Today is the day Carrie Underwood fans have been waiting for as the follow-up to her debut album had already been released and is now available for purchase. Entitled Carnival Ride, the highly-anticipated album follows her successful freshman collection, Some Hearts, which sold over 6 million copies. Her first single from Carnival Ride, So Small, had already climbed to the #5 spot in the U.S. country charts and #17 in the U.S. pop charts. Her new album is also expected to go up to the first place in the Billboard charts this week. Among her competitors are artists Bruce Springsteen, Kid Rock, Serj Tankian and Robert Plant.

In other news, Carrie Underwood recently talked to EW.com, and had made some controversial statements in their conversation. She commented on how much her American Idol success has contributed to her success after the competition. Apparently, the 24-year-old singer resents the public's image of her and how the media portrays her as just another widely successful American Idol.

"Every single person in the music industry knows if they had a chance like [Idol], they'd take it. And I'm sorry -- anybody who says I took a shortcut -- they are insane," Carrie Underwood said. "We didn't take the easy way; if anything we took a more difficult way. It was just unconventional, therefore it must be wrong."

However, some people think that she has gotten it all wrong. How could a no-one turn into a huge hit all over the world without going through a massive, highly-watched reality competition as American Idol? Let's face it. If American Idol wasn't the harder way to gain success, Underwood wouldn't even try out for it. She would have made success on her own. But take a look at this, she's at the top of the charts now and she's ranting about being an American Idol? American Idol propelled her into the success she is experiencing now. How about some gratitude instead of biting of the hand that fed her?