Carrie Underwood shared a rare snap of herself on Monday glued to her Nokia phone before auditioning for American Idol on August 11, 2004 ahead of her full-circle gig as judge on the ABC singing competition.

The 41-year-old country crooner was only 21 when she walked into the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark in St. Louis, MO to showcase her three-octave soprano pipes for then judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell.

’20 years ago I auditioned for the judges of @americanidol,’ Carrie – who boasts 38.3M social media followers – captioned the snap.

‘And today I am now one of those judges searching for someone who wants to be an idol! It all starts with an audition…will we [see you on Idol?]’

As for the option of doing virtual auditions, Underwood scoffed: ‘I wish @americanidol auditions were this easy back in my day!’

Carrie Underwood shared a rare snap of herself on Monday glued to her Nokia phone before auditioning for American Idol on August 11, 2004 ahead of her full-circle gig as judge on the ABC singing competition

Nationwide auditions have already begun for season 23, and the eight-time Grammy winner is excited to replace Katy Perry (who earned $25M/season) and join current judges Luke Bryan (who earns $12M/season) and Lionel Richie (who earns $10M/season).

Carrie will make history next year as the first-ever person to win American Idol to judge the formerly Fox reality TV competition.

‘I mean it it feels like home! There’s so many people that even still work on the show that were there when I was a contestant,’ Underwood gushed to GMA on August 2.

‘So I feel like being on both sides of the coin, I’ll be able to hopefully offer some insight and help.’

As for what kind of judge the Oklahoma-born blonde will you be, she said: ‘I can’t lie. I just can’t it’s not you can tell I feel like I’ll be very honest, but hopefully you know I can be very constructive and encouraging.’

But Carrie is not going to be an overly-critical judge: ‘Oh gosh no. I mean, just ask my kids. I feel like I’m not too [harsh].’

Underwood has two sons – Isaiah Michael, 9; and Jacob Bryan, 5 – from her 14-year marriage to NHL star-turned-Catchin’ Deers owner Mike Fisher.

The Drinking Alone singer originally met the Canadian 44-year-old backstage at one of her concerts in 2008.

The 41-year-old country crooner was only 21 when she walked into the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark in St. Louis, MO to showcase her three-octave soprano pipes for then judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell

Carrie captioned the snap: ’20 years ago I auditioned for the judges of @americanidol, and today I am now one of those judges searching for someone who wants to be an idol! It all starts with an audition…will we [see you on Idol?]’

As for the option of doing virtual auditions, Underwood scoffed: ‘I wish @americanidol auditions were this easy back in my day!’

Nationwide auditions have already begun for season 23, and the eight-time Grammy winner is excited to replace Katy Perry (who earned $25M/season) and join current judges Luke Bryan (who earns $12M/season) and Lionel Richie (who earns $10M/season)

Carrie (pictured in 2005) will make history next year as the first-ever person to win American Idol to judge the formerly Fox reality TV competition

Underwood gushed to GMA on August 2: ‘I mean it it feels like home! There’s so many people that even still work on the show that were there when I was a contestant. So I feel like being on both sides of the coin, I’ll be able to hopefully offer some insight and help’

As for what kind of judge the Oklahoma-born blonde will you be, she said: ‘I can’t lie. I just can’t it’s not you can tell I feel like I’ll be very honest, but hopefully you know I can be very constructive and encouraging’

But Carrie is not going to be an overly-critical judge: ‘Oh gosh no. I mean, just ask my kids. I feel like I’m not too [harsh]’

Carrie Underwood discusses becoming a judge on ‘American Idol

According to an insider, the battle for Carrie took a dramatic turn when rival series The Voice brought the fight to American Idol producers, but ultimately her loyalty lay with the show that launched her career.

Now the timing is finally right, Underwood apparently can’t wait to ‘give back’ to the show that catapulted her into worldwide fame – and is excited to further ‘cement her legacy.’

‘They have asked Carrie in the past to be a judge and either timing, money or other commitments have got in the way to make it a reality,’ a source told DailyMail.com.

‘She has been asked to coach on The Voice as well, but it just never seemed right.

‘Even with the opening she has to speak to the same people at NBC by working with Sunday Night Football, she has always felt that she needed to be loyal to American Idol.

‘She has always monitored the show that started her career, and now she couldn’t say no.

‘Carrie feels she is the best star to have come from American Idol and judging on the show to make another superstar will help cement her legacy with the show.

‘She is looking forward to every joy she gets from giving back and is more than ready to make the show the monster show it once was.’

But first, the fit52 founder – who gets 9.8M monthly listeners on Spotify – will resume her on/off Reflection residency this Wednesday at Resorts World Las Vegas.