Yahoo News Carrie Underwood Says She Used to 'Lose Respect' for Singers Who 'Can't Hit the Notes' in Concert
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Carrie Underwood performs at Stagecoach on April 30, 2022
Carrie Underwood knows how disappointing it can be to see a performer whose live vocal abilities don't match their studio recordings.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the country star learning to sing by listening to impressive vocalists, taking pride in her own singing talents and how she's felt watching performers cut corners during concerts in the past.
"I love to sing, and I've always taken pride in the work I've put in on my vocals. I do want to sound good," Underwood, 39, told the outlet. "Growing up and going to concerts or seeing my favorite artists on TV, if they didn't sound like they were supposed to sound, it was always so deflating."
Jason Kempin/Getty Carrie Underwood
She continued, "I'd lose respect for them. Or when I'd go to a concert and hear them drop keys, I was like, 'You can't hit the notes! Why'd you record them if you can't sing them?' That stuff is important to me."
Looking back on her multiple performances of Guns N' Roses' hits "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City" alongside the band's Axl Rose over the summer, Underwood told RS later in the interview about his influence on her career.
"I've been covering Guns N' Roses my whole life, pretty much, and definitely onstage for the past 15 years at least," said the American Idol alum, noting that she tried multiple times to get Rose, 60, to join her onstage before making it happen at the 2022 Stagecoach Festival.
RELATED: Carrie Underwood Joins Guns 'N Roses During London Concert: 'How Did I Get So Lucky?'
Daniel DeSlover/ZUMA Press Wire Carrie Underwood and Axl Rose at Stagecoach Festival in May
"We had a couple almost maybes, where it almost maybe would have happened but for various reasons it wasn't the right time," continued Underwood. "But [for Stagecoach] I asked. I sent him an email and said, 'We're so close to you,' and explained the why and what he meant to me."
She then spoke further about her admiration for the musician's talent. "The way I learned how to sing was I would pick really hard vocalists to try to emulate, and his voice always mesmerized me. I was like, 'How is he doing the things that he's doing?'" she explained. "So I told him all that…and he came! We had rehearsals and everything went very smoothly. It was easy for all of us to be around each other. Hopefully, he had a good time."
Underwood is currently touring North America in support of her Denim & Rhinestones album with shows through March 2023.
