First Published: November 6, 2013 5:56 PM EST Credit: Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- 
Caption Carrie Underwood returns to CMA Awards stage on Wednesday to co-host the show for a sixth time with Brad Paisley.
The country star, who is also nominated for multiple awards, says she’s still shocked by the success of her career – eight years after skyrocketing to fame on “American Idol” Season 4.
“I always wanted to sing. If you had asked me as like, a 5 year old, what are you gonna be when you grow up, I would of been like, ‘I’m gonna be a singer,’ but I feel like, the older I got, the more practical I got,” Carrie told Access Hollywood’s Michelle Beadle ahead of the CMA Awards in Nashville. “And everybody wants to be [a singer] and I’d hear other people on award shows or other people I knew sing and they were so awesome and they were so good.
PHOTOS: Hot Shots Of Carrie Underwood
“I lost my dream I guess as I got older and then everything just clicked into place,” she continued. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m actually doing this!’”
Despite the years of success, fame and awards, Carrie said she’s still in awe of her reality.
PHOTOS: Top 10 Best-Selling ‘American Idols’
“I think I have a wow moment every day,” she told Michelle. “Either I totally forget what I do and somebody comes up to me and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just love you, I love [your] song,’ or, I remember in college being like, ‘OK, Ramen noodles again, all right. OK, I’ve got to pay my rent, I’ve got to pay this bill,’ and trying to figure out how much I needed – trying to figure out how I was gonna make it.
“And then, now, I get to buy the good stuff at the grocery store!” she added. “I get to buy the fresh fruit and vegetables, it’s awesome! Not the dented things.”
And Carrie just hit a big milestone, as she turned 30 in March.
“I feel old when I’m surrounded by younger people, or when I go to the movies and I’m like, ‘Teenagers – ugh!’ and I’m like, oh my gosh, I’m that person! I’m old,” she said with a laugh.
Copyright 2013 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
