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Carrie Underwood took a moment to spotlight her glamorous wardrobe during her highly-anticipated return to American Idol to make her debut as a judge. Underwood’s return to the competition show takes place 20 years after her victory that launched her career in 2005.
Underwood reminisced on “a couple of last night’s looks” in a post on Instagram on Monday evening (March 10), which was also the singer-songwriter’s 42nd birthday. The American Idol season premiere aired on Sunday (March 9). Underwood, serving as a judge alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, posted side-by-side photos and designer details for two of her looks during the Idol premiere. One is a bright pink cape dress, and the other is a denim bow shirt paired with a denim and tweed skirt.
The pink dress quickly stirred nostalgia for longtime fans in a promo months before American Idol’s season premiere. The vibrant color matched the t-shirt Underwood wore when she auditioned for then-judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. Underwood recently rewatched her American Idol audition and shared what she remembers about that day. She was 21 years old when she road-tripped from her home in Checotah, Oklahoma, and performed Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” at her audition in St. Louis, Missouri.
So far as a judge, Underwood has watched a contestant cover the same powerful Raitt ballad, appeared stunned by a teen’s rendition of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You,” watched a member of the Backstreet Boys’ son deliver an original song, learned a student’s emotional story behind a song he wrote in honor of his teacher’s family, and more. American Idol airs on ABC on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET. It’s also available to stream on Hulu.
Relive Underwood's American Idol journey from contestant to judge here.