Carrie Underwood shares unrecognizable epic throwback photo

Carrie Underwood took a nostalgic trip down memory lane on Monday, sharing an unrecognizable throwback photo from her American Idol audition.

 The 41-year-old season four winner posted the picture on Instagram, captioning it, “REFLECTION of the week: contestant number #14887 received her golden ticket to Hollywood!”

“I can’t believe it has been almost 20 years since auditioning for @AmericanIdol! #ReflectionOfTheWeek,” Carrie added, expressing her disbelief at how quickly time has flown since that life-changing moment.

The official American Idol Instagram page joined in the celebration, commenting, “We love you so much!” 

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Carrie’s reflective post came just a day after American Idol crowned its season 22 winner, Abi Carter. 

Carrie’s journey to stardom began back in 2005 when she captivated the original judges—Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell—with her rendition of Bonnie Raitt’s I Can't Make You Love Me. 

© Michael Zorn/Shutterstock

Despite referring to Simon as “scary” during her audition, Carrie’s powerful performance earned her the golden ticket to Hollywood. 

She eventually won the season, triumphing over finalist Bo Bice. Carrie returned to the American Idol stage in 2022 as a mentor for the season 20 semifinals, guiding a new generation of hopefuls.

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Now, Carrie is preparing for her highly anticipated return to Las Vegas with her extended Reflection residency at the Resorts World Theatre. 

The show, which originally launched in late 2021, has added new dates for 2023 and 2024, with performances scheduled from May 22 to June 1, August 14-24, and October 16-26.

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The Jesus Take The Wheel singer was inducted into the Opry in 2008, three years after winning season four of American Idol, and has since become a staple at the beloved country music stage. She made her performance debut just two weeks after winning the singing competition.

"It's kind of magical," she told the Opry after her debut show, a two-song set which received enthusiastic reviews. "I don't feel like I deserve this at all."

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She spoke about the magic of seeing performances at the Opry when she was younger, saying: "I don't even know how, but I always knew what it was. You don't have to see it or hear it, you automatically just know what it is. That's how legendary it is."