Carrie Underwood “Auditions” For American Idol Again, 20 Years After She Won

Carrie Underwood sings the song she auditioned for “American Idol” with 20 years ago. (Photo credit: Carrie Underwood/Facebook)

In a preview clip for Sunday night’s episode of American Idol, new judge Carrie Underwood is seen “trying out again” for the show that made her a star.

Carrie Underwood won the fourth season of American Idol 20 years ago. During her original audition, Underwood sang Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and earned a ticket to Hollywood Week. Her performances in the weeks of competition that followed led then-judge Simon Cowell to predict that she would not only win the show but would “sell more records than any previous Idol winner.”

One thing Simon didn’t predict is that Carrie would return to American Idol as a judge two decades after her win. Carrie made her judging debut during the season 23 premiere that aired March 9. The “Jesus Take The Wheel” singer’s knowledge of music, compassion toward contestants, and quick wit endeared her to viewers.

Another endearing moment took place during the March 16th episode. A contestant chose to sing “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” the same song Carrie had auditioned with in 2004. This led Carrie to relive her first appearance on American Idol and serenade the room with her updated rendition.

The clip posted to social media by Carrie shows her fellow judges, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, in awe listening to her sing. When she’s done, Lionel playfully offers her a platinum ticket.

“You know, I have dreams that I’m trying out for #IDOL again. Like, I’ve already won once, but I’m gonna do it again,” Carrie captioned the video.

She also shared that she sees herself in some of the singers that she’s had to judge, and recalled what it was like when she earned a Golden Ticket.

“Getting that first Golden Ticket, having somebody say “We believe in you,” it was like…wow… it was validation,” Carrie recalled. “It’s so much fun to be on the other side of that disk and be the one giving people that opportunity.”

Watch Carrie Underwood “trying out for Idol again” in the video below.