ACM Female Vocalist of The Year nominee Carrie Underwood has racked up hit after hit as a singer, and a songwriter. But Carrie admits that it’s not always easy–there’s a balance act to be worked out. Carrie says “it’s important to write good lyrics, but it’s also important to write them in a song that people would want to listen to.” So far with the first two songs off her new album, that she co-wrote, Carrie has been finding that balance like an Olympic gymnast. “Smoke Break,” the lead single off of Storyteller, went to number-one, with the follow-up single “Heartbeat” following up the same path.

  Carrie Underwood talks about finding a balance in songwriting. (:27)
“It’s important to write good lyrics, but it’s also important to write them in a song that people would want to listen to and would want to sing along with. It’s so helpful when you can write a song that has kind of something a little more hooky in it that people can just catch on to and start singing immediately, because when I’m on stage, even if they haven’t heard it, I mean, by the time the song’s over, they know half the song. (laughs) It’s hard sometimes trying to find that balance.”