Carrie Underwood: I Think It’s Really Important To Live By My Morals
Carrie Underwood, Country singer and new mom reveals her how her own mom helps to keep her in line. (Photo: Getty Images)
It seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity when you are able to talk to one of your idols. Being from the south and a diehard country music fan, I grew up admiring the women of country music. Not only did the powerhouse voices of Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, and Faith Hill inspire me, but I was always amazed at how they handled themselves within the spotlight to live a seemingly normal lifestyle. So when the opportunity came to interview one of my favorite singers ever, Carrie Underwood, I jumped at the chance.
I can remember countless times being one of the thousands of screaming fans during Underwood’s concerts and even signing to be a part of her fan club (yes that actually happened, but I was 17). I watched Carrie’s evolving career, from being discovered on American Idol to becoming an award winning country singer, wife, entrepreneur, health enthusiast, beauty lover, spokeswoman, and most recently a mother. With her album Storyteller releasing today, I spoke to Carrie about her recent achievements, life as a mom, and her (possible) beauty look for the CMAs.
Yahoo Beauty: How do you handle being a role model to your fans? Does the pressure get to you sometimes? How do you handle those moments?
Carrie Underwood: Throughout the ten years that I’ve been lucky enough to do this, I really, I try not to think about it too much. If you think about it, it’s “Oh my gosh, if I do this, if I sing this, if I wear this, if I say this, people might not like it.” But I realized, probably later than I should, that somebody’s not going to like everything you do. I think it’s really important to live by my standards, and live by my morals and just want to do a good job. And there’s really only one person in my life that I feel like can tell me if I am doing well in that, and that’s my mom. She’s my barometer for everything. If she’s proud of me and she thinks I’m doing a good job, then I feel good.
What’s one of the most meaningful interactions that you’ve ever had with one of your fans?
I hear stories about a specific song or album that just really meant a lot to them in a time that they needed it. I’ve heard everything from, “I lost a loved one and these songs made me feel better,” or, “I was going through a tough time in college and this album just helped me get through.” That’s what it’s all about, helping people when they need it, uplifting people, and playing the soundtrack to different people’s lives.
Switching it up to beauty. If you could teach someone one of your beauty tricks what would you teach them?
I’m all about keeping things simple. You really don’t have to try too hard to have a great, all-American beauty look. That is something that I do love about Almay. They keep it easy. There’s not a thousand different colors to choose from as far as foundation. They make it so easy, and that’s really nice because you don’t have to worry about it so much. You can just spend all that time that you would have spent trying to figure it all out, with people that you love or doing things that you love. That’s what it’s all about, feeling good about yourself and not having to try that hard to do it.
Congratulations, by the way. How has motherhood changed you?
Motherhood changes aspects of every single part of your life. He is the number one right now and everything in my life had to become less complicated — from my workout routine, to the clothes that I pick, to my beauty routine, to the food that I make. Because some mornings he may be an easy, breezy baby and I get to take as much time as I want to with getting myself ready, but some mornings, not so much. I learned Mike and myself are a little more easygoing than I thought we’d be as parents and he’s just the best baby, he really is.
You recently launched a fitness line, how has it inspired you to keep motivated and fit?
I love our motto. It’s “stay the path.” You figure out what path you’re on in your fitness and your health journey, and if you veer off the path one day it’s like, alright, stay the path.[We] have cute things, so when I’m ready for a workout or a walk I’m comfortable and I feel good about myself. It’s about being uncomplicated and having those things in your life that just make it easier.
You have the CMA’s coming up. Do you know what your beauty look is going to be?
I have no idea. I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to be wearing. I just had a fitting recently and there’s a lot of really great things, there’s a lot of bright colors right now, which I’m really excited about. Designers were having a little more fun this year, so I got a lot of really great, bright looks. But we always try to kind of build throughout the night and if I am wearing something that’s a little brighter on the red carpet, it’ll probably be nicer to fit to a makeup look and hair that’s just a little simpler, and get a little bit more dramatic as we go. That’s another thing that’s great about having Almay, you can build. You start out with eye shadow that’s a little simpler then you just kind of keep adding then kind of get that smoky eye and by the end of the night I’ll be in full glam mode.
Your album comes out this month, when can we expect a tour?
We’re getting together all the details, the details will come soon. A lot of touring next year!
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