Carrie Underwood is doing what she was always meant to do. The country music superstar got her start by winning Season 4 of American Idol  in 2005, kicking off a career that continues to grow, 18 years later.

Underwood went to college, graduating with a degree in Mass Communications after winning Idol, but knows in her heart that music is the path she was always meant to take, even if she took other jobs in the beginning to pay her bills.

“My best job is definitely what I do now,” Underwood tells UMG Nashville. “I really like being on stage. I really like performing for people and just having fun and singing, because that’s what I feel like I was born to do.”

 

The Oklahoma native might have a glamorous life now, but her first jobs were anything but that. Underwood recalls some of her early jobs in her small town of Checotah, which were definitely a test of her patience and strength.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad job. I’ve had hard jobs,” Underwood maintains. “I’ve had jobs that worked random hours. My first job was at a gas station, and that was a lot of fun actually. While I was working at the gas station, I took another job at a hotel down the street. There was nobody else working there. I had one day of training and then the next day I came in, and the lady that had worked there the longest and was training me just didn’t show.

“So, the second day at work I was now in charge, ‘cause I was now the senior member that was working at the hotel,” she adds. “So, I feel like that one was really challenging to figure my way through it, but I did.”

Underwood just released “Give Her That,” from her forthcoming Denim & Rhinestones (Deluxe Edition) album, out on September 22. The song, written by Underwood, David Garcia and Lydia Vaughn, was inspired by thinking about a painful breakup.

“‘Give Her That’ is a story about a relationship that is no longer,” Underwood explains. “The person’s kind of moved on, and it’s like, ‘I see who you’re with. She’s beautiful, she’s perfect. I’ll give her that. But you can’t give her the time that we spend together.’ And I feel like everybody’s kind of got some of that in their lives. If you’re stalking somebody on socials or something like that, they’re like, ‘Oh, they’ve moved on. Of course. Really glad for them. That’s great,’ but I haven’t.”

Underwood’s “Out Of That Truck,” single is currently in the Top 40. She has added dates to her REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency, due to fan demand. Pre-order Denim & Rhinestones (Deluxe Edition), and find all of Underwood’s upcoming shows at CarrieUnderwoodOfficial.com.

Read ‘Carrie Underwood: 11 Things to Know About the Global Superstar’ here.