Ty Herndon Covers the Carrie Underwood Song That Changed His Life [Exclusive Premiere]

Ty Herndon's dynamic album of cover songs includes one from Carrie Underwood. It's arguably the most important song on the upcoming record, Got It Covered.

Among re-imaginings of his own "What Mattered Most," "Living In a Moment" and many more are covers of songs by Bonnie Raitt, Marc Cohn and Underwood. For this exclusive Taste of Country premiere, Herndon explained why "So Small" is so important. He recalls hearing it in his truck on the way to a real estate class in Nashville, having recently moved back from Los Angeles.

"I was having a tough time deciding whether or not I wanted to stay in a business that I loved so much," Herndon shares. "I believed strongly that I was done. I wasn’t hearing a lot of dynamic singers on the radio anymore. The music had evolved and changed."

"So Small" was a 2007 single for Underwood from her Carnival Ride album. It would become a No. 1 hit for the American Idol star.

"The message was incredibly strong and it was something I needed to hear. But holy cow ... It was all about that vocal — dynamic, strong, and powerful! So powerful that it changed my mind. I had quite a few tears that morning in my truck. I let go of my fear and decided to stay in the music business. I decided I could do exactly what Carrie was doing in some small way. For me, it’s simply meant doing music that mattered. Music that changes hearts and minds. And it also gave me the courage to start the conversation about my own coming out process."

Herndon says a full music video is set for release the same day his new Got It Covered album drops, on Aug. 23. It's a dynamic video with a strong message.

"Thank you Carrie Underwood for being on my radio that day," he says. "It changed my life."

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