Carrie Underwood’s big “decision” before American Idol’s premiere.

American Idolseason 23 welcomed Carrie Underwood as a new judge on the show, and though many were hopeful that she’d be able to fit the role as a former winner, her lackluster debut has producers doing damage control for her performance.

Now, the 28-year-old singer is back in the reality competition spotlight — this time on “American Idol.” “American Idol” recently aired a brief preview of its upcoming s

Before her American Idol audition, an executive producer told Carrie Underwood that Simon Cowell hated country music — but she already knew. Then 21, Underwood went ahead with her rendition of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” while trying out for the singing competition in 2005,

Underwood received rave reviews for her first episode, with many viewers taking to X to admit that they prefer her over Perry. “Carrie is so much better than Katy Perry,” one person wrote. Another said, “Jukebox Carrie Underwood is way better than Katy Perry sorry not sorry,” and someone else added, “Hate to say this… I’m glad Katy left.”

Season 23 of “American Idol” premieres on ABC on Sunday, March 9, at 8 p.m. EST. The new episodes will mark Carrie Underwood’s first season as a judge. She won season 4 of “American Idol” in 2005 before going on to have a successful music career, winning eight Grammys to date.

This week, the beloved reality singing competition "American Idol" will return to screens around the world. Here's what to know about Season 23's premiere.

Underwood sang "America the Beautiful" a cappella at Trump's second inauguration after some technical difficulties. "I can just sing it," she told the production team at the time,