ABC/Image Group LA In 2015, Carrie Underwood gave birth to a bouncing baby boy and made an album that would go on to be nominated for CMA, Billboard Music and American Music Awards. So how did she follow that up in 2016? By creating a tour to match.
— From the beginning, we knew that The Storyteller Tour would be different than any other Carrie had ever done before, with the American Idol winner situated in the middle of arenas. With its spinning and rising stages, the Storyteller set gave Carrie the perfect platform to deliver both her dazzling array of ever-changing costumes and innumerable hits to fans around the world.
— Along the way in 2016, more chart toppers would come. In March, “Heartbeat” became Carrie’s 23rd #1, and the 13th she’d had a hand in writing. By July, Carrie would score her 24th with “Church Bells.”
— When the nominations for the 50th Annual CMA Awards were announced in August, Carrie became one of this year’s most-nominated artists. She received four nods, including one making her the only female singer competing for the coveted Entertainer of the Year trophy.
— November would find the CMA hostess marshaling a troupe of country’s up-and-coming female singers to support her “Dirty Laundry” performance on the historic show. Carrie also managed to break her pal Miranda Lambert’s six-year winning streak, recapturing the Female Vocalist trophy for the first time since 2008. Of course, Carrie was also part of the CMA’s “Forever Country” mash-up single.
— Later in November, Carrie competed in the all-genre Artist of the Year category alongside Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande at the American Music Awards.
— By the time Carrie wrapped the Storyteller Tour at the end of November, more than a million fans across the world had seen the spectacular show, with sell-outs in places like New York City, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Toronto and stops in Sweden, Norway, Scotland, England and Ireland.
— Not one to slow down, Carrie immediately joined Keith Urban as he took his Ripcord World Tour to New Zealand and Australia, even taking time to skydive with her band while Down Under.
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