Carrie Underwood insists her success on pop radio was not a calculated move. "We've never really pushed anything as far as things crossing over," Underwood tells the Tulsa World. "'Before He Cheats' is our biggest crossover song to date, and we were told upfront that it was too country and that we needed to change the music on it so it sounded more poppy. I'm not willing to do that."Underwood's persistence paid off. 'Before He Cheats' spent more than a year on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, which contributed to over 11 million albums sold so far. "I remember growing up and listening to these (country) songs that I loved, and they were such great songs. Then it always seemed like people dumbed-down the song and put some stupid synthesizer, drum loops on it that I really thought cheapened the song to make it fit into another format."
Underwood -- who seems a natural fit in the class of female country icons who have enjoyed crossover success, including Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and Martina McBride -- says she never intended to join such an elite group. "No, I don't have goals like that," Underwood says. "I just do what I do and hope that I can keep doing it. If stuff like that happens, then it's awesome. But if not, then that's fine, too."
Reader Comments(1 of 1)
Juliannaat 12-30-2008
Props to Carrie for refusing to cross over!