Fourth season "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood is eyeing a fall release for her 19 Recordings/Arista debut album. "Right now we're figuring out songs," the 22-year-old Checotah, Okla., native tells Billboard.com. "I know we're going to go in [the studio] very soon. I'm not sure exactly when, but the album should be out this fall."
In the meantime, Underwood's recording of "Inside Your Heaven," written by Andreas Carlsson for "American Idol" and produced by Desmond Child, will receive retail release June 14, backed with a cover of Martina McBride's "Independence Day."
Although Underwood says it's too soon to reveal who she'll be working with on the album, she notes that Child makes her feel "very comfortable" and that she hopes to work with her idols in Rascal Flatts. The country group performed its hit "Bless the Broken Road" with Underwood during the "Idol" finale's duets segment.
"It's a very exciting time," she says. "It's amazing to me that all these big names want to work with me."
Underwood plans to mainly record country music, but hopes her album will appeal to a broad audience. "I definitely want to stick to my country roots," she says. "There'll be two different audiences involved. There'll be the country people, who are really embracing me right now and standing behind me, and I am so thankful for that. Then there are the people who don't necessarily like country music but watched the show and liked me."
Teaming again with Bice, with whom she performed the modern pop standard "Up Where We Belong" during the finale, is also a possibility. "I would love to," she says. "After our duet on the show, we got a lot of good feedback. I would definitely like to work with him later on. We're completely different genres, so it's not like we're going to be competing against each other at all in the market or anything."
Recalling a scenario that played out two years ago after Ruben Studdard narrowly won the second "Idol" competition over Clay Aiken, Underwood and Bice will find themselves competing in the retail market later this month. Just a week after Underwood's single is released, Bice will issue a retail version of "Inside Your Heaven" coupled with a cover of the Ides Of March's "Vehicle" via RCA Records.
Both contestants sang the song during the final performance episode of the "Idol" season and their respective versions were delivered to U.S. radio stations after the finale. Over the last seven days, Underwood's single has gotten significantly more airplay, receiving more than 300 spins at top 40, country and adult contemporary stations, according to Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. Bice's recording has scored less than 40 spins, the majority on top 40 outlets.
In the meantime, Underwood's recording of "Inside Your Heaven," written by Andreas Carlsson for "American Idol" and produced by Desmond Child, will receive retail release June 14, backed with a cover of Martina McBride's "Independence Day."
Although Underwood says it's too soon to reveal who she'll be working with on the album, she notes that Child makes her feel "very comfortable" and that she hopes to work with her idols in Rascal Flatts. The country group performed its hit "Bless the Broken Road" with Underwood during the "Idol" finale's duets segment.
"It's a very exciting time," she says. "It's amazing to me that all these big names want to work with me."
Underwood plans to mainly record country music, but hopes her album will appeal to a broad audience. "I definitely want to stick to my country roots," she says. "There'll be two different audiences involved. There'll be the country people, who are really embracing me right now and standing behind me, and I am so thankful for that. Then there are the people who don't necessarily like country music but watched the show and liked me."
Teaming again with Bice, with whom she performed the modern pop standard "Up Where We Belong" during the finale, is also a possibility. "I would love to," she says. "After our duet on the show, we got a lot of good feedback. I would definitely like to work with him later on. We're completely different genres, so it's not like we're going to be competing against each other at all in the market or anything."
Recalling a scenario that played out two years ago after Ruben Studdard narrowly won the second "Idol" competition over Clay Aiken, Underwood and Bice will find themselves competing in the retail market later this month. Just a week after Underwood's single is released, Bice will issue a retail version of "Inside Your Heaven" coupled with a cover of the Ides Of March's "Vehicle" via RCA Records.
Both contestants sang the song during the final performance episode of the "Idol" season and their respective versions were delivered to U.S. radio stations after the finale. Over the last seven days, Underwood's single has gotten significantly more airplay, receiving more than 300 spins at top 40, country and adult contemporary stations, according to Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. Bice's recording has scored less than 40 spins, the majority on top 40 outlets.
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