Carrie Underwood Is ‘Sunday Night Football’ Theme Singer, Again, for 2021-2022 NFL Season
Carrie Underwood will return for a ninth season as Sunday Night Football's opening theme singer. NBC officially announced her role for the 2021-2022 NFL season on Monday (Aug. 23).
Her song — "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" — will be familiar, but the performance that goes with it will be brand-new. Per a press release, cutting-edge LED technology courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic will put Underwood at a virtual tailgate party for the first time ever; the opening video will also feature cameos from NFL stars and fan-submitted video.
“Shooting the new show open for Sunday Night Football is one of the highlights of my year. I just love the fact that we get to reinvent it every year," says Underwood. "The team behind these shoots is incredible, and it’s always a really fun day, especially this year getting to work with such amazing state-of-the-art technology."
Underwood first assumed the role of Sunday Night Football singer in 2013. "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night," however, pre-dates her: NBC began using the song, a re-written version of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You," in 2006. Pop star Pink sang the song that season, then Faith Hill took over until Underwood began her reign.
Sunday Night Football producers switched the broadcast's theme song in 2016, to "Oh, Sunday Night," a reimagined version of Underwood and Miranda Lambert's "Somethin' Bad." That song was used until 2018, when "Game On," another new song, became the theme for one season. "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" returned in 2019, with Underwood and Jett starring in the opening sequence together.
Underwood's new opening video will debut ahead of the Sept. 12 Sunday Night Football game between the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams.
See Inside Carrie Underwood's Nashville Mansion:
See Inside Carrie Underwood's Beautiful Post-American Idol Home: