Carrie Underwood Debuts Official Video for ‘The Champion’ on ‘Today’

Carrie Underwood‘s “The Champion” was released earlier this year ahead of major sporting events Super Bowl LII and the Winter Olympic Games, but the singer has given fans one more thing to be excited about with the release of the song’s official music video on the Today show Friday morning.

In the video, directed by Jimmy Lynch, shots of Underwood in the studio are interspersed with footage from major historical moments including the moon landing, the Selma March and the #MeToo movement.

The singer is also seen lifting weights and running in the inspiring clip, along with others who are striving to be a champion in their own lives including students, teachers and athletes like Bethany Hamilton and Serena Williams. Underwood’s husband, Nashville Predators hockey player Mike Fisher, even makes an appearance with his team.

There’s also a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it montage of Underwood from childhood photos to the singer’s American Idol days to her current status as a country superstar.

Featuring rapper Ludacris, who is also seen in the video, “The Champion” was written by Underwood, Ludacris and songwriters Brett James and Chris DeStefano.

“When we were writing ‘The Champion,’ our main focus was to celebrate athletes at the top of their game, but we also wanted the song to resonate with people in their everyday lives. We hope the lyrics will inspire people to push themselves beyond their limits to conquer anything they are trying to accomplish or overcome,” Underwood said in a press release. “There’s a champion in every single one of us!”

The song is just the beginning of new music from Underwood, as the star is currently in the studio working on her next album.

She also has yet to return to the public eye since suffering a fall in November that required her to undergo surgery for a broken wrist and receive 40 to 50 stitches in her face.

Photo Credit: YouTube / carrieunderwoodVEVO