The Carnival Imagination is one sailing ship still in need of its moon! As part of the insanely intimate Carnival LIVE concert series, Carrie Underwood performed aboard the cruise liner while it was docked at Catalina Island off the coast of southern California on April 4 — just two days after her headline-grabbing performance during the 2017 ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
Wonderwall.com was on hand for the truly unforgettable show, during which the blonde beauty joked about not knowing whether her husband, hockey player Mike Fisher, was at home or out of town for a game and opened up about how eager she was to be reunited with their son, Isaiah Michael Fisher.
We also caught up with the country superstar in the hours leading up to the gig: "It's been so nice to be able to work with Carnival Cruise Lines and see how families get to come and hang out and spend their time," she told us. "Being a mom now, I realize how important family time is, and it's nice to be part of something that gives that to people," she added.
Keep reading to see what else Carrie told us about the recent attention she's gotten for her body, sharing her music with her son, the struggle to keep her energy level up, the best part of having a 2 year old and more — and check out our Snapchat Diary from the cruise in the video below!
Carrie Underwood on what makes the Carnival LIVE concert series so special: "It's just a smaller room. It's more intimate. I get to really see everybody's faces. [My] The Storyteller Tour was just a massive tour. There were a million people and lights and everything. Sometimes it's nice to just kind of ease back and play something that's a little more intimate and one-on-one."
On how she likes to vacation now that she's a mom: "I just like to take it easy, to be honest. I love it if I can get in a workout in the morning and then kind of lay by the pool or ocean (or some body of water) in the afternoon, then have a nice dinner at night. For me, it's just about simplicity. Now that I have a 2 year old, I'm always trying to think of things that he can do. I can take him swimming or whatever it is we're doing. We can venture out and he can have some fun that's just for him."
On how she keeps her energy up while balancing her career and her family: "Caffeine? I don't know. For me, it's trying to get sleep if and where I can. I'm so lucky that I get to do so many cool things. Even if I'm tired leading up to them, as soon as I get out on stage or as soon as [my band] starts to play for an award show or whatever it is, the energy just comes because it's exciting and it's fun."
On how much coffee she actually drinks: "Probably not really too much — maybe a couple cups of coffee a day. But it certainly helps!"
On the recent attention she's gotten for her body: "The reward really is feeling good and feeling healthy. That's what I always stress. It's always nice when other people notice that you work hard, but the work is the good thing. I love carving out even a little time for myself when and if I can [to work out]. And I'm just a clean, healthy eater."
On her favorite thing about her son right now: "His personality is just coming through more and more every single day. Right now he just loves to be around whoever — he just wants to follow me around and around. And he's just a little cuddle muffin. He loves giving hugs. He's a sweet, sweet little boy. He really is. He's busy and he's a mess, but he's really sweet."
On whether Isaiah is more of an athlete (like his dad) or a performer (like his mom): "He definitely loves music, and any time if we're listening to the radio and I come on, he's like, 'Mama!' He knows it's me. He loves to sing along. He's always singing something. Sometimes I don't know what he's singing — maybe something he learned at school. But he's always singing something. I don't know what path his life will take him down. But I am happy that he also loves being outside. That's all he wants to do. Sometimes it's raining, and I'm like, 'Honey, it's storming. We can't go out in that!' And he gets so disappointed. He just wants to go outside and doesn't understand why he can't. So I'm thankful that he seems to be an active kid."
On which of her songs Isaiah likes to sing: "He likes to sing along with either 'Heartbeat' or 'Dirty Laundry.' He kind of knows different parts of those songs. But he knows all the little kid songs too — 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' and all that stuff."