Carrie Underwood Surprises An Elementary School Choir

Carrie Underwood recently gave an elementary school choir the surprise of a lifetime. The choir, comprised of third and fourth…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

July 30, 2019

Carrie Underwood recently gave an elementary school choir the surprise of a lifetime.

The choir, comprised of third and fourth graders from Andrew Jackson Elementary School in Old Hickory, Tennessee, caught the attention of Underwood earlier this year with their impressive cover of her massive hit “The Champion.”

When the superstar learned that the choir was a recipient of the CMA Foundation’s music education grant and had the chance to perform at CMA Fest, she made a plan to surprise them during rehearsals.

The students were visibly shocked to see Underwood walk in the room. Some even had tears in their eyes.

“Carrie Underwood just popped out of nowhere,” one smiling student gushed. “She is such an inspiration to me.”

They even had a chance to perform for Underwood herself.

“You guys are going to be so amazing,” Underwood assured them. “That crowd is not going to know what hit ’em.”

The Andrew Jackson Elementary School choir later performed “The Champion” in front of 50,000 fans at CMA Fest.

The festival will soon be brought to life when ABC airs its annual CMA Fest special. Hosted by Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini with special guest host Bobby Bones, CMA Fest airs Sunday, Aug. 4 at 8/7c on ABC.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

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.