’s sassy. It’s a lot of fun to kind of play that character, but in all reality the best way to get your revenge on somebody is just to move on.”
Demin and Rhinestones marks the Cowboy Casanova hit-maker’s ninth studio album. Explaining the reason behind the fun title, she said: “If there’s two things that us country ladies like it is denim and rhinestones. If I could have worked, like, hairspray in there somewhere I would have because we like that too!
“I feel like there’s so many moments and so many songs [on the record] that – and I know it probably sounds crazy – I can hear the songs sparkling. There are certain little instrumentation or effects that we’ve put on so that they sound like sparkles.”
Despite the impressive number of records and songs to her name, she insists that doesn’t mean it gets any easier.
She said: “It’s definitely challenging, each [album] presents new challenges. With the last couple of projects we’ve had to figure out how to work differently just because with the state of the world, but it’s always fun and I feel like my confidence as an artist and as a songwriter only goes up, you know, the more that I do it.”
Underwood recently branched out into gospel music with the release of My Savior and performed an epic rock duet with Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose at Stagecoach music festival in the US. While country has her heart, the diverse star wouldn’t rule out dabbling with other genres in future.
She said: “I’m so lucky to have been able to have worked with so many different artists and different kinds of artists. I have gotten to be around Dolly [Parton], I’ve got to be around Steven Tyler, Joan Jett, Tony Bennet, you know, it’s pretty amazing and I love collaborations that are out of the box and out of the ordinary, things that are a bit more unexpected.”
This year incredibly marks 17 years since Underwood first shot to fame after winning the 2005 series of American Idol. In that time, she has sold 66 million records globally and won eight Grammys.
She has also released a number one best selling book, launched a fitness app, and somehow found the time to start a family with hockey player husband Mike Fisher, with whom she shares two sons.
Reflecting on her success, she said: “I’m just very thankful that the stars just lined up just how they did and trying out for American Idol it was not something that I would necessarily do, I’m not that go for it kind of person, but obviously door after door just opened and getting to make music and getting to do the thing that I love most is just incredible. So I know how blessed I am and I’m very grateful.”
Looking to the future, she’s just as excited to see what comes next, saying: “I feel like being this far into my career and having been able to sustain a level that I’m really proud of for all these years and there’s a lot to be thankful for and get to look back on and say I’ve accomplished a lot.
“But it’s always the challenge to try and reinvent and try and keep it interesting and try to keep making music that I love and I’m up for the challenge.”
.@carrieunderwood's humble response to being asked if she will tour the UK again #CarrieUnderwood #DenimAndRhinestones #countrymusic #UK pic.twitter.com/NWVO2knmtk
— Tina Campbell (@lil_ms_tina) June 29, 2022
And for those crying out for a UK tour announcement, she has heard you, and while there’s nothing imminently planned as the world continues to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, never say never.
