Carrie Underwood Talks About New Album And Says, ‘Motherhood Has Changed Everything For Me”

Carrie Underwood is set to release her first album since she became a mom seven months ago to her son, Isaiah. The album, titled Storyteller, is due to be released on October 23.

Underwood says she has never really sang with anyone else on any of her albums, except for Randy Travis.

“I try not to force anything ever and that’s kind of where you can get into some tricky territory,” the country star told EW in August. “I’ve been lucky enough to get to sing with a lot of cool people but it’s always been for some sort of event or something. It’s never really quite worked out on my album except for Randy Travis.”

Sam Hunt, the “House Party” singer, joins Underwood on her album with the song “Heartbeat,” a romantic country ballad. Underwood says the song “Heartbeat” has real meaning for her. Ashley Gorley and Zach Crowell wrote the track with her, and she said her husband, Mike Fisher, inspires her.

Underwood knew that her expectations had changed when recording this album, but she says the change isn’t what you might think.

“I feel like everybody expected me to have an album full of 13 mommy-and-me tracks,” Underwood says of Storyteller. “Like, everything would be sentimental and mushy. I’m still me, and this is just another layer.”

“There’s a lot of country, traditional, staple instruments, and obviously storytelling is something country music has always done really well. I feel like we occupy those elements, but it’s very cool and very now and very fresh,” she adds.

Underwood does have two songs on her album that get personal, “The Girl You Think I Am,” a song she co-wrote about her dad, and “What I Never Knew I Always Wanted,” a tribute to her son, Isaiah.

“There’s always one song on each of my albums that it’s just like, ‘That’s so personal and really deep and kind of hard to get through,” Underwood said. “It’s just for me. And that one is definitely just for me.”

Carrie says even though she’s a singer, she really doesn’t sing much at home to her husband.

“I don’t really sing to Mike,” Underwood says. “Normally if I’m singing around the house I’m singing to some song on Isaiah’s toys and making fun of it! But I definitely can relate to those songs in Mike. I don’t know if every time I sing them I’m like dreaming of him, but I can definitely relate to them.”

Underwood says she is plotting a 2016 tour and will also co-host the 49th CMA Awards show with Brad Paisley on November 4 on ABC.

“Heartbeat” is currently available as a download with pre-orders of the album on iTunes.

On a personal note, Underwood says that having a baby has changed pretty much everything for her.

“You feel guilty about every single thing, every decision you make, everything you do,” the 32-year-old told People magazine in an interview.

Underwood says she wants to breastfeed Isaiah as long as she can, but she says sometimes it’s a challenge. She says she and Mike currently supplement with formula.

Carrie and Mike met backstage at one of Underwood’s concerts in 2008 and started dating soon after. She married Mike Fisher back in 2010 and says she is still surprised she got married.

“I never dreamt of my wedding day and the perfect guy,” she says. “Then I met Mike, and I was like, ‘Wow, so now I know what I was missing.’ The same with my son. I was never like, ‘I want kids so bad.’ And now that I have Isaiah in my life, I’m like, ‘What did I do before?'”

(Image via Shutterstock)