Carrie Is 2008’s Top Country Female Touring Artist

“CARNIVAL RIDE TOUR” PLAYS 137 SHOWS FOR NEARLY 1.2 MILLION FANS IN 2008

UNDERWOOD WRAPS 2008 AS MOST-HEARD ARTIST AT COUNTRY RADIO

Grand Ole Opry member and 2008 CMA and ACM Female Vocalist of The Year, Carrie Underwood, is the top selling country female touring artist of 2008 as her headlining “Carnival Ride Tour,” sponsored by vitaminwater®, wrapped this past weekend with fan attendance close to 1.2 million. Underwood played 137 concerts to many sell-out crowds, and appeared last night on the Grand Ole Opry for her last live performance of the year.

In addition to her highly successful headline tour, 2008 was a stellar year for Underwood. She closes out 2008 as the most-heard artist at country radio and was named the #1 Hot Country Songs Artist by Billboard and #1 Top Country Artist by Radio & Records. She became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, co-hosted the CMA Awards with Brad Paisley, won her first BMI Awards as a songwriter, scored 2 more #1 single co-writes this year for a total of 3, performed for the Idol Gives Back and Stand Up 2 Cancer benefits, sang with Elvis on the Elvis Presley Christmas Duets CD, saw her likeness come to life as the latest wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York, shot television commercials for Nintendo and vitaminwater®, made her second appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” graced the covers of Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, In Style, Shape and more, and she was included for a second consecutive year in People Magazine’s “Most Beautiful” issue.

Underwood heads into the New Year with a Grammy nomination for Best Country Female Vocal Performance for “Last Name,” as well as 3 People’s Choice Award nominations- Favorite Female Singer, Favorite Country Song for “Last Name” and Favorite Star 35 & Under. Underwood will perform on the People’s Choice Awards on January 7, 2009.

Since winning “American Idol” in 2005, Underwood has become one of the most popular performers in the nation. Her debut album, Some Hearts, is the biggest selling “American Idol” debut project to date, having sold more than seven million albums in the United States. With the release of her current album Carnival Ride, she has now sold nearly 10 million albums in just over three years and has had nine No. 1 singles. Her many accolades include 8 Billboard Awards, 6 Academy of Country Music Awards, 5 Country Music Association Awards, 5 American Music Awards, 4 CMT Awards, 3 Grammy’s, 2 People’s Choice Awards, 2 BMI Songwriter Awards, and many more.