Carrie Underwood with Utt (extreme left) and Soon Su Lin, the CEO of Orchard Turn Developments
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At thelovepress conference for the grand opening of Ion Orchard (which happens tonight!), we spoke with Carrie Underwood: Winner of countless awards including four Grammys, the person with the fasting-selling debut country album, for the multi-platinum Some Hearts, and winner of this year’s ACM Entertainer of the Year award, the first woman to win in eight years. love
The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee’s current smash single, Cowboy Casanova, taken from her upcoming album Play On, was also the fasting rising chart single when it was released last month.
So exactly is it like to be Carrie Underwood? We posed some questions to her.
What’s the strangest compliment you’ve been given?
People tell me I’m short. I don’t know, maybe it’s because television makes you look 10 pounds larger or whatever. But they keep saying, “You’re really little” and I’m like, “Wow, I must look really large on TV for you to keep going on about it”!
Does she really look larger on TV?
What’s the best advice ever received?
My mum has always told me, “Do what’s going to make you happy”. And keeping that in mind has done me well.
Are you more of a shopaholic now?
I have become more of a shopaholic, simply because I grew up in Oklahoma and we don’t have malls like this in Oklahoma. So being able to go to places and being around fashion, yes. I’m more of a shopaholic now. I don’t own a $30,000 pair of diamond-studded shoes or anything, but shoes, that’s where a majority of my shopping money goes to.
You were named Entertainer of the Year, the first to win it since 2001.
It felt really amazing. So many people worked so hard for it and for some reason it seems that it’s a difficult to have a woman even nominated so it was an honour to get that nomination but to win that – that felt amazing. I was on cloud nine for months. I still am – I like to go look at the award and say, oh, that actually happened.
What’s the one thing you must have with you when you travel?
Travelling when I don’t have to fly too far, my dog always travels with me. He didn’t make it on this trip because the plane ride would have been awful for him. He usually goes wherever I go. But other than that, I just bring the basics, lots of clothes and lots of shoes – I always over pack!
What’s your musical guilty pleasure?
I listen to everything. I like New Kids On The Block, stuff like that is fun to listen to. I actually worked out to them this morning. I like their newest album (The Block), I’ve seen them in concert like, twice, in the past year. I really like them!
They should be called Old Kids now…
I know. But they’re still hot!
What do you do if you’re unwell and can’t do a show?
So far the shows always go on; I’ve never had to cancel anything due to sickness. People can do more than they think they can do. Basically, when I’m on stage, I feel a hundred times better. But as soon as I get offstage, I feel exhausted. But you do what you’ve got to do. Nobody else out there knows you’re sick, so you do what you can. And you feel better for it.
What do you do on your free days?
I don’t do much of anything. When I have time, I like to visit my parents. But basically, it’s “life” things I have to catch up on – laundry, housecleaning, suitcases I have to unpack and repack. I’m horribly boring.
What’s your most memorable moment?
Winning American Idol. Winning that show was a landmark, a beginning, that’s definitely a moment I would never forget. Embarrassing? I don’t know, sometimes I say dumb things when I’m onstage. It’s not got me in trouble, but just saying silly things can be embarrassing habit. I can laugh at myself, so I don’t get embarrassed too easily.
Have you met any Cowboy Casanovas?
I think women in general come across Cowboy Casanovas every single day. It doesn’t have to be someone in a cowboy hat and the boots, but it’s just this guy, you know, who’s hot and he knows he’s hot, and probably not the nicest guy in the world. I’ve definitely come across my share; I’m not going to name names or anything.
Carrie performs at Ion Orchard at 8pm. Find out what advice Carrie has for our Singapore Idols at http://blogs.todayonline.com/idolchatter/2009/10/15/idol-advice-from-carrie-underwood/
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