Unashamed: Three Country Women Who Let Their Faith Do the Singing

In a genre that has always had a complicated, beautiful, and deeply personal relationship with God, a handful of country women have done something that takes real courage. They have put their faith front and center, not as a marketing strategy, but as the most honest thing they could think to say. 

Carrie Underwood: She Never Thought It Was Risky

After winning American Idol in 2005, Carrie Underwood released "Jesus Take the Wheel" as her debut single, and when people told her it was risky to open her career with a religious song, she pushed back immediately. "I grew up in Oklahoma," she said. "I always had a close relationship with God. I never thought it was risky in the least."

That confidence has never wavered. She followed up with "Something in the Water" in 2014, a song about conversion and baptism that ends with an interpolation of "Amazing Grace," and described it as "a joyous, uplifting song about changing your life for the better and waking up and having that a-ha moment." Then in 2021, she went further than anyone expected. She released My Savior, a full gospel album of classic hymns including "Victory in Jesus," "The Old Rugged Cross," and "Blessed Assurance," which earned a Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album. 

When asked about that Grammy win, Underwood became emotional and said it was "one of the most important bodies of work" she had ever been part of, something she had wanted to make her entire career. She also regularly leads worship at her home church in Franklin, Tennessee. Her faith has never been a side project. It is the foundation. Read her full bio.

Carly Pearce: Grace Over Judgment

Carly Pearce's relationship with faith is a little more complicated, and that is exactly what makes it so relatable. Growing up in Taylor Mill, Kentucky, Pearce attended church regularly, where she was also able to hone her singing talent. "I'm a girl who grew up in church, I grew up with faith being a very big part of my life, it still is a very big part of my life," she says, but adds that she has also wrestled deeply with the judgment and shame that can come with a church upbringing.

In 2021, she collaborated with Christian artist Matthew West on a reworked version of his heartfelt ballad "Truth Be Told," saying she had been praying for the right opportunity to integrate her faith into her commercial country career. Her 2026 single "Church Girl" pushed the conversation even further, writing a song not to tear faith down but to remind listeners that love and grace should come first, especially for those who have long searched for acceptance where they once felt judged. "I think the world could use a little more love and acceptance, and a whole lot less judgment," she has said. Carly Pearce's version of faith is messy, honest, and full of grace. Which, for a lot of people, is the most powerful version of all. Her full story is on our website.

Anne Wilson: A Song Born from Grief

Anne Wilson's story may be the most remarkable of the three. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Wilson had never sung in public a single time in her life until her older brother Jacob died in a car accident in 2017 at the age of 23. She sang at his funeral, and that performance changed everything. A video of the performance circulated online and eventually landed her a record deal with Capitol Christian Music Group.

Her 2021 debut single "My Jesus" made her the first debut female solo artist in Billboard chart history to reach number one on the Christian Airplay chart. Her debut album My Jesus was Grammy nominated, and she has accumulated over two billion global streams. What makes Wilson particularly special is the bridge she builds between Christian music and country. Her album Rebel reached number one on the Top Christian Albums chart and number ten on the Top Country Albums chart simultaneously, confirming that her audience spans both worlds and that she belongs in both. She has said she watched God take her story, which was something so broken, and turn it into something so beautiful. It is hard to argue with that. Learn more about her story.

Three women. Three different expressions of faith in their music. All of them unashamed.