When Carrie Underwood was asked about her thoughts on gay marriage earlier this month, it's clear the country superstar had no idea just how her comments would be received.
"I was asked a difficult question in the last five minutes of an interview and I answered it the best way I knew how, and after that I do what I do and I love making music and I generally try to stay out of any kind of controversy," Underwood, 29, told The Associated Press Tuesday.
Interviewed by The Independent, the devout Christian singer — who tied the knot with Mike Fisher in 2010 — told the paper that she believes marriage should be legal for all. "As a married person myself, I don't know what it's like to be told I can't marry somebody I love, and want to marry," Underwood told The Independent. "I can't imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love."
Underwood, who was raised in a Baptist church but now attends a non-denominational, gay-friendly church, tells the AP she never intended to be seen as on a soapbox.
"The role-model word is really scary to me, because no matter what happens in your life, something you do, wear, say, sing, whatever — somebody somewhere is probably not going to like it too well," she told the AP after facing an online backlash from fans.
"I just really try hard to do what I do and try to be nice to people and make great music and if people think they can look up to that, that's wonderful," the "Blown Away" singer continued. "If not, that's OK too."
