There is a big difference between someone who sings well and someone who makes you stop whatever you are doing and just listen. Tonight’s live Top 8 show is all about finding that second kind of performer.
That is the world Carrie Underwood is talking about when she speaks about the “IT” factor on American Idol.
Carrie knows both sides. She was once the nervous girl on stage, just hoping people would vote. Now she is a country superstar and the first American Idol winner to sit at the judges’ table full time. When she talks about what makes a real star, you can feel that she has lived it.
She explains it in a simple way. Some singers have perfect voices, but you forget them a few minutes later. Others are not the “best” singers, but something about them pulls you in. You want to watch them.
You can’t define the “IT” factor
If you want to really understand what Carrie means by the “IT” factor, you have to see where her story began. Before the gold blazer, before the big stages, she was a shy farm girl walking into a room with no idea what would happen next. Her voice was strong, but it was more than that. Something about her made everyone lean in. Even Simon Cowell saw it right away and called her future.
Carrie Underwood Watches Her American Idol Audition, Shares Personal Stories: IDOL TO ICON
And that is what makes tonight feel so special, that “IT” factor is real. Two decades after that shaky audition, Carrie now stands center stage between Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, singing “Stuck On You” like she was born to be there. It is calm, confident, and completely magnetic.
“Stuck On You” | Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood on American Idol 2025
