Carrie Underwood is getting ready to welcome football fans back to primetime.
On Tuesday, Aug. 4, NBC announced that the country superstar will return for her 14th consecutive season as the face and voice of the Sunday Night Football show open.
The new season kicks off Sept. 13 on NBC and Peacock, continuing a tradition that has made Underwood one of the most recognizable parts of NFL Sundays.
The “American Idol” star shared her excitement about the latest version of the iconic opening.
“This year’s show open welcomes Sunday Night Football into my ongoing rock star fever dream,” Underwood said in a press release.
Underwood Is Excited
She added, “I love this new version of the track and, once again, Tripp (Sunday Night Football show open creative director) and the incredible team behind the camera brought it to life in a whole new way that captures the spirit of this iconic song and the heart of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s one of my most favorite opens yet!”
According to NBC, this year’s production embraces a rock-inspired theme, featuring scenes filmed inside a recording studio, an intimate music venue and a packed concert stadium before transitioning into football action.
Creative director Tripp Dixon explained the inspiration behind the fresh look.
“This season, we’ve drawn inspiration from Carrie’s deep, well-documented love of rock music – a perfect fit since our Sunday Night Football anthem was born from pure rock ‘n’ roll: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ ‘I Hate Myself for Loving You,’” he said.
He continued, “We’ve worked to match these two rock frequencies of past and present as they come together in Carrie’s high-energy performance. The greatest players and teams in the NFL will take it from there.”
PEOPLE also debuted the new promotional artwork, showing Underwood in knee-high boots paired with a black-and-blue outfit that fits the rock-inspired theme.
The new NFL season will officially begin with the Dallas Cowboys taking on the New York Giants during Sunday Night Football’s season debut.
Fans Can’t Get Enough
Fans quickly flooded social media after the announcement, with many celebrating Underwood’s return.
“So excited!! Now we just need a Carrie Underwood halftime show!” one fan wrote.
Another added, “Sunday nights just sound better with @carrieunderwood!”
Others echoed the excitement.
“Excited Sept 13th will watch Carrie Underwood your so amazing,” one commenter shared.
“Just can’t wait love you Carrie Underwood,” another wrote.
One longtime fan added, “Waiting all day for Sunday night!!! Finally got to see her in person last year at OCMD Country Calling!”
Another simply declared, “Well done! Make her the Superbowl halftime show.”
Before the announcement, Underwood previously spoke with SiriusXM’s “The Morning Mash Up” about what goes into creating the famous weekly intro.
“It’s one main version, top to bottom, and then kind of filling in lines,” she explained. “When we go in to record, we do it all at once.”
That includes recording every possible matchup fans could hear throughout both the regular season and playoffs.
“We go through and pick up all the matchups for each week of regular-season football, and then we go into playoff football,” she said. “And I then sing every possible combination of teams that could possibly maybe play each other.”
Reflecting on the tradition, Underwood said one part never gets old.
“I think my favorite is when it kind of dawns on me that before these guys were playing in Sunday Night Football games, they were watching Sunday Night Football,” she shared. “When they get there, I’m a little part of their journey, which is really cool.”
As for headlining a future Super Bowl Halftime Show, Underwood admitted she’d only consider it if everything aligned.
“That’s a lot of pressure,” she said. “It would have to be just the right circumstances.”
