Carrie Underwood announces surprise duet with chart-topping country singer

Carrie Underwood has revealed her next collaboration and it will surely send country fans wild.

Fans of the 41-year-old American Idol judge were surprised as it was announced that she will be joining forces with Cody Johnson.

The 37-year-old Texas native took to Instagram on Wednesday to share photos from the upcoming music video for the highly-anticipated track titled I'm Gonna Love You.

He captioned the gallery to his 1.8million followers: 'Thrilled to announce that "I'm Gonna Love You" is coming out next Friday, 9/27. Thank you for joining me on this one and making it so special. Can't wait for y'all to hear it.'

Carrie looked ethereal in a lacy white dress along with a pair of black leather boots with metallic silver detailings all over them.

She donned a large brown belt wrapped around her dress which featured silver and turquoise along with multiple necklaces which matched.

Her signature blonde locks were worn down in a middle-part as she showcased her natural looks with complementary make-up topped off with shiny lip.

Cody kept his look simple in a denim jacket with matching jeans, white shirt, and finished off the look with brown cowboy boots and hat .

Days ago Carrie revealed what sort of American Idol judge she will be - 20 years after she first became a star on the series.

The star rose to nationwide fame on the reality competition series in 2005, emerging as the winner of the fourth season.

Two decades on, she is returning to the show for season 23 in 2025, joining a judges' panel that includes Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan .

She is taking the place of Katy Perry , who spent seven years on American Idol before announcing her departure earlier this year.

Now Carrie has shared her theories about how she will fare as a judge, during a conversation at Resorts World in Las Vegas with SiriusXM .

She pointed out that she has worked in several genres and so 'I like to think that I am versatile, and hopefully when I listen to people come in and audition, I can have any lens I need to put on as far as what kind of music I'm thinking.'

The Before He Cheats songstress added: 'I think I can be honest and constructive but still kind, and I think that's the whole point.

Carrie noted that 'people are coming in and, you know, it's dreams, and you're part of somebody's story from that moment on.'

She went on: 'So I think it's important to be honest but I think it's also very important to be kind, so hopefully I can marry all of those together and be a good judge.'

Carrie is stepping in for Katy Perry, who was first announced as an American Idol judge in 2017, reportedly earning a staggering $25 million a season.

Last year, Katy was frequently raked over the coals online and accused of 'bullying' because of her spiky on-air remarks to contestants.

DailyMail.com exclusively reported then that she was on the brink of quitting the ABC reality show, feeling she was 'thrown under the bus by producers' who positioned her to be the 'nasty judge' on the series.

Months after the controversies exploded across the internet, Katy announced this February on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that she would leave the show after season 22.

When Carrie was announced as Katy's replacement, Lionel raved that she would be a 'great judge,' noting her experience as a contestant on the show .

'Now we don't have to explain anymore: "We know how you feel." As artists, we know how you feel, but we've never been in that oval that says, American Idol. She's been there, done that,' the crooner explained to E! News .

Carrie became a contestant on American Idol after her barnstorming audition in August 2004, performing the Bonnie Raitt song I Can't Make You Love Me.

The following year, audiences across the United States fell in love with Carrie as she rose through the ranks on American Idol and eventually won the season .

At the time the judges were Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, while Ryan Seacrest held the hosting position he still occupies today.

She then became a wildly successful country star with a record 25 CMT Music Awards, and is often cited along with Kelly Clarkson as one of the few American Idol winners to enjoy an A-list career afterwards.