17 years after being crowned the American Idol, Carrie Underwood is feeling sentimental.
The “Denim & Rhinestones” singer reflected on her 17-year anniversary of winning American Idol Wednesday (May 25) via her Instagram page. In reflecting on her big Idol win, Underwood shared a photo of a journal entry detailing the life-changing moment.
“It came down to the final moment,” Underwood wrote in the entry. “Ryan had the gold card in his hand. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that they presented [fellow finalist Bo Bice and Underwood] with keys to 2 identical red convertible 2005 Mustangs! How cool is that?! Anyways, back to the story. Big moment.”
She continued, “I took one look at the amazing crowd and let it sink in for a few seconds. Ryan said something like, ‘And your 2005 American Idol is…’ My heart beat fast & I closed my eyes. CARRIE UNDERWOOD!!! The crowd went wild.”
“I immediately started crying,” Underwood continued in the entry. “It was a beautiful moment. All the other contestants were sent out to hug me. I was crying the whole time. Then I was asked to sing. I blubbered through ‘Inside Your Heaven,’ she revealed.
Although Underwood’s win happened 17 years ago, she said she still feels the “excitement [of her win] through the pages [of her journal entry].”
“Today is the 17-year anniversary of my @americanidol win!” Underwood captioned her post on Instagram. “Where does the time go? Please enjoy a page from the journal of a 22-year-old farm girl who just had the most incredible night! I still feel the excitement through the pages! Happy anniversary to me and a forever ‘thank you’ to all who voted!,” she said, adding a ☺️ to the post.
Songwriter Nicolle Galyon responded to Underwood on Instagram, commenting, “this is amazing.”
Underwood won season four of Idol. She auditioned for then-judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paul Abdul, singing a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s hit “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
Following her audition, Cowell remarked that Underwood had done “very good.”
READ: Remember When Carrie Underwood Was Crowned The Winner Of ‘American Idol’? Re-Live Her Winning Moment
Since winning Idol, Underwood has experienced huge success, with seven albums that have been certified platinum or multi-platinum, selling 66 million records worldwide, and scoring 28 No. 1 singles (14 of which she co-wrote).
Most recently, Underwood wrapped up her Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency 2022 and announced her ninth studio album, Denim & Rhinestones (due out Jun. 10). Underwood also shared she’d be returning to Vegas to continue her residency in 2023.
Underwood returned to the Idol stage this season to mentor the top 5 contestants. Underwood was also supposed to perform on the season 20 finale, but had to withdraw due to a COVID-19 exposure within her group.
