It was late summer in 2004. A 21-year-old girl from Checotah, Oklahoma, was sitting in the back of her parents' car, probably wondering why on earth she was driving hundreds of miles to St. Louis. She wasn't a "star" yet. Far from it. Honestly, she was a senior at Northeastern State University who thought she might end up as a news anchor if the whole singing thing didn't pan out.
That girl was Carrie Underwood.
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Most people remember the polished superstar who dominated Season 4, but the actual carrie underwood american idol tryout was a lot more human, a bit awkward, and surprisingly weird. She almost didn't go. Seriously. During the drive to the airport for the Hollywood round later on, she actually burst into tears because she realized she’d forgotten her lip liner. Her dad literally offered to turn the car around and go back to the farm. "We can go home right now, and we don't ever have to talk about it again," he told her.
She stayed in the car.
The Audition Room: Chickens and Third Nipples
When Carrie finally walked into that room to face Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul, she wasn't wearing sequins. She had on a simple, off-the-shoulder pink top and jeans. Her hair was a cloud of tight, 2004-era blonde curls.
She was visibly shaking.
Before she even sang a note, the judges started chatting with her. This is where the "human" stuff happened that usually gets edited out of memory. She told the judges she was the captain and quarterback of her football team back home. Then, for some reason, the topic of "scary" Simon came up. She admitted she was terrified of him.
And then there was the chicken clucking.
Yes, before becoming the queen of country music, Carrie Underwood proved to Simon Cowell that she could cluck like a chicken with startling accuracy. Simon’s reaction? "God, that was good." It’s a bizarre footnote in TV history, but it broke the ice. Oh, and she also casually mentioned she was born with a third nipple (which she’d had removed). It was the kind of oversharing that only happens when you're 21 and your adrenaline is red-lining.
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Singing the Song
When it finally came time to actually perform, she didn't pick a country song. She went with "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt.
It was a strategic move.
Word had gotten back to her through a producer that Simon wasn't exactly a fan of country music at the time. She wanted to show range. The second she started singing, the room changed. You can see it in the old footage—the way Randy’s eyebrows go up and Simon actually stops smirking. Her voice had this crystalline power even then.
Simon Cowell’s "Black and White" Theory
Simon Cowell has looked back at the carrie underwood american idol tryout many times over the last two decades. He famously said that before she walked in, the entire cast of contestants that year felt like they were in "black and white."
"She walked in in color," he said.
It wasn't just the voice; it was the total package. Even though she was a "farm girl" (her words), she had a technical precision that was miles ahead of the other hopefuls. By the time she got to the Top 11 and sang "Alone" by Heart, Simon made a prediction that basically ended the competition months before the finale.
He told her: "Not only will you win this show, you will sell more records than any other previous Idol winner."
He was right.
At the time, Kelly Clarkson was the gold standard. To say a country singer from Oklahoma would eclipse that was a massive gamble. But the stats eventually backed him up. To date, she’s moved over 85 million records. Not bad for a girl who was worried about her lip liner.
The Numbers Behind the Audition
- Audition City: St. Louis, Missouri.
- Contestant Number: 14887 (She says this number is still tattooed in her brain).
- Audition Date: August 11, 2004.
- Winning Date: May 25, 2005.
Why the Audition Almost Failed
We like to think of these things as destiny, but Carrie has been very open about her "Idol" journal lately. In 2025, she shared snippets of it, revealing how much she struggled with the pressure.
She felt like a "target" was on her back after Simon’s praise.
She was a shy kid. The "scary" part of the carrie underwood american idol tryout wasn't just the judges; it was the realization that her life was about to stop being private. She was still enrolled in college while the show was airing. She actually went back and graduated magna cum laude in 2006, after she’d already become a household name.
That level of discipline is rare. Most people would have dropped out the second the first check cleared.
What You Can Learn From Carrie's Journey
Looking back at the footage now—especially with Carrie returning to the show as a judge—it’s clear why she won.
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It wasn't just the high notes.
- Preparation over Personality: She didn't try to "act" like a star. She just sang better than everyone else.
- Adaptability: She knew the judge’s bias (Simon’s dislike of country) and picked a song to bypass it.
- Resilience: She didn't let the "scary" factor stop her from showing her personality, even the weird chicken-clucking parts.
If you’re looking to watch the original carrie underwood american idol tryout, you can find the raw clips on YouTube or through the Idol to Icon series. It’s a great reminder that everyone starts somewhere—usually in a wrinkled shirt with a "14887" sticker taped to their chest.
If you want to understand her vocal technique from that era, listen to her cover of "Independence Day" by Martina McBride from the Hollywood rounds. It shows the transition from the nervous girl in St. Louis to the powerhouse that would eventually run the industry. Focus on the breath control in the bridge; it’s where she truly separated herself from the pack.