Nevermind if country music is not your cup of tea, this sexy songstress will most definitely set your heart racing.

Yes, we are talking about Carrie Underwood who was in town last Friday for the curtain-raiser of the official opening of Ion Orchard.

Fans of all ages turned up at the new mall to catch a glimpse of the 161cm-tall hot diva who looked more petite in person than on television.

The 26-year-old got off to a photo-taking and autographing frenzy the minute she arrived on scene. And you bet, she flashed the winning smile that won the hearts of Americans four years ago when she was voted as the winner of American Idol in 2005.

With her good looks and unquestionable singing capacity, it is not surprising that the young star quickly shot to international fame after her win. Well in fact, the four-time Grammy award winner and Entertainer of the Year by Academy of Country Music Awards 2009 is pretty much set to have a blast in her career - she is the most successful Americal Idol winner, who has sold up to 10 million albums to date.

So we all know her as the sprightly blond babe with the mighty voice and megawatt smile. But off stage, behind that television persona, what is Carrie Underwood really like?

Dressed in a simple fitting tee-shirt, jeans and knee-high boots, the country singer from Oklahoma greeted the media with a strong southern accent at a press conference held prior to her live performance.

Here's 10 things to know about Carrie Underwood:

1 'You're short' is the strangest compliment she's received.

"People get really nervous and tell me that I'm short. Maybe I look smaller in person because you know... they say people look 10 pounds bigger on television.

"Everybody's like...awww...'you're so little...' and I'm like wow, I must look really large on television! But they mean it in a good way, they're just nervous."

2 She's a self-declard shopaholic!

"I have become more of a shopaholic. That's because I grew up in Oklahoma and we don't have malls like this (Ion Orchard) in Oklahoma. Being able to go diff places, and being ard more fashion. I have become a shopaholic."

3 Shoes are her THING.

"My biggest habit in which I tend to spend the most money is on shoes. I don't own a 30K pair of diamond-studded shoes but that's where majority of my shopping money goes to."

4 Her dog goes everywhere with her.

"When I don't have to fly too far, my dog is always with me. But he didn't make it on this trip, the plane ride would have been awful. But other than that, the basics. Nothing specific. Just lotsa' shoes, lotsa' clothes. I always overpack."

5 Her musical guilty pleasure? New (or old?) Kids on the Block.

"I like New Kids on the Block. Stuff like that is a lot of fun to listen to- I actually worked out to that this morning. I like their newest album. I've been to their concert like twice within the past year."

6 Life motto: Be happy

"My mom really wants for me that's for me to be happy...so keeping that in mind has always done me well."

7 She loves the stage! The show goes on, even if she feels unwell.

"I've never had to cancel anything. The amazing thing is, people can do more than they can do. Everybody's had to work when they don't feel well.

"Basically once I get on stage, I feel a 100 times better. As soon as I get off stage, I'm exhausted.

"But you do what you got to do, nobody out there knows that you're sick, so you just get out there and do the best job you can. You'll actually feel better for it."

8 On off days, she cleans and packs.

"Whenever I have time, I do like to visit my parents who still live in my hometown. If there's life things that need to be caught up with, like laundry and house cleaning, I'll do that. Otherwise there's always suitcases to be unpacked and repacked. That's what I do on my days off... I'm horribly boring."

9 Winning American Idol was the most memorable moment in her career so far.

"It started with winning Amercian Idol. Winning that show was landmark, the beginning. A moment I'll never forget."

10 She doesn't get embarrassed easily.

"Sometimes I tend to say dumb things on stage... but I've never embarrassed myself too much - I can laugh at myself so I dont get embarrassed easily."

The young singer came and now she's gone. She's probably won some of us over, but look out for her - the next time Carrie Underwood comes to town again, her shows will only be bigger and better!