09/14/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/14/2026 10:21
Carrie Underwood cranked up the energy in her 14th consecutive Sunday Night Football anthem.
Underwood's newest version of the opening theme song premiered on Sunday (September 13). The eight-time Grammy winner, 43, previously said the newest SNF installment fuels "my ongoing rock star fever dream." She said in a press release last month, "I love this new version of the track and, once again, [Sunday Night Football Creative Director Tripp Dixon] and the incredible team behind the camera brought it to life in a whole new way that captures the spirit of this iconic song and the heart of rock 'n' roll. It's one of my most favorite opens yet!"
Dixon added in a statement of his own, "we've drawn inspiration from Carrie's deep, well-documented love of rock music - a perfect fit since our Sunday Night Football anthem was born from pure rock 'n' roll: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts ' 'I Hate Myself for Loving You.' We've worked to match these two rock frequencies of past and present as they come together in Carrie's high-energy performance. The greatest players and teams in the NFL will take it from there."
Over the years, the country megastar has shown her appreciation for rock music. She's taken the stage and/or released collaborations with Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses, Joan Jett, Mötley Crüe, Billy Idol, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach, and during a history-making festival performance, she covered Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Papa Roach and Collective Soul. Underwood covered the rock anthems when she became the first female artist ever to headline the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville, Iowa.
"The wait is OVER," Sunday Night Football and Underwood shared on Instagram. "Sunday Night Football has arrived and so has the newest version of the anthem by Carrie Underwood! "
Watch Underwood perform the new SNF anthem here: