“American Idol” judge and Grammy-winning country superstar Carrie Underwood just announced that she will be taking over Big Sky, Montana at Wildlands 2026, a music festival that brings artists together for conservation efforts.
Wildlands Announces Their Exciting 2026 Lineup & Fans React
The official Instagram account for Wildlands Music wrote in the caption of their post, “CARRIE UNDERWOOD. In Big Sky, Montana. 8x GRAMMY® winner. Over 95 million total RIAA certifications to date. Hits that defined a generation. This is going to be legendary.”
Fans flocked to the comment section to share their excitement for the “Before He Cheats” singer:
“There she’s the Queen, the one and only Carrie Underwood one of the most beautiful, powerful ,magnificent voices ever ever and with all the respect that she deserves, she’s absolutely the most beautiful woman in the entire universe God bless her.”
“Such a beautiful lady & so talented.”
“A flight to Montana doesn’t sound bad at all. Carrie im coming.”
“The best singer in human history!”
“Amazing.”
On Friday, July 31, Riley Green and LeAnn Rimes will each be performing. Underwood will take the stage the following day on Saturday, August 1 before Kaitlin Butts.
Underwood Opens Up About Her Journey on ‘American Idol’
The Wildlands announcement comes less than a week before the premiere of “American Idol” Season 24, which will be marking Underwood’s second season as a judge alongside fellow icons Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.
In May 2025, Underwood got emotional while reflecting on her “Idol” journey and her career following her Season 4 win.
“I think about my journey on ‘American Idol’ all the time, because it’s so grand, it’s so unbelievable,” Underwood said in the clip. “If somebody were to explain to me, if I’d never seen ‘American Idol’ before, then somebody were to explain to me my journey in their words, I would be like, ‘that’s impossible.’”
“To go from somebody who was going to school, trying to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life,” Underwood added, before admitting it was on a “whim” that she decided to go “try out for ‘American Idol,’” which is why she was in awe when she made it passed the first round, then the second round, then kept going until eventually ending up as “the last person standing.”
Underwood said that everything that’s happened since then sounds “insane.”
“And it sounds insane to me when I think about it because if I hadn’t made that one decision in my life, my life would be completely different.”
In tears, Underwood concluded that it has been a “blessed” journey.
