American Idol winner’s hits include songs by Nova Scotians; now she’s coming here
By ANDREA NEMETZ Entertainment Reporter
Thu. Oct 9 - 6:04 AM
Carrie Underwood performs the opening act of the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 18 in Las Vegas. (MARK TERRILL / AP)
GORDIE SAMPSON likes to write tearjerkers, acknowledges country star Carrie Underwood.
The American Idol season 4 winner is making her first trip to Nova Scotia, home of the man who co-wrote Jesus Take The Wheel, one of her biggest hits.
She plays a sold-out concert at Halifax Metro Centre on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and the song co-written by Sampson, Brett James and Hillary Lindsey, which earned Grammy Awards for Country Song of the Year and Female Country Vocal performance, is likely to be on her set list.
So will the Sampson-Lindsey-Steve Mc-Ewan co-write Just A Dream, the latest single off Underwood’s new album Carnival Ride, which went double platinum less than two months after its October 2007 release.
"Just A Dream is another great story," says the down-to-earth 25-year-old singer by phone from Cincinnati, Ohio, one of 51 stops on her fall North American tour.
"I’ve been very lucky, all the people who are close to me are still around and I’ve never lost anyone in a military conflict. Even though I’ve never been in a situation like that, I definitely could empathize with all the characters."
Just A Dream, currently at No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot Country chart tells the tale of an 18-year-old would-be bride who is greeted at the church not by her soldier groom, but by a folded-up flag.
The reigning Country Music Association female vocalist of the year says she knows people with spouses serving in the military, as are a couple of people she with whom she went to high school.
"When we were in Iraq, I ran into someone who was my neighbour growing up. I had no clue he was serving there," she says, referring to her performance with the USO Christmas Tour in Iraq in 2006.
The trip made a big impression on the Muskogee, Okla. native.
"I didn’t know what to expect. I thought people would be so bummed out. But they gave me pictures, DVDs of them in classrooms, working with children. You don’t see any of that stuff in the news. The only things you hear about are the really awful stuff and it was interesting to go over there and see people who were really doing good."
Sampson’s second tune on the album, another co-write with McEwan and Lindsey is entitled Get Out of This Town.
Underwood said she had no idea Jesus Take The Wheel, the first release off her debut CD which spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country chart, would be such a huge hit, even crossing over to No. 20 on the billboard hot 100.
"I’m not a record exec and I don’t pretend to be. I just love the song. I love singing the song. I love everything about it. . . . People, no matter their religious beliefs, can listen and relate.
"There’s some point in your life that makes you really think about things and where you’re going."
Expectations were high for Carnival Ride after her 2005 debut Some Hearts sold seven million copies, but Underwood, who won a 2007 Grammy for best new artist, says she doesn’t worry about a sophomore album curse. "So many wonderful things have happened to me. Nobody can ever take that away from me. Anything else that happens is icing on the cake."
She’s grateful to American Idol, which she won each week handily, noting the hit TV show is why "a lot of people were looking at me in the first place."
"It was my opportunity, my shot. I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for American Idol. After the show, I did everything possible to prove myself and I still look at every award show performance, TV performance, being on stage every night, as an opportunity to prove myself. It just pushes me to work harder."
Underwood has been back performing on American Idol – where Jesus Take The Wheel was covered by season 6 contestant LaKisha Jones – several times and says she’ll return any time she’s asked.
"I love meeting new contestants, even if I’m not on the show I’ll go meet them."
Sunday’s concert will feature songs from both albums and from live performances on TV. "People will recognize everything. We take the best of the first and the best of the second and throw in some favourites that were never on the radio.
"I love it when people know the words. Before He Cheats, as soon as it starts, everyone recognizes it and screams really loud. Everyone sings along. You see these big six-foot-something guys, you can tell their wives totally dragged them to the show, but they’ll sing along. It’s fun to do live." ( anemetz@herald.ca)
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Jade_kt For This Useful Post:
Thank you for my set Clay! Saw And Met The Cast Of Wicked On 10/07/06 And 11/26/06!I Met Carrie On March 22nd!!!! Saw Carrie At Her Fan Club Party In Nashville On 6/03/08! Met Carrie AGAIN October 6th!
Cause I'll be there in the back of your mind from the day we met to you makin me cry
& its just too bad, you already had the best days; the best days of your life♥
"I didn’t know what to expect. I thought people would be so bummed out. But they gave me pictures, DVDs of them in classrooms, working with children. You don’t see any of that stuff in the news. The only things you hear about are the really awful stuff and it was interesting to go over there and see people who were really doing good."
I've heard that many, MANY times. It's unfortunate that we only hear about the bad stuff because I know there's a lot of really good things going on over there.
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