The mother of country music star Carrie Underwood spoke out this week to discuss her daughter’s journey from “American Idol” to stardom, saying that she “just truly had a gift from God.”

While appearing on the series “Through Mom’s Eyes,” Underwood’s mother Carole told TODAY’s Sheinelle Jones that she can remember a time when her daughter was hesitant to perform in local talent shows in Oklahoma.

“I would call and say ’Can Carrie sing? Will you let Carrie sing on this one?’” Carole recalled. “And, you know, she hated it, because her friends were going to be out there, and she didn’t like to sing in front of her friends. And sometimes it was like — she might be crying before she would get up there to sing. But she did. … She always did. She just truly had a gift from God.”

Carole would make the costumes that her daughter would perform in during. her childhood.

“When you’re in little talent shows and you’re singing country music, you have to be all sparkly, so I would get material and I would make her costumes,” she said. “I look back at it fondly and think ’Well, you know what, I did a pretty good job there, didn’t I?'”

While it was obvious that Underwood was talented, her mother never thought her gift would take her to global superstardom.

“I truly never thought about it being something,” Carole explained. “It was just what she liked to do, so it never occurred to me that there might be a future in it for her.”

Carole supported Underwood’s decision to audition for the fourth season of “American Idol,” saying, “We never even considered that she could win it at all, but at least maybe she could have some face and name recognition, and she would get to be an anchor or something on one of our local TV shows in Tulsa.”

Sure enough, Underwood made it round after round through the audition process until she was competing on the live performance shows.

“I always dreaded Tuesdays and I hated Wednesdays, because her song was going to go on Tuesday, and so I always had to pray that she would be able to hit that high note, and that she would carry the tune like it was supposed to be,” Carole said. “It was just harrowing for me. And I’m sure it was for her, too.”

Underwood ended up winning the entire show, and sixteen years later, she now has seven Grammy honors to her credit, has sold millions of albums, and has launched a clothing line and a best-selling book. Despite all of her success, however, her mother says that she is still the same down to earth country girl that she always was.

“You don’t realize that celebrities truly are just people,” Carole said. “They wash their clothes. They fold their clothes. You know? I just don’t want her to change how she is, and I think she doesn’t.”