From Underdog to Underwood
The singer who used 10,000 hours, special opportunities, and meaningful work to obtain success.
By Melissa Payne | Biokinetics Major
Carrie Underwood, the twenty-one year old Oklahoma native, stood before the panel of American Idol judges in her jeans and curly blonde hair. She and her mother left their small town of Checotah to make the seven hour drive to St. Louis, Missouri, along with tens of thousands of others hoping for a shot at their dreams. “You must be nervous” Randy Jackson begins. “Just a little” that seasons future winner responds. Singing “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt, Underwood gives America a taste of the voice that they will hear on the top of the Billboard charts for years to come (GRAMMYs, 00:00:20–00:00:27).
Winning the fifth season of American Idol was just the opening door to Carrie Underwood’s successful career. Her debut single, “Inside Your Heaven” climbed the charts until it was on top of the Billboard charts while her debut album Some Hearts quickly went multi-platinum. This album became the fastest-selling female country album since 1991 (Encyclopedia Britannica). Underwood would go on to earn 309 nominations and 171 awards including her seven Grammys (GRAMMY). By the age of 26, just five years after beginning her music career, Underwood became the youngest member to be introduced to the Grand Ole Opry. Today, she is an iconic face and voice in the country music industry.
What made Carrie Underwood different from the other tens of thousands of singers who auditioned for a shot to make their music into a career? As explained in author Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success, “Outliers are those who have been given opportunities- and have the strength and presence of mind to seize them” (Gladwell, 267). Carrie Underwood demonstrates Gladwell’s theories of success through 10,000 hours of practice, special opportunities, and meaningful work which ultimately all worked together to create the distinguished country singer she is today.
From the time she was three years old, Carrie Underwood spent her Sunday mornings singing in her small town’s church choir. Singing alongside her friends in the church choir made singing an activity she loved. This was also a place for Underwood to learn and develop her singing skills on a weekly basis. As she got older, she began to bring her gift outside of the church and began performing at various talent shows and events in her town. By the age of fourteen, her voice caught the attention of a local admirer. This individual then arranged for Underwood to audition for Capitol Records in the music capital: Nashville, Tennessee. However, due to changes in management at Capitol Records, the opportunity fell through and the audition was canceled. Even after the missed opportunity, she continued to perform and pursue music throughout high school (PEOPLE Magazine).
What changed between the church choir girl to the grammy winning artist? The answer: 10,000 hours of practice. A similar question asked by Gladwell in Outliers. He found that “Researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours” (Gladwell, 40). This is an example as seen with the iconic band, The Beatles. In 1960, The Beatles were invited to perform in the strip clubs of Hamburg, Germany. While this may not seem like the typical performing stage of The Beatles, this opportunity provided them the 10,000 hours they needed to become an expert at their skill (Gladwell, 47–50).
The early days of singing on the small stages of her church and talent shows ultimately prepared Underwood for a greater stage by giving her the practice she would need. Collectively, the hours spent practicing in the church choir and singing at various other events tallied up the practice hours Underwood would need. Without the fundamental skills learned in choir and the experience from performing events, Underwood would lack the skills and hours she would need to become the successful later in life.
Underwood and her mother sit in the crowded anxious waiting room in a hotel of St. Louis, Missouri. They are waiting alongside many other nervous successful wannabes for their shot at the up and coming show, American Idol. During the next two months of the 2004 American Idol auditions, more than 100,000 singers, who share the same dream, will audition for the show. There are only 193 positions are available, and of those 193 positions, there will only be one winner (Today). The odds of winning are less one in one thousand; however, in the right hands, this opportunity can be used to launch success.
Sometimes, a chance is all one needs to allow others to recognize their talents
Today, ninety one percent of singers are undiscovered and only 0.2 percent have “made it” in the music industry. (Digital Music News) These singers are not undiscovered due to lack of talent, but more due to lack of an opportunity to showcase their talent. Gladwell references a situation with similar statistics in one of the final chapters of his book, Outliers. Marita is a fifth grader enrolled at a Knowledge is Power Program school, better known as KIPP. These schools are scattered throughout lower income communities. Of the students enrolled here, “ninety percent qualify for ‘free or reduced lunch,’ which is to say that their families earn so little that the federal government chips in so the children can eat properly at lunchtime” (Gladwell, 251). At other schools in the same district, “only about 16 percent of all middle school students are performing at or above their grade level in math.” (Gladwell 251) These students do not seem to have a prosperous future ahead of them; however, with the opportunity of the KIPP schools, their statistics drastically increase. After KIPP, “90 percent of KIPP students get scholarships to private or parochial high schools [and] more than 80 percent of KIPP graduates will go to college” (Gladwell, 267), Without the special opportunity to demonstrate their talent, these students would not go onto be some of the first in their family to attend college.
Sometimes, a chance is all one needs to allow others to recognize their talents. Without the stage of American Idol, Underwood would still fall into the category of the ninety one percent of undiscovered artists. Similarly how the KIPP schools prepared the students for future opportunities, such as scholarships and college educations, American Idol equipped Underwood with the training and the connections to become a decorated country artist. To summarize stories such as Marita’s and Underwood’s, Gladwell say “[They] just needed a chance. And look at the chance [they] were given” (Gladwell, 269).
“She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati on a snow white Christmas Eve. Going home to see her Momma and her Daddy with her baby in the back seat. Fifteen miles to go and she was running low on faith and gasoline, it’d been a long hard year” (“Jesus Take The Wheel”) Underwood wrote her songs with a passion and a meaning behind the lyrics that public could relate to. It was this passion and the meaning behind the songs that brought them to the top of the Billboard charts time and time again.
Many have heard the saying “Choose the job that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” While this is a common saying, a significant amount of research has been done on this topic: work that someone is passionate about. In his study, Jon Jachimowicz, a researcher and psychologist professor at Harvard Law School, found that “perseverance without passion attainment is mere drudgery, but perseverance with passion attainment propels individuals forward” (Jarrett, It’s Not My Work It’s My Passion). When someone is passionate about their work and has the perseverance to pursue it, they will out succeed their peers and competition. Gladwell also comments that “autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward — are, most people will agree, the three qualities that work has to have if it is to be satisfying” (Gladwell, 207). Autonomy is the sense that your work gives one a sense of independence. Complexity is the work engages and entertains both the producer and the benefittor of the product. It is also important to a connection between the effort put in and the reward received from the work. Without these qualities of meaningful work, success is not as easily obtainable.
Combining many of these traits together was what caused Underwood’s work to be so successful. This was a career she was passionate about and this urged her to create complex works that was engaging to both her and the listener. Her songs often shared personal stories of various situations that the public could relate to; from a cheating boyfriend, to spiritual revival, there was a broad spectrum of relatable stories. It was rewarding for Underwood to produce and publish works that she had put great amounts of effort in and it was only an added bonus then to watch them climb the charts. By combining both her passion and talent with her work, Underwood was able to outperform and surpass her peers.
The crowd’s applause finally comes to a pause as Carrie Underwood stands in front of the microphone holding her first two Grammy Awards. Her rise to fame from American Idol and hit song “Jesus, Take the Wheel” earned her the award “Best New Artist” and the “Best Female Country Vocal Performance” of 2006 (GRAMMY). She could hardly contain her excitement as she thanked the many people in the crowd and watching from home who had supported her along her journey. This would not be the last time Underwood would stand on this stage. After going on to win numerous more awards, Underwood would become the female host, alongside country star Brad Paisley, for the CMA’s for eleven consecutive years.
As Underwood said in her Grammy speech, she would not be the artist she is today without help from various supports (GRAMMYs, 00:00:20–00:00:27). However, without obtaining 10,000 hours of practice from an early age, she would not have developed her skills as a singer. Without the opportunity of American Idol, Underwood would not have been set up for future opportunities; and had it not been for meaningful work, Underwood would not have produced the powerful songs and albums that would top the Billboards and win her multiple awards. These Gladwellian traits transformed Carrie Underwood’s passion of singing into a successful career.
WORKS CITED
Bufwack, Mary A. Finding Her Voice: Women in Country Music, 1,800–2,000. Country Music Foundation Press, 2003.
Dehnart, Andy. “‘American Idol’ 101: Frequently asked questions” TODAY, 7 Jan. 2019, https://www.today.com/popculture/american-idol-101-frequently-asked-questions-wbna22541241. Accessed 9 May, 2019.
Elaine Doré Smith, host. “Women want to Hear Women, Featuring Carrie Underwood.” Nash Country Daily, 03 September 2018, http://www.nashcountrydaily.com/2018/09/03/women-want-to-hear-women-with-elaina-featuring-carrie-underwood/. Accessed 12, Apr. 2019.
Jarrett, Christian. “It’s Not My Work, It’s My Passion: How to find your calling” The British Psychological Society, 18, Nov 2018, https://bethel-illiad-oclc-org.ezproxy.bethel.edu/illiad/illiad.dll?Action=10&Form=75&Value=149492. Accessed 9 May 2019.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story Of Success. New York : Back Bay Books, 2011. Print.
Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference. New York : Back Bay Books, 2008. Print
Malcolm Gladwell, host. “Malcolm Gladwell’s 12 Rules for Life.” Revisionist History, Season 3 Episode 7, http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/27-malcolm-gladwell-s-12-rules-for-life. Accessed 17, April 2019
Ray, Michael. “Carrie Underwood: American Singer.” Encyclopedia Britannica 06 Mar. 2019: Web
Recording Academy/GRAMMYs. Carrie Underwood accepting the GRAMMY for Best New Artist at the 49th GRAMMY Awards. Youtube, 30 Jan 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLA0SKObNzA. Accessed 6 May 2019.
Reingold, Sarah. “Secrets of Their Success” Fortune Magazine 12 November 2008: Web
Rodman, Sarah. “CARRIE UNDERWOOD.” Entertainment Weekly Issue 1527 09 Sept 2018: Web
Ulloa, Nina. “91 Percent of All Artists Are Completely Undiscovered…” Digital Music News, 17 Jan. 2017, https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2014/01/17/nbs/. Accessed 6 May, 2019.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa Payne, a first year student from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, pursues her major of Biokinetics at Bethel University with ambitions of continuing onto graduate school for Physical Therapy. Payne enjoys all things Minnesotan from waterskiing in the summer to pond hockey in the winter.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
When writing, grasp the reader by dropping them in a personal moment. Start the story off with someone’s name to make in personal and draw the reader in.
Ask questions while you are reading. This will better help you not only engage better with the text, but also find the deeper meaning behind the message.
Name the dogs in your writing; be specific and descriptive. Instead of saying Melissa Payne, say: Melissa Payne, a first year student from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and Biokinetics student.
While speaking, talk as if you are talking in a conversation with no “ums.” When we are talking in conversation, we know what we are going to say and do not rush over our content. Slow down and relax.
To find scholarly sources, look in scholarly places, such as the library database. You may not be able to find scholarly sources on you subject, but look for sources that support charactistics of your subject.
Malcolm Gladwell uses a successful writing technique by beginning each passage with an engaging story, transitioning into an analysis of the story, and then returning back to the story for a powerful ending.
The more people to look over your work, the better as they will be able to offer unique insight. Begin by fixing the big mistakes, such as content of the paper, and save smaller mistakes, such as punctuation and grammar to fix last.
When collecting sources for a research project or paper, have a balanced amount of reliable sources. Some may include scholarly sources, alternative sources, and popular sources. However, be sure these sources are reliable
Turn you hopes and dreams into a meaningful career. If your job or career is not meaningful, you will not be successful at what you do, or at least it will not be enjoyable.
The students munch on their popcorn in the dark room of AC300 as they watch the documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor. Little do they know that watching this film will better help them draw connections and write an A+ research paper. It is the seemly unrelated exercises and assignments, small group discussions, and outside readings that will help to develop these students writing skills. Without the expertise of Scott Winter, the students of GES160 section 14 would not be the successful writers they are today.
(Editor’s note: This paper was written as a part of a GES160 Inquiry Seminar class at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn.)
