Carrie Underwood is the only female artist nominated for a CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year, a category she has only been nominated in one other time, in 2016. The 36-year-old, who is also nominated for Female Vocalist and Album of the Year (for Cry Pretty), admits she would love to win the Entertainer trophy, although her real reason might be surprising.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want it or it’s an honor to be nominated,” Underwood admitted to Pollstar. “I’m competitive and committed to what we do. But you know that award is about so much more than me. It’s about my team, all the people who work so hard with me – from the label to the road people, the musicians, the songwriters, my management, even the fans because it’s their award, too. I see the fans coming to multiple shows, calling the radio stations, trying to find the music.
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“I could say, ‘I’m just doing this for the fans,’ because there’s a lot of truth in that,” she continued. “And I’d rather be the person who doesn’t win, but should. But I look at the things that go into it: performances, album, tour, vocals, the songs. I want to be the person who truly excels at all those things.”
Underwood would love to walk home with the award for the night’s highest honor, and not just because of her gender.
“I’m bad at campaigning,” Underwood admitted. “It feels icky to say, ‘Vote for ME!’ I don’t like to do stuff like that. Other people might do it, and it feels right for them. I think this stuff has to work for who you are… But it’s everything. I feel that when I see the difference between men and women, I realize it’s not just me.
“I look at Runaway June with ‘Buy My Own Drinks‘ going up the chart, and it should’ve gone faster and higher looking at what’s around it,” she added. “It’s fresh, and it pops out. But they’re three girls.”
Underwood brought out both Runaway June and Maddie & Tae on her extensive Cry Pretty Tour 360, which wraps up on Oct. 31. Although she insists she didn’t invite the all-female acts to tour with her based on their gender, she does hope to continue to prove that women can have the same success in country music as their male counterparts.
“We’re doing all we can,” Underwood said. “Nobody can say we aren’t doing everything we possibly could. Trying to get people to change something just to change it is never easy. Miranda’s doing an all-woman tour that’s completely different from Cry Pretty Tour 360– and that says something, too, about the depth and different kinds of women.
“I look at all these little girls every night, who were just like I was,” she remarked. “There were so many strong, smart talented ladies who helped us believe we could do this. But who do those little girls have? Or who do they get to hear on their radio? So we will keep showing up, showing these artists and people will see it and react.”
Photo Credit: Getty images / Jo Hale
