Carrie Underwood on ACM Awards Performance: ‘I’m Not a Center of Attention Kind of Person’

Carrie Underwood made her first public appearance since the accident at the 2018 ACM Awards, where she performed her current single, “Cry Pretty.” Known to be a flawless performer, even Underwood admits that night blew her away.

“When you’re singing something that is straight from your heart, it’s easy to just be in the moment and be connected to it,” Underwood shared on the Today show. “I never realized how much it translates until after the ACM Awards. It was like, ‘Wow, there was something different about that performance.’”

Underwood’s performance earned the singer a lengthy standing ovation, which both humbled and surprised her.

“When I’m singing a song, it’s like I’m in the music, and I’m right there living it,” Underwood reveals. “And then it’s kind of like, as soon as the song ends, I’m like, ‘Oh man, I’m just Carrie again.’ The magic ends somehow, and I turn into a pumpkin in front of everybody. I’m not a center of attention kind of person.”

Underwood wrote “Cry Pretty” after her fall, which resulted in a broken wrist and stitches to her face. But the song, which says, “You can pretty lie and say it’s okay / You can pretty smile and just walk away / Pretty much fake your way through anything / But you can’t cry pretty,” has resonated with listeners all over the country, regardless of their circumstances.

“I feel like people relate to it because it’s like, ‘Oh man, sometimes you just do have to let it out,’” explains Underwood.

“I have had conversations with people, and I feel like people are telling me places where they cry,” she adds. “I’ve heard closet, I’ve heard shower, I’ve heard bathroom. I feel like my car kind of is, which I know people can still see you and they probably have seen me at a stoplight or something and are like, ‘What’s that crazy lady doing over there?’”

The 35-year-old, who previously acknowledged she was worried about her appearance after the accident, still doesn’t feel like she is back to her old self, but she is grateful for those who work hard to make her look and feel as normal as possible.

“I have a dedicated team of professionals who can spackle and paint and paste,” Underwood says. “Every day I feel a little more back to normal.”

Cry Pretty will be out on Sept. 14. Download the single on iTunes.

Photo Credit: YouTube/Today Show