Carrie Underwood brought back an American Idol moment that predicted her future — and fans are just as wowed as they were two decades ago.
When the country superstar was a contestant on American Idol season 4 back in 2005, she shocked audiences with a brilliant rendition of Heart's hit 1980s track "Alone." At the time, she left everyone stunned ... and then judge Simon Cowell predicted she'd eventually win the entire competition. Well, 20 years later, she proved just how iconic her performance was back then in a way folks couldn't get enough of.
For the April 27 episode of American Idol, Carrie (who is also a judge for season 23) brought out the big guns by performing "Alone" for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night. And if that wasn't enough, the show's social team had to honor the moment with its own Instagram post.
"20 years later, @carrieunderwood recreates her iconic 'Alone' performance on #AmericanIdol! ❤️🔥🤘," read the caption.
As viewers watched Carrie resurrect a moment that stood out in her American Idol career, they couldn't stop talking about it online.
"Confirming we made the right choice 20 years ago 🔥👏," one person declared in the comments. "Not to be dramatic, but the og 2005 performance changed my life," another reminisced. "And just like that I am 11 years old again in my family living room calling to vote after this performance," a different follower added.
Now, this is a performance we'll definitely remember from Carrie! And this isn't the only time she sang this song since her season 4 American Idol win. Carrie has included "Alone" in her music catalog over the years on tour. She even had the chance to sing the song with Heart back in 2007, and a video of the emotional moment currently has over 8 million videos on YouTube.
Additionally, when Carrie spoke out on her original American Idol moment for a video posted on the show's YouTube channel, she shared how she didn't know what impact the song would have on her music legacy.
"What an incredible prediction!" Carrie shared in the clip. "To get that reaction — on one hand, I think at the time, I thought this is amazing. And then about five seconds later, I thought I have a target on my back now! ... I remember thinking people might not like me after that and being really nervous. The compliment outweighed the fear, because that was just ... it was incredible."
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
