ST.“I Thought He’d Ruin Everything” — Carrie Underwood Feared Bringing Her 5-Year-Old Son Into the Studio, But His Perfect Take Left the Entire Crew in Tears.
For a multi-Grammy-winning superstar like Carrie Underwood, the recording studio is a familiar, high-pressure environment where every note is meticulously crafted. However, while recording her first-ever Christmas album, My Gift, the powerhouse vocalist admitted to a very human fear: bringing her then five-year-old son, Isaiah Fisher, into the professional booth. Underwood candidly joked that she “thought he’d ruin everything,” worrying that his childhood energy or unpredictable focus might disrupt the professional session. To her surprise, the outcome was an emotional milestone that left the entire production crew in tears.
The collaboration took place on the holiday classic “Little Drummer Boy,” a track that holds immense personal significance for the singer. In fact, the song’s theme—a child offering his simple best as a gift—inspired the very title of the album. On the day of the recording, Isaiah showed his own dedication to the task by dressing up in a button-down shirt and a small black fedora. When the moment came for him to deliver the iconic “pa rum pum pum pum” refrain, he did so with a level of emotional purity and reverence that caught everyone off guard.
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Underwood, who acted as a nervous “stage mom” by staying in the booth to remind him of the lyrics, was overwhelmed as she heard his “sweet little voice” mix with her own. She described the experience as a whirlwind of “laughing and crying” simultaneously. The infectious emotion of the performance reportedly moved the entire studio staff, turning a professional recording session into a profound family memory. Underwood later noted that having this audio keepsake of her son’s innocent worship is something she will cherish for the rest of her life.
The mother-son duet became a central highlight of My Gift, which debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top Country Albums and Top Christian Albums charts upon its release in late 2020. The song was further immortalized in a holiday special on HBO Max, featuring a live performance with a full orchestra and choir. While Underwood has shared the stage with music’s biggest legends, she maintains that her collaboration with Isaiah remains the “perfect piece of the puzzle” for her career, proving that the most powerful performances often come from the heart of a child.
