This ‘Idol’ winner now has country prizes in her sights

“I’m not starting out where new artists start out.”

Carrie Underwood clearly recognizes her good fortune, since one year to the week that she was named the fourth “American Idol,” she could win four Academy of Country Music Awards.

Up for top female vocalist and top new female vocalist, as well as single record of the year and song of the year for “Jesus Take the Wheel,” the young newcomer to Nashville will be a featured performer as CBS televises the 41st annual awards show on Tuesday. Reba McEntire will mark her eighth stint as host of the show, originating from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

On Wednesday, Underwood will be back on Fox to help crown this season’s winner of “American Idol.”

Underwood considers her country music nominations “affirmation that we’re doing the right thing.” Nevertheless, she still finds performing before other country artists a little unnerving.

“It’s just so strange,” she says, “because these are people I looked up to and still look up to, and I have to sing in front of them. It’s difficult, because I’m afraid they’re all looking at me like, ‘Who’s this chick?’

“I feel like I’m going to be the new kid on the block for a while, like people will still be making sure I deserve to be here. Everybody’s been so nice, though, I have no reason to feel that way.”

Getting a handhold on her new fame has taken a while for Underwood, and she still isn’t sure she’s fully grasped it. She recalls that immediately after she won the Fox talent competition, “I had the ‘American Idol’ tour and did different specials, and of course, we were getting the album together. Then the album [“Some Hearts’] was released on the day of the CMAs [the Country Music Assn. Awards], so there was press everywhere. It was just a big, good, wonderful mess.

“It’s basically a process of, ‘Just hold on and get through it.’ I realize how lucky I am that I get to do all these things, so it’s just a matter of keeping everything in perspective.”

Underwood intends to maintain that stance while touring as Kenny Chesney’s opening act in coming months, but she still returns home as much as she can to Checotah, Okla.

“A lot of people might struggle for years before they actually get a record deal,” she acknowledges. “I felt like I cheated a little bit, but everybody was like, ‘I would never want to go through what you went through on “Idol.” ’ I guess I just went a different way. I’m not doing any less; I just shoved all the stress into a few months. Everything is working out good.”