Backstage After 'Idol'

(CBS)  Carrie Underwood made "American Idol" history when she became the first non-pop or soul singer to take the crown.

She told The Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman, "This season, I knew somebody different was going to win."

And the Oklahoma native vows to stay true to her country roots: "I love country music. That's where my heart is. …That's the kind of music I want to be in, those are the kind of people I want to be around."

Underwood says "it's impossible" to describe the moment she learned she'd won: "There were so many emotions. I was nervous. …I mean, it was just incredible. The confetti, the pyrotechnics, I mean, it was just an awesome moment, the best feeling moment of my life."

Though rocker Bo Bice had lots of fans, he came up short in the vote tally. But he looked on the bright side when chatting with Kauffman.

"I never thought I was gonna make it this far. I'm grateful that America kept me here. …Man, I was just trying to get some better gigs around town," chuckled Helena, Alabama's hometown hero.

No final numbers were released on Tuesday's vote, so there's no word on how close the competition was. But, for the whole season, a record 500 million votes were cast.

The show made fun of this season's scandal with "Crimetime Live," a mock documentary spoofing the recent report on the ABC News broadcast "Primetime Live" alleging "Idol" judge Paula Abdul had had an affair with a former contestant.

"Idol" judge Simon Cowell says Abdul "was very happy to go along with (the skit)…to show that we have a sense of humor about it, because you can get too serious about these things."

Still, notes Kauffman, the music industry is a serious business. Both Underwood and Bice have record deals. And now, the real competition begins: the race to sell records.