Carrie Underwood has done just about everything a singer can do. She’s won eight Grammys, headlined her own Las Vegas show and taken a seat at the “American Idol” judges’ table.
Her oldest boy wasn’t impressed by any of it.
Carrie and her husband, retired NHL hockey captain Mike Fisher, have two sons. Isaiah was born in 2015 and his little brother Jacob came along in 2019. In the summer of 2024 the boys were 9 and 5, which is about the age when a famous mom is still just Mom.
According to Taste of Country, Isaiah had never been won over by the awards or the Vegas residency. He didn’t care much about the “Idol” job either.
That summer Carrie was the very first act of the GMA Summer Concert Series, and she sat down with Eva Pilgrim for a segment that aired on GMA3. You can find that interview on the Good Morning America website.
Before we get to what she told Eva, here’s Carrie doing what she does best on the GMA Summer Concert Series stage, singing live for the show.
Carrie Underwood singing live on the GMA Summer Concert Series
So what finally did the trick?
A rock band. Carrie recorded a duet with Papa Roach, the California rock group, on their 2022 song “Leave a Light On.” The new version came out in the summer of 2024.
Here’s the twist. Isaiah was already a huge Papa Roach fan.
“And my nine-year-old son, who’s a massive fan of Papa Roach…I finally am doing something cool to him,” Carrie said on GMA.
She knew it wouldn’t last forever. “He thinks his mom is cool for probably one minute, but I’ll take it.”
Any parent who has tried to impress a 9-year-old will laugh at that one. Carrie wasn’t faking her excitement either. “I’ve been a massive fan of Papa Roach since I was a teenager,” she said.
This is the duet that finally made her cool at home, filmed with the band on stage.
Carrie and Papa Roach singing their duet live
Those cool points turned out to last longer than a minute.
A year later, on Aug 21, 2025, Carrie took Isaiah to see Linkin Park at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The band was on its “From Zero World Tour,” and it’s another group Carrie has loved since she was a teen.
She shared the night on her Instagram Stories. “I’ve been a fan since high school and now Isaiah is a huge fan!” she wrote. She added, “We had a blast making some memories!”
So mom and son now share a taste in loud guitars. Who saw that coming from a country superstar’s house?
Music clearly runs in the family. Carrie says both boys can sing. “Yes, they both can carry a tune. I feel like Isaiah has such a sweet voice.”
Maybe someday he’ll ask his mom to take him to the next big rock show. Something tells us she won’t need much convincing.