Carrie Underwood ‘In Shock’ Over CMA Awards Win for Female Vocalist of the Year

Carrie Underwood was emotional when she accepted her CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year during the live broadcast on Wednesday, Nov. 14. The singer, who also returned as co-host with Brad Paisley for their 11th consecutive year, was nominated alongside Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert, and admitted backstage she didn’t think she would actually win.

“I think I’m still in shock to be honest,” Underwood shared with PopCulture.com and other media. “When we were making this [Cry Pretty] album, I would be lying if I said I didn’t want awards, because I’m a competitive person and I do love these. I love these shows; I love the CMAs. I have such respect for this show and this organization. But when you’re making an album you want it to be better. You want to push yourself as an artist.”

“And for me with all the ups and downs that we’ve been through,” she added, “plus making an album on top of all of that, this one definitely means a lot.”

Underwood co-produced Cry Pretty with David Garcia, giving her the chance to make music exactly the way she wanted to – and perhaps giving her the edge she needed to take home the CMA Award this year.

“It gave me the opportunity to hear things in a different way,” Underwood explained. “Before I would always go in and do my job, and you want to be a good storyteller, but this was more about creating that story from the very beginning. Producing was definitely just a way to be able to hear myself and hear the musicians and hear the songs in a different way instead of doing my job and letting other people do theirs.”

“It was just more freedom to just really make it my own,” she continued. “Looking back on everything, it was scary and I was probably jumping into things that I wasn’t really 100 percent sure that I wanted or what I wanted to do with it. But, it was just such an incredible experience. And getting to listen to my own vocals, and I don’t know just feel things in a different way. It was a wonderful opportunity and definitely on I don’t take lightly and would love to do again.”

Underwood revealed during the televised show that she is pregnant with a boy, who will be a little brother to her son, Isaiah. Although the Oklahoma native hasn’t divulged when she is due, she will be a mother of two by the time she launches her Cry Pretty Tour 360 in May, making her busier — and richer — than ever.

“I’m a working mom, working wife,” Underwood said through tears. “Same as all of the other ones out there. My job’s kind of weird, but you just figure your way through it and women, we ladies are good at that. I’m honored to get to hold some pretty incredible titles. Mom is definitely one of them. I’m just excited. I’m excited that they get to see their mom do that and see me on stage. Hopefully I can be an inspiration to my children and to other working moms out there because we got this.”

Photo Credit: Getty images / Erika Goldring