Carrie Underwood's Farm Life Helped Her Find What She's 'Supposed To Be Doing' (Exclusive)

It's been 20 years since Carrie Underwood released her debut single, "Jesus Take The Wheel." It's the song that spent six weeks at number one and earned Underwood two Grammys. All those years later, Underwood continues to be the face of country pop. But lately, she's been enjoying a simpler life rooted in wellness on her 400-acre farm in Franklin, Tennessee.

"You can try to take the farm girl off the farm, but she's going to find her way back," Underwood said in an exclusive interview with Parade. "Which is exactly what I did. And there's just something really beautiful about being outside, about planting things, about making … meals for my family."

Underwood said that living on the farm has been special and has helped her own wellness and self-care, things that her new brand, HiNote, is aiming to promote.

"It's a cup-filler for me," Underwood said. "It feels like that's what I'm supposed to be doing."

In 2020, Underwood launched her fitness app, fit52. After seeing its success, Underwood and HiNote's CEO and co-founder, Kerrigan Behrens, wanted to find a way to continue to empower the community of women that formed through the app.

"We started asking ourselves, ‘What's the next step? How can we potentially make nutrition a little more approachable?'" Underwood said. "If you can do all the hacks, if you can hire a personal trainer, that's amazing. But the vast majority of people can't do that, and end up just feeling super overwhelmed. So we decided to create HiNote."

HiNote's first product is a protein drink mix, released in fruity flavors inspired by the trees on Underwood's farm.

"I love growing things," Underwood said. "I have peach trees. I have blackberries and blueberries, and I have a lemon tree and a greenhouse."

Having won American Idol in 2005, Underwood returned to the show as a judge this year for season 24. She said that wellness isn't just something she practices on her farm - it's also something she incorporated during her time on the show.

"I try to get a good night's sleep," Underwood said. "I bring snacks and food and stuff like that with me, so I'm not constantly ordering out or going out, or ordering room service, which can get super expensive anyway. ... I make the most of whatever hotel gym."

American Idol's three-hour finale will air live next Monday, May 11, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. Underwood will return to the show as a judge, alongside Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys, who will be a guest mentor and performer.

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM.