Carrie played to more than a half-million fans throughout her 62-show 2012 “Blown Away Tour.” She not only ranked as the top female country touring artist of the year according to Pollstar’s Year-End chart, she also played her first concerts in Australia and the U.K, where her concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall sold out in only 90 minutes.

Carrie’s acclaimed fourth album, Blown Away, was released in May and quickly became a fan-favorite, debuting at Number 1 on the Billboard Country and All-Genre Sales Charts. Blown Away remained at the top of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart for an astounding seven weeks. Nielsen SoundScan tallies show Blown Away among the year’s best-sellers, ranking as the Number 2 Country album and Number 7 album in All Genres. Now certified Platinum, Blown Away has already launched back-to-back Platinum-certified Digital Singles with the chart-topping tracks “Blown Away” and “Good Girl.”

Carrie’s singles for “Good Girl” and “Blown Away” collectively spent a total of three weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard and Country Aircheck Country airplay charts. This is more than any other female country artist in 2012.

Carrie’s success continued on the video front, as well, with “Good Girl” logging a record-setting fourteen weeks at Number 1 on CMT’s Top 20 Countdown and becoming the show’s Number 1 video of the year. Similarly, Carrie’s cinematic video for “Blown Away” also became an immediate favorite, achieving an unprecedented cumulative fourteen weeks at Number 1 during its fifteen-week run on GAC’s fan-voted Top 20 Country Countdown.

As if this isn’t enough success, add in a GRAMMY nomination (for the record, Carrie already has five GRAMMY awards in her repertoire) for Best Country Solo Performance for “Blown Away” (which also earned a Best Country Song nomination for writers Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins). In 2012, Carrie also walked away with her seventh American Music Award in the category of Favorite Country Album. This win by Carrie made her the first artist in AMA history to capture the Country Album category on every album released. At the American Country Awards, she extended her reign as the most-awarded artist in the show’s three-year history, now with eleven ACA wins, with a pair of 2012 honors including Artist of the Year: Female.

At the CMT Music Awards, “Good Girl” was named Video of the Year, while Carrie shared honors for Collaborative Video of the Year for “Remind Me” with Brad Paisley. At year-end, Carrie was also named among CMT’s Artists of the Year.

Additionally, Carrie was all over the TV airwaves in 2012 and was featured in such original programming as CMT Crossroads: Steven Tyler & Carrie Underwood, Behind the Music: Carrie Underwood, and VH1 Presents: Carrie Underwood Unplugged, as well as the ACM Awards, American Idol, the Billboard Music Awards, CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock, the CMT Music Awards, Dancing with the Stars, the Dateline 20th Anniversary Special, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Good Morning America, the GRAMMY Awards, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Late Show with David Letterman, and Nightline, as well as Oprah’s Next Chapter: Carrie Underwood, Today’s Summer Concert Series, Teachers Rock, and more, including returning for the fifth consecutive year as co-host of the CMA Awards.

*CATCHES BREATH*

In addition to her television appearances, Carrie also graced numerous magazine covers in 2012, some of which included Billboard, Glamour, and SELF.

Blown Away made history this spring by debuting at Number 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart, making Carrie only the second country artist in the forty-seven-year history of the chart to have each of their first four albums debut at Number 1. Blown Away also debuted at Number 1 on the All-Genre Billboard 200 Chart, making Carrie only the second country artist in history to have three consecutive albums debut at Number 1.

Makes you feel slightly lazy and unaccomplished, now doesn’t it? Congratulations on a huge year, Carrie! What do you hope to see/hear from Carrie Underwood in 2013?!

Related posts:

1. Carrie Underwood Breaks 2012 Record
2. Carrie Underwood to Release “Blown Away” as Next Single
3. Carrie Underwood’s Album Blown Away Holds No. 1 Spot For Fourth Consecutive Week

On plans for 2012:
“An album, of course, in the beginning part of 2012. I’m actually finishing up work on that this week and next week. I’ll have something in my hand and I’m so excited about it because I think these are the best batch of songs and this is going to be the best album. I’ve always been reluctant to say that before, I guess, because I guess, I don’t know, I was waiting for something super, super special and I feel like I’ve got it. So new album, new tour – which we’ll be putting together pretty soon. And I’m just really excited. I think we’re going to surprise ourselves.”

On having a baby:
“Next year being so busy and I think 2013 is probably going to end up being pretty busy, as well. And my husband’s hockey schedule is absolutely insane. I really think it would be a bad idea. ‘Sorry, honey. You’re not going to see the kids for a couple of months because we’re all going on tour’. I just don’t think that would be really fair. And we’re not ready. We’re enjoying each other and spending time with each other and just having fun and being silly.”

On winning awards:
“I’m always just amazingly grateful and always shocked and so happy when I get to take home any award. Because they are fan voted, it’s kinda like “Aw! You guys! What are you doing?’ It makes me feel really good. Especially because I feel like I’ve had such a great support network throughout my whole career. And to still be winning fan voted stuff is really special.”

On more and more American Idol contestants being country singers:
“Obviously we see a lot more American Idol people in country music ever since I’ve been on the show. I think it’s absolutely wonderful that country music has really opened their arms to it. I think it’s really, really wonderful that America is voting for these country music singers. It’s kinda like country music has always been so amazingly popular, but not as many people noticed as they should have. I feel like being on a show like American Idol with so many different genres of music, singers and very talented people, country music’s totally kickin’ butt! It makes me very proud and very happy.”

Related posts:

1. Carrie Underwood Wins Two ACA Awards
2. Hank Williams Jr. Plans “Taking The Country Back Tour 2012″
3. American Country Awards Nominees Announced!

Chris’ ACA nominations for the fan-voted award show include Breakthrough Artist Of The Year, Single Of The Year and Male Single Of The Year for “Voices.”

Chris’ current single “You” from his new album “NEON” is a top-15 radio hit and still climbing.

Related posts:

1. Chris Young Performing Soulful New Single On Craig Ferguson
2. Chris Young Celebrating Neon’s Success
3. Chris Young goes gold with Tomorrow

ARTISTS
Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Lady Antebellum
Taylor Swift
Zac Brown Band

Artist of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton

Artist of the Year: Female
Sara Evans
Alison Krauss
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Artist of the Year: Duo or Group
The Band Perry
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland
Zac Brown Band

Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Eric Church
Eli Young Band
Justin Moore
Jake Owen
Chris Young

Artist of the Year: New Artist
The Band Perry
Scotty McCreery
Jerrod Niemann
Pistol Annies
Thompson Square

ALBUM
Album of the Year
Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”
Kenny Chesney, “Hemingway’s Whiskey”
Brad Paisley, “This Is Country Music”
Taylor Swift, “Speak Now”
Keith Urban, “Get Closer”
Zac Brown Band, “You Get What You Give”

SINGLES
Single of the Year
Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”
Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Chris Young, “Voices”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Single of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”
Luke Bryan, “Someone Else Calling You Baby”
Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”
Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”
Chris Young, “Voices”

Single of the Year: Female
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Miranda Lambert, “Heart Like Mine”
Reba, “Turn On The Radio”
Taylor Swift, “Mean”
Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”

Single of the Year: Duo or Group
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Rascal Flatts, “Why Wait”
Sugarland, “Stuck Like Glue”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Zac Brown Band, “Colder Weather”

Single of the Year: New Artist
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Craig Campbell, “Family Man”
The JaneDear Girls, “Wildflower”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You and Tequila”
Brad Paisley with Alabama, “Old Alabama”
Zac Brown Band with Jimmy Buffet, “Knee Deep”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

TOURING
Touring Headline Act of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
Rascal Flatts
George Strait
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban

VIDEOS
Music Video of the Year
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Blake Shelton, “Who Are you When I’m Not Looking”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Josh Turner, “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”

Music Video: Male
Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Blake Shelton, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”
Josh Turner, “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”
Keith Urban, “Put You In A Song”

Music Video: Female
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Reba, “Turn On The Radio”
Ashton Shepherd, “Look It Up”
Taylor Swift, “Back To December”
Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”

Music Video: Duo, Group or Collaboration
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Lady Antebellum, “Hello World”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Music Video: New Artist
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Craig Campbell, “Family Man”
Brett Eldredge, “Raymond”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Be sure to head on over to www.theacas.com to vote for your favorite artists!

Related posts:

1. Taylor Swift & Jason Aldean Lead Country’s 2011 American Music Award Nominations
2. 2011 CMA Nominations Announced
3. Nominees for 45th Annual CMA Awards to be announced Sept 6th