Carrie Underwood Shares the Reason Behind Including “Softly and Tenderly” on Her Upcoming Album
On March 26, Carrie Underwood will release My Savior, a collection of gospel hymns she grew up singing in church.
Many of the songs are uplifting and hopeful, but she says one song, “Softly and Tenderly,” is particularly meaningful.
In a behind-the-scenes video, Underwood recounted performing the song during the “In Memoriam” segment of the 2017 Country Music Association Awards, which honored the nearly 60 people who were killed during the mass shooting at Las Vegas’ Route 91 Harvest music festival in October 2017. That year also saw the passing of several members of the country music community, including Don Williams, Glen Campbell, Mel Tillis, Montgomery Gentry’s Troy Gentry, Texas Troubadour and Grand Ole Opry staff band member Leon Rhodes, singer-songwriter and producer Norro Wilson, Johnny Cash guitarist Bob Wootton and CMA former executive director Jo Walker-Meador.
“I felt like at the time, that song just brought a lot of healing into the room,” Underwood said of the performance. “I wanted to include it on this project to have it in a more ‘done’ way. Hopefully it’ll continue to bring some healing to people who need it.”
The upcoming album—a companion to Underwood’s Christmas album My Gift, which released in September 2020—is filled with classic hymns such as “Just As I Am,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and “How Great Thou Art.”