Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Autumn has arrived, and with it all the good stuff
like thick, snuggly sweaters, boots and blue jeans. Pumpkins spice everything,
as well as everyone not so silently wishing to fast
forward to Christmas and New Year so we can say
(00:26):
goodbye to twenty twenty. Today's podcast is going to enable
that emotion more than just a little bit, because I'm
going to be talking to a music artist that is
launching her first ever Christmas album, and it's full. I
gotta sneak peek, I got a sneak preview, I got
to listen to it. I listened to it over and over.
(00:48):
It is full of beautifully inspired songs, combining traditional favorites
that celebrate the miracle of the Christ Child's birth and
several new original songs. I'm telling you it might be
my favorite Christmas album ever. It's that good. Fresh from
her fifteenth American Country Music Award, her third for Entertainer
(01:13):
of the Year, having already made history as the first
female to win twice, now the only female ever to
win three times, MS Carrie Underwood joins us to talk
about her new Christmas album, My Gift. Right after I
give my podcast sponsor a well deserved shout out. You
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(02:20):
How doers get more done? Terry Underwood, welcome, Thank you
for being here with us today. This is your first
Christmas album, right it is. I've had the chance over
the years to kind of do some some Christmas songs
and events and stuff like that here and there, but
this is my first like full Christmas album. You told
me earlier that this was actually birth back in tw
(02:43):
nineteen for release this year. Could you have ever imagined
when you first started putting this together what a bizarre
year we would have and what a much needed gift.
I mean, did you pick out the title beforehand or no? Um?
(03:04):
When we started, you know, after the Cry Pretty Tour
UM wrapped last year, it was kind of like, I
was like, I want to do a Christmas album next
and I want to do it. I want to do
it a sap, you know, and I want to do
it next year because it just seems like the perfect
the perfect time in my busy world to do a
Christmas album, which is something I've always wanted to do. UM.
(03:26):
So we we got the wheels turning and you know,
started working on it and laying the foundation, and then
everything happened and you know, February March ish and everything
got shut down and um due to COVID and UM.
You know, it's just all about what we we got
to keep moving forward. You know, we've already worked on
(03:46):
it and and got a lot of the foundation LAIDs,
so let's just figure it out and throughout the whole process.
A Little drummer Boy was a song that I knew
I I wanted to sing it's one of my my
favorites because I loved the story behind it. Um, little
boy wants to give a gift to Jesus and he
doesn't have anything because he's he's poor, and uh, he
(04:07):
takes a gift that was given to him by God,
the gift of music, the gift of drumming, and uh,
he wants to take that to Jesus. And I just
love that whole story and and through that, the album
titled My Gift kind of came to mind because that
is that's my gift as far as that's what I
get to do. You know that love of music, um,
(04:29):
and music in general is just is a gift to
us all, and you know that's something that I want
to hopefully give back, give back in a in a
positive way. Uh. Then that led me to asking my
son to sing on it with me, because he's just
such a sweet little guy and the kind of kid
that would definitely make something and want to take it
(04:50):
to someone and be so proud of it, because that's
how a child's mind works. And I love that. And
your little boy's name is his name is Isaiah. Uh.
I couldn't wait for you to say that because my
firstborn son's name is Isaiah, and it means it means
gift from God, God's warrior. Did you know that? Yes?
(05:12):
I did, and that's why we named him that. How appropriate.
And now he's singing with you and giving the gift
of music to all of us. How perfect? I mean,
it's like full circle. Yes. And and he even at
five years old, I feel like he has such a
an understanding. Sometimes the things that he says are the
(05:34):
questions that he asks, it's just like wow. You you
sit around and you think about this, and it seems
like he already has such a spiritual understanding. And um,
he's he's such a sinker kid, and I love that
about him. And you know, I wasn't sure how he
would be in the studio. And you know, he he
loves music. He loves to sing. Um. He has such
(05:56):
a mind for lyrics, which I find so interesting because
I feel like, even as a little kid, I just
knew the words to songs and he's the same way.
So it's fun to see his love of music, you know,
start to develop. And um, I had no idea how
he would be in the studio, but he was right
at home. He walked in, he put the little headphones
(06:17):
on and got in front of the microphone and um,
you know saying his a little hard out. So it
was so much fun for me to get to experience
that with him, something that I love so much, um
and have that moment with him. And I mean, he
did such an incredible, incredible job. So the album is
called My Gift. It dropped on the September, which we're
(06:42):
all happy about because we we need some holiday cheer.
We need that um you know, Jennie and I call
it hot cocoa and fuzzy mittens. Even if you're in Florida.
You need hot cocoa and fuzzy mintens this year, especially
because there's so much divide ausiveness in our world, so
(07:02):
much anger and animosity, so much fear. I think especially
fear has gripped people and stolen their joy, so much
frustration with homeschooling, and yeah that that we need a
little Christmas and we need a little joy and we
(07:22):
need hope. Yes, I've always been um, you know, in
previous years, whenever you go to the store or um,
I mean anywhere really the Walgreens down the street, you know,
you you walk in in like October and see um
see Christmas recreations. And I would always be one of
(07:44):
those people that was a little bit annoyed that, you
know it was it was so it was too early
for Christmas, because Christmas means you got to get the
presents for everybody, you gotta figure out travel plants and
who you're gonna see when you're gonna see him, and
everybody would have Christmas parties that you know, you're trying
to bring stuff for and it just becomes a lot
for so many people and definitely for me around the holidays.
(08:05):
And this year is so different because it is like,
bring on Christmas, you know, and we know this Christmas
probably isn't going to look like Christmas is past, and
you know, forget about those holiday parties and it's it's
going to be one of those things. I feel like
that it's like, you know, you miss you missed the
way you missed, the way it all was, the way
(08:26):
it all used to be and hopefully the way it
will be again. But in the meantime, I think that
the goodness and the the ability to not have to
do all that stuff and to go all those places
and to slow down might be a gift in and
of itself. I agree. I agree, And get to have
(08:47):
those warm, fuzzy feelings and you know, the hope and
the joy and um, spend time with your immediate family
and there are blessings in in everything. You know, you
just have to look for him sometimes. So what has
been Carrie Underwood for you? The hardest part of what's
(09:09):
been the the hardest pill to swallow, the hardest adjustment
to make. I mean, it's got to be hard to
not be out performing because I know that, at least
from what it looks like being in the audience, you
love to entertain people. I mean, you are so filled
(09:32):
with energy when you're on stage, and the energy you're
putting out is such a powerful You're tiny, but it's
like massively huge energy you're sharing with all of us.
Has it been hard to not get to do that? Well?
My my personality is a bit uh. I'm a planner.
(09:53):
I like it when things go to plan. I like
to know what's next. I want to know what I'm
doing tomorrow, next week, next month, in six month. Um.
You know, I'm I'm very Taipei that way, and I
like to know what my kids are doing and how
how their lives are shaken out. And um, this year
for me has just been, um, just a year like
(10:13):
everybody of of curveballs, and you know, it's it's kind
of forced forced me to figure out new ways to
do things, which honestly, again in finding blessings and the
strangest of times, you know, I feel like that has been. Um,
it's been good for me to figure out new ways
to do things and to keep making music and being
(10:33):
creative and doing what I love and and just roll
with it because there's nothing you can do, you know,
so you want to keep moving forward, so you just
figure it out. So that's that's definitely been, you know,
the the hardest part. But also it's been a good teacher.
See I'm I'm the opposite. I hate having to plan
(10:54):
things out in advance. When I'm asked to do like
a speaker circuit or a book tour or something, and
they're like, Okay, we need to know what if we
can schedule this for February, Like, what are you talking about?
I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow. How can I
commit to something a year or two years out? I can't.
(11:15):
I can't do it. So for me. It's been really
nice to not have to have that. But for somebody
like you who's a planner, and it sounds like you're
very organized, Like do you know where your tupperware lids are?
That matches the containers? I do everything stucked up nicely,
and uh in in rows and the big bowls. There's
like bowls and the bowls all the way to the
(11:37):
little bowl on the top. I knew it. And you
know where socks are the match too, huh? I do?
I do. I am constantly fighting a toddler though, who
loves to go get in the tupperware drawer, so he
I have to kind of let him destroy drawers every
once in a while so that I could make dinner,
and then I have to go pick them all up
(11:58):
and put them all back the way they they were
years ago. I found the key to that. I have
a drawer that is designated, it's a whole cupboard in
the kitchen, but not under my feet that is designated
just for the toddlers, and everything else is off limits.
(12:20):
And I'll pick up you know, stuff at the dollar
store just to throw in there, just to surprise him,
so it's you know, it's new every now and again
and that way. That's the designated toddler cupboard. You might
try it. It might work. That's a good idea, it
really is. I have that kid though. That's uh, he
(12:42):
gets quiet. Wait a minute, where did you go? What
are you doing? Yeah? It was a minute. They're quiet. Yeah,
Carrie Underwood, My Gift available now out, incredibly beautiful collection.
(13:03):
How many of the songs on it are new because
some of them? A lot of them are standards. I
think we ended up with four and my favorite Hallelujah
with John Legend. Yes, you were telling me earlier that
you two ended up recording it together apart. Do you
think you'll ever get to sing it together together? I
(13:24):
sure hope so. Um. And you know a lot of
a lot of My Gift was was done that way.
My producer was in l A and uh, you know,
he was on zoom with me, as I I say,
he was in the studio with me, like in the
room and the vocal booth, and um, I would I
would sing and you know, try not to pay attention
(13:46):
to him and then be like, how how did that sound?
Because he had kind of a he could hear what
I was doing in good speakers where he was. But
it was just that thing of of figuring out new
ways to work and John was so I recorded my
part first, and then he went in and recorded his
part in l A and then I went back in
(14:07):
and and ended up doing some harmonies and stuff like
that on top of what he did. So it was
it was a process and definitely a different way to record,
but it was really good. And I like to say,
throughout this whole process of making this album, you know,
I feel like it's really been watched over. You know,
the fact that we started working on it at the
end of last year, the fact that I asked Greg
(14:30):
Wells to be my producer on this project. I feel
like if I if we waited a little longer, if
I picked a different producer. Um, you know, even things
like when when John sent made that song, you know,
it's just the perfect puzzle piece, the last puzzle piece
that I was like, oh my gosh, Now I couldn't
imagine this album without that song. So, you know, there's
(14:50):
just been so many, so many things that have happened
throughout the whole process that I feel like it's just
been watched over and we've managed to uh to make
this you know, this album that I'm I'm so proud
of and it was such a bright spot in my year,
and I hope we can help provide the part of
the soundtrack to what what it has to be a
(15:11):
good Christmas. It just has to be. Well, We're going
to make it a good Christmas. We're gonna learn to roll,
We're going to learn to adapt, We're going to remind
people why we celebrate Christmas. When I got the album,
I got a sneak preview. I didn't it didn't have
any of the information of the tracks. It was just
the tracks. I think if I had opened it on
my computer, I could have found all the information. But
(15:33):
I opened it on my phone, and I was in
my car, and yeah, and I was listening, and with
each song I listened to, my heart felt more at
peace and more joy. And then another song would come
on and I would think, oh my gosh, I couldn't
feel any happier than I felt just listening to that one.
(15:53):
And then Hallelujah came on and I was raising my
hands and praising God while you and John Legend we're singing,
and the joy care I don't know how to describe it.
It was like bubbling out of me the joy I felt,
and I just I want people to feel that joy
this year. We need it so desperately, we do. Um.
(16:16):
I felt the same way when I was recording it.
You know. Um there'd be there'll be times when I'd
have to like pause because I would either feel so
happy or does love love the lyrics that I was
singing so much that I would get a little choked
up and kind of have to have a have a
second to gather myself. But it was just, you know,
it was a pleasure to make and still get to
(16:37):
create and you know this, uh, this thing that I've
been wanting to do for so long, make a Christmas album, Um,
you know, get to do it in the strangest of years.
It was just a great heartwarming thing for me to
be able to do. So I hope that does come
through in when people listen to them. You know the
(16:58):
Book of Esther in the Bible, her uncle Mordecai says
to her, you were born for such a time as this,
and that verse keeps coming back to my heart over
and over again. This year. I know that everything that
that that that has happened in my career has led
me to be here on the air for such a
(17:21):
time as this, And that's how I felt listening to
this whole album from beginning to end. I was I
was weeping it silent night, the like it it was birth,
and you carry underwood for such a time as this,
for this Christmas season when we so desperately need that
gift of God's peace. Thank you for that. I love that.
(17:46):
I mean, I know there's a lot of reasons that
you're here, and a lot of reasons your music has
blessed us, But that's how I felt listening to this
Christmas album and hearing the lyrics. So Merry Christmas, and
thank you for sharing it with us. Thank you, and
Merry Christmas to you too, alright, God bless you, Han,
(18:07):
thank you, thank you very much. Thank you for all
of that carry. We are so thrilled that you have
created this new Christmas music for us. We need it,
We need it now. We are grateful for expanding our
holiday playlists, bringing holiday cheer, talking about peace on earth
(18:29):
and goodwill to all in the process. And my friends,
if you haven't done so already, get Carrie's Christmas album
My gift and unwrap it right away, pick up, find
your path, and download her fitness app fit fifty two.
You'll be on your way to a healthier, happier, more
energetic version of you. For the holiday season and the
(18:52):
new year ahead, and in the midst of it all,
remember your fortunes, Remember how blessed we are. Be generous
to others, and take some time to slow down and
love someone