For over 20 years, Carrie Underwood has faced Hollywood’s many challenges. Despite the ebbs and flows throughout her career, the country music star has remained steadfast in one thing: her faith.
After Monday’s faith-themed episode of “American Idol,” Underwood — who won the singing competition in 2005 and joined as a judge last year — opened up about how she has managed to navigate the entertainment industry’s “self-serving” ways and maintain her authenticity.
“Faith is the thing that can keep you grounded,” she told Fox News Digital. “When you’re in the entertainment industry, there’s a lot of things that, and I’ve said this before, it’s just not real life. You can get caught up in a lot.”
CARRIE UNDERWOOD SHARES SECRET TO RAISING GROUNDED CHILDREN ON TENNESSEE FARM
“You’re kind of in a self-serving business,” she added. “Everybody around you is there to make sure you’re good, and you’re happy, and you have everything you need, and I feel like you can start to… you can lose your roots real fast, you know. So I think faith is the only way to keep you grounded.”
The Oklahoma native first captured the hearts of many on “American Idol” in 2005. After her victory, Underwood achieved instant success with singles such as “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “Before He Cheats” off her debut album “Some Hearts,” which became the bestselling debut album of all time by a solo female country artist. She went on to release eight more studio albums, including “Carnival Ride” (2007), “Play On” (2009), “Blown Away” (2012) and more.
As an “Idol” judge, Underwood’s career has come full circle.
“Every once in a while, I will see glimpses of myself in a hopeful, whether it’s somebody being super nervous or sometimes stylistically, just navigating this,” she said. “This is weird, let’s be honest. Being up on stage, singing in front of a whole bunch of people on TV, it’s not your everyday kind of thing.”
“So everybody’s figuring out how to navigate all of it,” she added. “But I’m just glad that we get to be a part of somebody’s journey, lots of people’s journeys.”
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During Monday’s episode, Underwood performed the worship song “How Great Thou Art” and praised the show’s decision to give contestants a platform to express their individual beliefs.
WATCH: CARRIE UNDERWOOD WARNS HOLLYWOOD IS A ‘SELF-SERVING BUSINESS,’ CREDITS FAITH FOR KEEPING HER FROM LOSING HER ROOTS
“I think it’s for me personally being here on our songs of faith night. It was just joyful, you know, it was happy,” she said. “It was people up there sharing their heart, and whatever that was to them, whether it was some song that, you know, touched them that was inspirational to them or whether it was something that they got to praise the Lord with. It was just a joyful, happy, lovely night.”
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During an appearance on a recent episode of “The View,” Underwood — who was joined by her fellow “American Idol” judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie — opened up about how she manages to keep her home life grounded at her Tennessee farm with husband Mike Fisher and their two sons, Isaiah and Jacob.
“I don’t bring work home with me,” Underwood told the TV hosts. “And it is the opposite of what I do everywhere else, like being on stage and being at home. These are two different people, pretty much, and I love that because it’s like they’ll come to shows, and they’ll see me do what I do, and I feel like they’re proud.”
“But mom makes dinner,” she continued. “I’m usually covered in dirt, or I have farm animals everywhere, or I’m covered in poop or whatever it is. That’s mom, and I hope, more than anything, that’s what they take away from me and that’s what they remember about me. Like she was mom and every once in a while she goes and gets on stage.”
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While balancing life onstage and life at home, Underwood said she still manages to find things that motivate her to continue persevering within the industry.
“I think the things that motivate me are things I get excited about and, whatever that is, you know, whether it’s singing at church or, you know, some project comes up that I’m like, I just want to be a part of that even if it doesn’t quite make sense,” she told Fox News Digital. “It’s like being able to find those things that still get me excited.”
