Carrie Underwood To Unveil New ‘Sunday Night Football’ Opening Performance As She Returns For 12th Season
“Like everybody else, I’m waiting all day for Sunday night,” Underwood exclaimed.
Carrie Underwood; Photo by: Danny Ventrella/NBC SPORTS
Carrie Underwood is making her return to NBC’s Sunday Night Football for the 12th consecutive year.
NBC and Sunday Night Football confirmed the news early Wednesday, revealing that the eight-time GRAMMY winner will make her debut in the brand-new show open airing on Sunday, September 8 at 8pm ET ahead of the Rams-Lions playoff rematch.
Underwood will perform the opening from the home of her ongoing Las Vegas residency, Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas.
The new opening for primetime’s No. 1 show spotlights the SNF “road show,” celebrating the excitement and anticipation as it visits NFL cities each weekend for the big matchups.
“Carrie once again delivers a show-stopping performance in combination with backstage and behind-the-scenes energy to set the tone for this special night,” Tripp Dixon, creative director of the SNF show open for each of the past 12 years, shared in a statement.
Underwood added, “It was so much fun to welcome the Sunday Night Football team back to the Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas. Shooting the new show open is always something I look forward to, and Tripp and the whole creative team brought it yet again, and we had a great day putting on an exciting new performance. Like everybody else, I’m waiting all day for Sunday night!”
The Sunday Night Football show open, for primetime television’s top program for an unmatched 13 consecutive years, will premiere on Sunday, Sept. 8, on NBC and Peacock. It will lead into the season debut of SNF, featuring Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams taking on Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions in a rematch of their NFC Wild Card Playoff.
Recently, the Oklahoma native performed the official Sunday Night Football theme song, “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” live for the first time ever. This buzzed-about performance took place at the conclusion of the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week during the annual Concert for Legends show at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
The country superstar is the first female artist in history to headline the event and made quite the mark as her performance of “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” went viral in the days after the show as fans were thrilled to hear her perform the iconic football anthem for the first time live.
While Carrie Underwood is widely recognized as the voice of Sunday Night Football, she wasn’t the first artist to sing for the weekly program. When SNF premiered in 2006, the iconic pop/rock singer P!NK was chosen to perform a new version of Joan Jett’s 1988 hit, “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” with lyrics adapted to fit football themes. The following year, Faith Hill took over the role and sang the intro track for several seasons before passing the torch to Underwood in 2013.
Underwood is gearing up for quite a busy few months. In addition to returning to NBC’s Sunday Night Football, she is also preparing for her new role as a judge on American Idol alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.
Additionally, her record-breaking Las Vegas residency has been extended into 2025, with newly announced dates set for March and April of 2025. Fans can catch Underwood in Sin City throughout this month and in October as well (on select dates).
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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