In the end, the country got Carried away. Carie Underwood-the 22-year-old country-singin' sweetheart from tiny Checotah, Oklahoma-triumphed over more experienced Alabama rocker Bo Bice, 29, in the fourth-season finale of Fox's American Idol as 36 million fans watched. TV Guide caught up with an ecstatic Underwood moments after her win last month.
Q:What were you thinking when you heard you had won?
Carrie: "Before (host) Ryan (Seacrest) siad my name, I thought about peekin' at the (results) card. Then I was like, 'Nooo.' (Laughs) It took me a second to realize he called my name. Then I tought, 'How on earth am I gonna sing?' (She performed her first single 'Inside Your Heaven') I was so emotional."
Q: So you didn't expect to win?
Carrie: "I kinda prepared myself either way. I didn't wanna go in like, 'I'm gonna win' and then have it not hapen. Bo's so wonderful. I think it was probably very close.
Q: You've said Bo's like you big brother. Did you guys click right away?
Carrie: "We're both Southern and we were among several city folk, so yeah."
Q: What other finalist did you bond with?
Carrie: "Lindsey (Cardinale). She's from Louisiana, so we latched on to each other real quick.
Q: Were you intimidated performing at the Kodak Theatre for the finale?
Carrie: "The first time I stepped on stage, I almost lost it. If you put all the crowds I've ever played in front of all together, it would not equal the size of that crowd. And it's where the Oscars are held!
Q: Were you nervous to perform with Rascal Flatts?
Carre: "I guess people expect stars to be arrogant, but oh gosh, they were so nice. They were like, 'We're behind you 1,000 percent.'"
Q: Simon Cowell predicted you'd win early on. Did that make you more confident?
Carrie: "If I had been sitting there watching, I probably would've been like, 'Excuse me? It's really early to be sayin' that'. I took it as a compliment, because in previous seasons I tended to agree with him, but it also worried me a bit."
Q: There's been some criticism that you're a little wooden.
Carrie: "I know my performance skills aren't like Bo's. I need to work on that. I mean, I've never been in a situation like American Idol before. I performed a little bit in hight school at county fairs and some music festivals, but when I got to college, I kind of quit."
Q: Why?
Carrie: "I thought, 'OK, Carrie, some dreams are supposed to be dreams. Time to grow up and go to college and get a real job.' But I prayed about it. I was like, 'If this is what I'm supposed to do, then the right doors will open up.' And they did."
Q: Would you like to finish college?
Carrie: "I spent three and a half years working toward (a journalism degree), so it's not something I wanna throw away. And who knows? Something horrible could happen and I could never be able to sing again."
Q: What kind of album do you want to make?
Carrie: "Country. I'll just listen to a whole bunch of songs and see which ones stand out to me."
Q: Have you gotten used to being a household name yet"
Carrie: "I don't think you can get used to that. I honestly hope I don't. I mean, I know where I come from and I really wanna keep people around who remind me of that. If I can do that, I think it's gonna be fun."