Carrie Underwood May Have Just Given Her Best Performance Ever With ‘How Great Thou Art’

Carrie Underwood turned heads during American Idol’s “Songs of Faith” night on Monday (March 30) with a performance of “How Great Thou Art!” alongside 2025 Platinum Ticket winners Filo, Canaan James Hill, and Kolbi Jordan.

As a gentle piano played in the background, Underwood stood center stage in an ethereal white gown adorned with sparkles. She delivered a goosebumps-inducing performance as the stage lit up around her and the audience held candles in the air. As she hit the high notes, the crowd erupted in cheers. One by one, Filo, Canaan James Hill, and Kolbi Jordan joined her, each showcasing their soaring vocals. Underwood lifted her hands in praise as they sang together. She closed out the song with a stunning high note that left viewers with chills. The group received a standing ovation, and fans quickly took to social media to praise the performance.

“It sent chills all over! Powerful voices,” one user wrote.

Another shared, “Carrie hit it out of the park with this song. I’ve seen her sing this song on other award shows and previously on American Idol. This was my favorite performance of hers. No one can sing this song like Carrie. Thank you ABC for showcasing these amazing songs of faith from this group of talented contestants.”

Others praised, “Incredible performance! What I needed to close the day, tears, goosebumps and thanking God” and “I rarely every get chills during a performance and I did for carrie during those last notes. That was INCREDIBLE.”

Underwood recorded “How Great Thou Art!” on her GRAMMY Award-winning gospel hymns album My Savior, and this marks the second season in a row that she has performed the song during the “Songs of Faith” episode, perhaps delivering her most powerful rendition yet.

This episode marked the first time this season that the judges took the stage, including Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, who joined forces with the American Idol Top 20 for a powerful performance of “Jesus Is Love.” 

These performances took place during American Idol’s first live show of Season 24. The special “Songs of Faith” episode featured the Top 14 contestants delivering heartfelt, inspirational performances centered around faith. The Top 14 was determined through a combination of viewer votes, including texts, online submissions, and social media responses tied to the Top 20’s “Ohana Week” performances. By the end of the night, the competition narrowed once again, with just 12 finalists advancing to the next round based on America’s vote.

The “Songs of Faith” episode was first introduced during Season 23 in 2025 in recognition of the Easter season.

“It was a discussion that started at a dinner with the judges, some people from ABC, and myself,” Idol showrunner and executive producer Megan Michaels Wolflick told Rolling Stone.

“We watch myriad Christmas specials. We don’t ever see a faith-based spring Easter-style show. So we kind of embraced that. It was a special show, and people loved it; the ratings were pretty amazing,” she revealed.

Following the success of last year’s episode, producers decided to bring it back again this year.

American Idol will return to ABC on April 6 with the “’90s Judges Song Contest” episode, where contestants will perform iconic ‘90s hits secretly selected by Bryan, Richie, or Underwood. The episode will also feature a nostalgic twist, as stars from ABC’s “TGIF” ‘90s lineup join the hopefuls in the lounge while America votes for the Top 11.