Carrie Underwood always dreamed of being a singer, even as a child. The Oklahoma native loved performing from a young age, putting on shows for whoever would watch, even if it happened to be just her parents.

“I think my favorite Fourth of July memory would be going to the fireworks stand and picking out which fireworks I wanted to do,” Underwood recalls to UMG. “I must’ve been like seven or eight, and I came home and made a list of what order I wanted to do them in, because I wanted to put a show on for Mom and Dad, and of course I couldn’t wait until it was dark outside.

“So, I made my Mom and Dad get the lawn chairs and come out to the backyard and watch some not very dramatic fireworks at like 6:00 in the evening, but I was so proud of myself, and I was so proud of the show that I put on,” she adds. “So, I feel like that was a little training for what I do now – putting on shows, figuring out how it’s all going to work out.”

Underwood will release her Denim & Rhinestones (Deluxe Edition), out on September 22. The new project will have six new songs added to the original record, which came out ln June of 2022, including her current single, “Out Of That Truck,” and “Take Me Out,” which Underwood recently released.

“Out Of That Truck,” which began climbing up the charts as soon as it was released, was written by Underwood, along with Lydia Vaughn and David Garcia.

“‘Out Of That Truck,’ it was inevitable, I guess. I knew that someday I’d have a truck song,” Underwood said in a video shared on social media.

“It was like having this memory, nostalgic kind of song where it’s like, you can’t get over somebody, but it’s because of all the physical marks that you left in the space, that you left in a space, a truck,” she added. “Nail polish on the tailgate, dings on the door.”

The mother of two recently celebrated her 15th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.  For a singer who has traveled the world in the 18 years since she won American Idol, the Opry stage remains her favorite place to perform.