Carrie Underwood Goes Full Rock Mode With Mötley Crüe on ‘American Idol’ Finale

Country superstar Carrie Underwood is doubling down on her love for rock music with a high-energy performance alongside Mötley Crüe during the three-hour American Idol finale.

Underwood and Mötley Crüe delivered a two-song set featuring “Home Sweet Home” and “Kickstart My Heart.” The collaboration brought serious rock energy to the stage, with Underwood head-banging throughout the performance. Toward the end, flames erupted behind them, amplifying the intensity of the moment.

Earlier in the season, Underwood leaned further into her rock side with a performance of “Rebel Yell” alongside Billy Idol and guitarist Steve Stevens as part of the show’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame night. The moment nearly left her speechless.

“What is my life?!?! I got the incredible chance tonight to sing with THE Billy Idol and Steve Stevens as part of our Rock & Roll Hall of Fame night on American Idol. It was an honor for me to get to share the stage with some real legends! Billy was so kind and put up with my nervousness and fangirling…I still can’t believe THAT just happened,” she shared at the time.

While Underwood is known for her powerhouse country vocals and high-energy anthems, she has long embraced her love of rock and metal. She has previously opened up about seeing bands like Green Day, The Offspring, and Slipknot live in concert.

She has also collaborated with several rock icons over the years, including Joan Jett, Papa Roach, and Guns N’ Roses. In fact, she even toured with Guns N’ Roses, opening for them on three dates of their 2023 World Tour.

Underwood also shares a deeper history with Mötley Crüe. In 2007, she reportedly appeared at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville (now Luke Combs’ Category 10) where she joined lead singer Vince Neil to perform “Kickstart My Heart.”

Two years later, she recorded a cover of Mötley Crüe’s “Home Sweet Home,” which served as the official American Idol farewell song during the 2009 season. She also returned to the show that same year to perform the track live. The recording was released on iTunes, with Underwood, 19 Recordings, Sony Music Nashville, and iTunes donating a portion of proceeds from the digital single to The Humane Society of the United States.

“I’ve always loved this song, and besides being very fitting for Idol, to me, the title is also very fitting with animal rescue and finding animals their own homes,” she said at the time. “So we felt it was important to tie the release into an amazing animal charity like the Humane Society Of The United States.”

The three-hour American Idol finale also featured performances from seventeen-time GRAMMY winner Alicia Keys, who served as guest mentor for the night, along with Brad Paisley, Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms, Cameron Whitcomb, Clay Aiken, En Vogue, Jason Mraz, Lee Ann Womack, Nelly, Shinedown, and Tori Kelly.

By the end of the night, American Idol fans officially learned who America chose to win Season 9.