Carrie Underwood has "lots of exciting" news to share.
In a letter to fans, published on her website Tuesday, the American Idol winner said her face is "healing pretty nicely" after her freak accident last year; in November, she slipped outside of her home in Nashville and broke her wrist; she also required between 40 and 50 facial stitches. In a newsletter, Underwood warned fans she may look "a bit different" when saw see her again.
In Tuesday's letter, Underwood said she is "physically" feeling "pretty darn good."
"My wrist is almost back to normal, about 90% there...and the docs say that last 10% will come in time. And my face has been healing pretty nicely as well. I definitely feel more like myself than I have in a while. One of the silver linings for me in this healing process is the time I've gotten to spend with [Mike Fisher] and [Isaiah Fisher]. I've been calling it 'forced relaxation' Sometimes I think things happen in order to make us slow down," she said. "It also means I've been home to support my favorite hockey player coming out of retirement! I hope you're all ready for more silly posts of me at Preds' playoff games! One more run for the Cup! Go Preds!"
Underwood then thanked her fan for making her latest single, "The Champion," such a success. "I've been so touched seeing how people around the world have been inspired by it and have shared their personal 'champion' stories and photos and videos. The song has become so meaningful to so many people, myself included, in ways I never could have imagined when I wrote it last year," she said of the Winter Olympics anthem. "I've always been a fan of Ludacris and getting to work with him has made me a die-hard fan for life. What an incredible talent! You guys will definitely have to help me out by singing his part when we play it on the road!"
The 35-year-old singer will debut a new single during the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday—the first under her recording contract with Universal Music Group Nashville.
"I've been in the studio writing and singing a TON, but I've also been able to be creative in a way that I've never been before, which has been very fulfilling and empowering," Underwood wrote in her letter, adding that she has teamed up with writer/producer David Garcia work on the follow-up to 2015's Storyteller. "I've always been lucky to have a voice in the writing and recording process, but this is the first time I am this involved in the production of my music. It's been challenging and incredibly rewarding to be involved in every aspect from start to finish. David has been an amazing teacher and partner, and I'm so proud of what we have created."
Underwood co-wrote her first single, "Cry Pretty," with Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose—a.k.a. Love Junkies. "I joined one of their writing sessions last year to see if we could come up with some magic...and we did! The title refers to when emotions take over and you just can't hold them back. It really speaks to a lot of things that have happened in the past year and I hope when you hear it, you can relate those feelings to those times in your life. It's emotional. It's real. And it ROCKS! It comes out TOMORROW at 6 a.m. ET, and I'm so excited I'll be performing it live on the ACM Awards this weekend, so I hope you'll all tune in to see it!" Underwood told fans. "Needless to say, I am beyond excited for this new album and everything that comes with it...more on that soon. Of course, we're already talking about a tour, but that's a blog for another day! Thank you all so much for your love and support this year and always. I feel it and I appreciate it. And I can't wait to start this new chapter with you! xoxo, Carrie."