Carrie Underwood was born on March 10, 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She won the idol of the year on the show American Idol, and has emerged as one of the most popular female performers in country music today. After graduating high school, where she was involved in the music program, Underwood went to Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. There she studied for a degree in broadcast journalism, and became more serious about her career choice. During college she produced a student-run television program and wrote for the school paper, The Northeastern. Having put aside her dreams of becoming a singer, but not completely. During her senior year, Underwood decided to tryout for American Idol. Carrie drove to St. Louis with her mother to audition. Then she waited eight hours before singing Martina McBride’s ”Phones Are Ringing All Over Town” for American Idol supervising producer James Breen. She not only passed that audition, but went on to become the winner of the show’s fourth season.