Carrie Underwood outdid herself on American Idol 2026 judges’ performance, and her show-stopping a cappella closer on her Songs of Faith week cut had EVERYBODY talking. Carrie brought Idol to church singing “How Great Thou Art” with past contestants Filo Ebid, Canaan James Hill, and Kolbi Jordan. While it was great to see our Idol favorites back, all everyone could talk about was Carrie’s a cappella vocals. From 2:25 onwards, Carrie just went beast mode and stole the show with her powerhouse vocals.
This kind of performance really goes to show why Carrie was the top country pop female star in the country for a decade. There sure ain’t nobody like her. The Music Man also has to give it up for Filo, Canaan, and Kolbi, who provided a heavenly vocal trio that elevated Carrie’s lead vocal so beautifully. Canaan’s vocal solo was also a big moment – he was just perfect for a Songs of Faith week performance.
American Idol uploaded Carrie’s performance on March 31, 2026, where it hit 315,000 views in a little over a week. Viewers loved to see the master at work, and added comments such as “Her voice is POWERFUL. Those last few notes were big enough to shatter planets. I rarely ever get chills during a performance and I did for Carrie during those last notes. That was INCREDIBLE” and “The power, the range, her vibrato, simply stunning. The Idols are learning from the reigning Idol. There is no better!”
Carrie’s Idol judges’ performances always hit the spot with fans. She dropped a belter last year when she performed her early hit “Alone,” drawing 1.2 million views. This performance recreated Carrie’s iconic cut of “Alone” 20 years prior on March 22, 2005, which many fans consider one of the greatest Idol moments ever. Fans loved the nostalgia hit of seeing Carrie bring it back, and she certainly delivered the thunder on the mic yet again.
The Music Man readers may recall that “How Great Thou Art” is a Carrie favourite. She has performed the song a number of times over the years, including a notable performance for the Academy of Country Music with Vince Gill in 2011. “How Great Thou Art” is a Christian hymn. It is based on a Swedish hymn called “O Store Gud” which minister Carl Boberg penned in 1885. The song has remained popular over the years and was voted Britain’s favourite hymn by public vote on the BBC’s Songs of Praise.