Carrie Underwood: Brad Paisley ‘Was Part of the Reason’ I Wanted a Family

After running in the same circles for more than a decade and hosting the CMA Awards together for eight years, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley have gotten to know each other pretty well. It’s clear the two are buds from their interactions on stage, but it turns out their friendship goes even deeper. When Underwood was thinking about taking the plunge into parenthood, the singer says she looked to Paisley and his wife Kimberly as role models.

“[Brad] was part of the reason,” Underwood tells CMT about her wanting to start a family. “I would see them and how great they are and how sweet he is with them. And as soon as I found out I was having a boy, I was watching them like, ‘Aww, I want my kids to be like that.’"

Underwood and husband Mike Fisher are well on their way — their boy Isaiah looks like he’s in good hands, if the adorable father-and-son photos on Instagram are any indication. Underwood even says motherhood has brought more joy into her life.

"I feel overall like I’m kind of a happier person, and that’s kind of weird,” she tells ABC News. “I don’t know why, but I just feel like I’m just kind of in a better mood most of the time, unless I’m really sleepy.”

Paisley has two sons, Huck, 8, and Jasper, 6, so Underwood is halfway there. She’s probably not thinking about the second any time soon, though, as her schedule is jam-packed for the foreseeable future. She and Paisley are hosting the CMA Awards again this year in November, and the artist’s new record Storyteller is slated for release Oct. 23. She was also the first country artist to headline at the Apple Music Festival (formerly the iTunes Festival) in London, and is slated to play the Grand Ole Opry’s 90th birthday celebration.

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